Recording the details of your life can enrich your stories. One year when for The Spring Writing Contest at The Write Practice, I wrote a story about when the IRS called me to say I owed money.

If you’ve never kept a journal before, writing on a regular basis might feel a bit challenging. Even with prompts to help prime your thoughts, you might find it tough to get started. Keep an open mind: Approach prompted journaling with an open mind. Reflect on the prompt and explore where it takes you. You can write as much or as little as you like. The benefits of journaling this way are numerous. Writers who establish regular journaling time may find it helps them clear their minds and explore new ideas. Having strong, supportive relationships can help improve overall well-being, protect against mental health concerns like depression, and boost resilience, which refers to your ability to weather life’s many challenges. This spread is a modification on the Headliner. Dropping Sunday in the margin gives you a big more room for each day of the week, and you still have a large area below. You can break the space up however you like, but I chose to create large areas for habits and tasks.Note: If writing about painful emotions makes you feel even worse, there’s no need to push yourself. It may help to establish a regular journaling habit before you turn to more challenging topics. Living your best life Some people find that it helps to start with a “stream of consciousness” approach. This means writing down whatever comes to mind on a topic, exactly as it pops into your thoughts, without stopping to worry about punctuation or complete sentences. This is why I love to write about simple and intentional living because it’s a lifestyle that helps you prioritise what’s important to YOU, not just what’s important to your schedule, work or day to day routine.

I made about 20 different layouts before narrowing down to 10 trusty formats I feel can be customized and manipulated depending on your needs. They are “naked” (oh, my) so you can focus on functionality for now; you can add your unique style/doodles.

But if my format doesn’t tickle your fancy…

Smyth JM, et al. (2018). Online positive affect journaling in the improvement of mental distress and well-being in general medical patients with elevated anxiety symptoms: A preliminary randomized controlled trial. Give your journal a title if you’d like by typing in your preferred text in the designated box. You can keep the suggested font style and color that is already complementary to the overall design, or explore other possibilities by trying out different typographies. Finally, make adjustments in the sizes and placements of all the elements on the cover to your satisfaction. A study was done by the University of Texas where 86 dating couples either wrote about their daily activities or their deepest thoughts and feelings about their relationships for 3 consecutive days. Those that wrote about their relationship were more likely to be together a few months later than those who wrote about their daily activities.

First, list five words that best describe you. Then, think about which five words you would like to describe yourself.

Adding Weekly Spreads to Your Bullet Journal

Identify one area where you’d like to improve. Then, list three specific actions you can take to create that change. For your custom journal cover, there is a variety of ideas that you can go with. You can create a fun collage effect using pictures from your collection. Just upload your own photos to your Canva account and then drag and drop them into your layout. For a more whimsical feel, you can add illustrations from Canva’s wide media library of ready-made visuals. Include flourishes such as frames, icons, lines, geometric shapes, and color swatches to spruce up the layout. Who do you trust with your most painful and upsetting feelings? How can you connect with them when feeling low?

Need room to move (if you like taking notes or jotting person thoughts and reflections, this is probably note the spread for you) Be honest and authentic: Honesty is key to getting the most out of journaling. Write from the heart and don't be afraid to express your true feelings, even if they are complex or challenging. Find a quiet place to write. Outside noise and other distractions can disrupt your thoughts, especially if you’re new to journaling. If you can’t find a quiet space, try listening to instrumental music (anything without vocals) as you write. The journal will help you focus more on what you appreciate about your partner. Even if you are having problems in your relationship and your complaints are justified you can still turn the relationship around with this relationship journal.That expressive writing can be therapeutic, but it can also help you flesh out characters later. 4. Preservethe writer's history Find prompts that inspire you: Dr. Romanoff suggests making a list of prompts that you find inspiring or motivating—you can come up with your own, buy a journal with prompts, or look online for examples. Writing about the little things that add meaning to daily life makes it easier to notice just how much they boost your mood and overall well-being. Journaling can help you express and begin to navigate difficult and painful emotions. That’s part of what makes it such a valuable exercise.