Fall into a New Journal Routine

A new season—especially one associated with back to school, a return to routine, and increased productivity—presents a perfect moment to create healthy, new habits. One of our favorite habits to support lowered stress, goal-setting and achievement, creative thought, and self-care is journaling. There are so many types of journals (a little something for everyone, we like to think), including journaling practices that support healthy skin and a healthy body!

What’s more, journaling is no longer limited to writing by hand on a blank page in a dedicated notebook. Today, there’s something for everyone in the journaling space, from food and fitness journals to skincare tracking, question prompts, and gratitude journals, in written, digital, and even audio forms. Journaling doesn’t have to mean sitting and writing your deepest thoughts for hours—unless you want it to—and you certainly don’t need to log large amounts of time with a journal in order to benefit from it. The journal is, at its best, a friend. It’s a reflective tool to assist you as you record the unfolding of your daily life, monitor and track progress, capture new ideas, or explore your dreams and aspirations. Feeling inspired yet? If your traditional journal has become a frenemy and your entries lack energy or enthusiasm, it might be time for you to to build a new journal relationship!

Find your true journal style

Ask yourself these questions to find a method of journaling that suits you right now:

Do you find that you only journal when you are knee-deep in a project or in a life changing transition? If yes, TRY:

A Timeframe/Project Journal about your move to a new city, your first year of marriage, or your new career, for example.
A Gardening/Nature Journal to diagram your plantings, and record your blooms.
A Writing/Book Journal to record your thoughts while you read a new book, or keep a list of favorite quotes.
A Travel Journal to preserve memories of your adventures that go beyond pictures.

Do you like to use a journal to explore? Are you drawn to journaling as a way to craft intentions for the future? If yes, TRY:

Journal Prompts that pose a question or ask you to write out your thoughts on a specific subject.
An Art Journal, for doodlers and creatives who find lines and written entries to be too confining, which typically blends short passages of writing with multimedia illustrations.
A Dream Journal to find out what your subconscious is up to. (Note: keep it at your bedside so you can capture the essence of your dream before it evaporates into the waking hour).

Do you like to document? Do you refer back to your journals to reference time/events? If yes, TRY:

A Classic/ Chronological Journal that can serve as a diary for events, thoughts, feelings, and goals.
A Daily Record that can be as simple as a structured journal that holds a one or two sentence highlight of the day.
A Gratitude Journal that will remind you of all the things in life you are grateful for, day by day or week by week.

Does a journal help keep you accountable and moving towards your goal? Does writing down the the particulars keep you focused on the change process? If yes, TRY:

A Behavior Change Journal to help you with the pursuit of healthy, new habits.
A Food journal to highlight the foods you eat and help identify patterns in the way they impact how you look and feel.
A Fitness Journal to log workouts, exercises, and favorite routines.
A Skin Care Journal to document the products you apply and the results you see in the hours, days and months to follow.

Keep in mind there is no right way to journal. But the act of journaling can bring you to the present moment, grow your focus, relax your mind and body, and awaken your creativity, depending on how—and how often—you use it. Perhaps you will keep one journal to revisit daily, or maybe you’ll end up with a selection of journals that you reach for on specific occasions. Either way, don’t be afraid to shake up your current approach or try on an entirely new style. Your mind, body and skin may thank you later on!