Journals; either you love them or…honestly, is there anyone who hates journals?
They know all your secrets and never tell a soul. They offer you a listening ear without being judgmental. They are there for you morning or night. They don’t require you to get dressed or leave the house. They are like the perfect therapist.
Journals are not just a diary, and they’re not just for teenage girls anymore.
Every man, woman, and child could benefit from using journals. There are journals for everyone. They provide lots of benefits, especially for your mental and emotional health (read all about it here).
Whether you are obsessed with journals like I am, or are a beginner journaler looking for ideas, here are five types of journals that you need in your life.
Table of Contents
Gratitude Journal
WHAT IT IS: A gratitude journal is specially designed to invoke feelings of gratitude and thankfulness. They usually have journal prompts because if thinking of things to be grateful for was so easy, we wouldn’t need a journal for it!
WHY YOU NEED IT: Gratitude is one of the best ways to improve your mood, reduce your stress levels, increase your happiness, and boost your manifestation results. Spending just five minutes in the morning and before bed is a great way to bookend your day with this amazing activity that will give you physical, mental, and spiritual benefits.
I have a two versions of gratitude journals available. If you want a paperback book, you can get the Glass Full of Gratitude journal on Amazon by clicking the image below (affiliate link):
That is also available in printable format in my Etsy shop by clicking the image below:
Brain Dump Journal
WHAT IT IS: A brain dump journal is like a freestyle writing page where you can let loose, speak your mind, and let it all out. Spill all your worries, fears, concerns, to-do lists, whatever is taking up precious space in your mind.
WHY YOU NEED IT: Doing a brain dump before you go to bed every night can help you sleep better by releasing you from the constant thoughts in your mind. If you get them out of your head and onto the paper, your mind will be clear and can rest easy for the night.
My printable Nighttime Journal Pages were designed specifically to use for this reason. The image below will take you to it on Etsy:
Therapeutic Journal
WHAT IT IS: Therapeutic journaling is aimed at healing a specific problem such as PTSD, grief, depression, or anxiety. This type of journaling is being used by therapists and can be beneficial whether or not you are actively seeing a therapist.
WHY YOU NEED IT: Everyone struggles with some type of mental trouble once in a while, but not everyone can seek help for it. If you are too embarrassed, don’t have enough money, or simply want to work through your problems in the privacy of your own home, you can still achieve some benefit from working through a specially designed journal for whatever you are struggling with.
I have a few printable journals that focus on mental struggles. See if any of these would be a good fit for you:
Body, Mind, & Soul Self Care Journal
Manifestation Journal
WHAT IT IS: Manifestation is the act of creating your life and bringing things you desire into it. A manifestation journal will have all the right journal prompts to help guide you into creating the life of your dreams.
WHY YOU NEED IT: Manifestation can be tricky. Most people can’t make it work either because they lack the clarity of what they want or the tools to guide them through the right steps. A manifestation journal can help with both. You want one that guides you through questions to clarify your goals, helps you establish a plan of action, helps you cultivate the feelings and emotions associated with your goals, and helps you use scripting as another tool to help you manifest easier.
I created my Manifestation Journal and my Manifesting With the Moon Journal to help people with this.
Bullet Journal
WHAT IT IS: The bullet journal was invented by a man named Ryder Carroll. It is a cross between a journal and a planner. It is usually started by purchasing a physical book with dot grid pages on the inside and then decorated and written in by the user. He created it along with special instructions, symbols, and pages but you can create your bullet journal in your own unique way since the book comes blank.
WHY YOU NEED IT: A bullet journal is the perfect merging of both the planner world and the journal world. You can plan your days, weeks, and months while also recording your journal entries. You can decorate it any way you see fit, using markers, pens, pencils, stickers, or embellishments. It is the perfect way to unleash your inner artist.
Even though most bullet journals purchased are the original hardcover version, there are many printable pages available on Etsy for those who want to create their own bullet journals from scratch. There are many pages available with pre-made templates so if you aren’t creative or are a beginner, you can use them to get started or for some inspiration. I have a few versions of bullet journal templates available in my Etsy shop.
Learn Everything I Know About Journaling
If you want to dive deeper into the world of journaling and learn even more journaling types plus journaling benefits, methods, and exercises, I have an online course on Udemy. It’s perfect for beginners or anyone who is a seasoned journaler. Learn more by clicking the image below.
Create Your Own Journals
Would you like to learn how to create your own printable journals? This is what I’ve been doing for the few years, and it is so satisfying! You can create the exact type of journal you want (or planner, or checklist, or literally anything else you can think of that can be printed!), and you can also sell them on Etsy. The program I use to make them is Powerpoint so that is what I teach in the course. If you are interested, click on the image below!
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