Journaling
I have kept a journal on and off since I was a child. I have recently started a new journal following some suggestions offered by various places on the web. I find it to be very theraputic. I can relieve stress, anger, express happiness, relive memories, say things that were left unsaid, anything that comes to mind. It's an excellent way to record progress, or digression. I put things like Tarot readings, rune castings, spells preformed, and rituals preformed into my journal. Everything goes in.
Here I am listing several of the suggestions I have found online for you to start your own journal. All you need is a blank notebook, composition pad, perhaps a blank journal from the bookstore, a pen and your own private thoughts and you are ready to go.
Enjoy!
1. "Write down every nickname you remember. Choose the one you like most, and the one you like least. Describe how they make you feel about yourself, and about the person who named you."
2. "Paint a word portrait of someone close to you, giving detail to eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair and shape of face."
3. "Describe your favorite room and why it's your favorite."
4. "Paint a word portrait of yourself, paying more attention to your face than your body."
5. "Paint a word portrait of three family members and describe why you chose them."
6. "Where do you want to be next year at this time?"
7. "Create a conversation between yourself and a friend, family member or therapist that made you really happy or very angry."
8. "Write about your most vivid memory of a positive or negative incident from the years before you were ten."
9. "Write about five colors you love, and five you dislike, and why you chose them."
10. "Write about a holiday weekend that was terrific or one that was terrifically bad and why."
11. "Write about the first thing you can remember."
12. "List your accomplishments."
13. "What does the end of the rainbow mean to you?"
14. "How old were you when you first fell in love, and how did it feel? Describe the person you fell in love with."
15. "Write about three situations you can change, and how you would change them; and three situations you want to change, but cannot, and how you live with them."
16. "Write a dialogue between two imaginary people who are very happy or very angry. How do they speak to each other, and what do they say? What tone of voice do they use, what do they look like, what are they doing? What are they thinking versus what they are saying, if anything?"
17. "Monday mornings make me feel like . . . "
18. "Word Game: Breathe deeply and slowly, close your eyes, count to ten, and write down the first word that comes into your mind:_______________. Please write about the word for at least five minutes."
19. "When I feel joy I feel like I'm . . . "
20. "When I feel fear I feel as though I'm . . . "
21. "When I feel hope I feel like I can . . . "
22. "When I feel anxious I feel like I'm . . . "
23. "When I feel peace I feel like I'm . . . "
24. "When I feel hopeless, I feel like I'm . . . "
25. "Contentment makes me feel like I'm . . . "
26. "When I feel helpless I feel like I'm . . . "
27. "I can relax when I . . . "
28. "Pick two strong emotions and use them in a true or fictional story."
29. "Write about a turning point in your life."
30. "What is the hardest thing you've ever had to do?"
31. "How did you get through that hard time? Was anyone able to help you?
32. "What memory shines more brightly than most?"
33. "The day changed into its brightest many-colored coat as night approached and I . . . "
34. Poems that speak to me about an issue I'm dealing with
35. Prayers that I want to pray
36. Affirmations
37. "Rules to Live By" type of lists
38. Meaningful passages from my daily meditation book
39. Pictures that inspire me or respresent a dream (I paste them on the blank pages)
40. Sometimes I draw instead of write (again, on the blank pages)
41.Unsent Letters:
Write a letter to someone who has hurt you.
Write a letter to someone you have hurt.
Write a letter to yourself from the five-year old you.
Write a letter to yourself from the 90-year-old you.
Write a letter to your body.
Write a letter to your ex.
Write a letter to your chil(dren).
Write a letter to someone who has died.
Write a letter to God.
42. Finish this sentence. Today I feel….
43. Create a dialogue with an emotion, a person, or an inanimate object.
44. Choose a photograph (your own or from a book or magazine) and write about it.
45. Cluster. Write a word or a name in the center of the page and then start adding words that come to you. Take the words and put them into a poem or other from of writing. This is great for creating characters of solving a problem.
46. Record your dreams. Write what you think they are trying to tell you.
47. Make a list of:
Your favorite words
The best things about you
Your fears Places you'd like to visit
Things you are thankful for
48. Write down an inspirational quote and follow where it leads
49. Describe yourself from the third person omniscient point of view.
50. Think about your day. Choose one tiny window and write descriptively about that moment, that person you noticed, that landscape you watched from the bus.
51. Play different pieces of music from different genres. Listen to the song with your eyes closed and then write what you saw/felt.
52. Write about a significant event in your life, for example, a divorce. First, write about what happened (what you did) then write about how you felt.