It Isn't Too Late to Start Journaling | Pages of Dhini

    Hi, peeps! As you can read in the title "It Isn't Too Late to Start Journaling," I want to tell you why journaling is a good thing for you. Anyway, before we walk too far, I'm thrilled about this segment, Pages of Dhini. It feels like journaling; I express my emotions in a different medium.

    In a previous Pages of Dhini, I mentioned attempting journaling but stopping midway. It was my first try, hindered by time management and the challenge of building a habit. The reason? The cliché "busy with my studies, and I forgot to do it".

    In 2023, I started journaling. I don't think it was a conscious decision; I just wanted to do it. It happened because I found and bought a cute notebook, and I thought it would be nice to use it for journaling. After that, I delved into Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to find inspiration on what things I should include. I matched them with my activities, hobbies, or things I was trying to start as a habit, like reading a book.

    I found out journaling had a good benefit for mental health. Can help figure out what's making you stressed or anxious, so that I can assist in managing stress, anxiety, and mental health conditions. According to Mental Health America's website, journaling can be beneficial in managing stress, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.

    Here is the section on journaling that I used. Perhaps it will give you inspiration for setting up your journaling section.

୭ Journal Prompt

    These prompts will help you write when you're unsure about what to include in your journal. They cover various aspects such as self-reflection on the past, dreams for the future, self-discovery, personal growth, and healing from pain. The goal is to assist you in building and understanding your relationships with yourself, your parents, family, partner, friends, and those around you.

    You can search on the internet to find questions and turn them into journal paragraphs. Here are a few prompts to get you started:

• What were some unexpected events that happened this year?
• Write about a person you admire. What qualities do you share with this person?
• If you could shoot a letter to your younger self, what would it say?

୭ Write Sentences or Quotes for Self-Reminders

    While surfing the internet or social media, you might come across good sentences and quotes, or you may find words from a meaningful movie dialogue for self-reminders.

୭ Mark Your Calendar for Every Agenda or Important Day

   For the first page of every month, you can create a calendar. Mark the dates for appointments, agendas, important events (like someone's birthday), or memorable moments. Add some good quotes to describe or bring hope for the month.

୭ List Movies You've Watched and Mark Your Favorites

    If you have a watchlist, you can write it down on this page or list only the movies you've finished watching and give each one a rating. Mark your top three favorite movies as the best of the month.

୭ List Songs You Like per Month

    Sometimes, the first song you listen to becomes your favorite. You might repeat that song for a month. I suggest filling your journal with cutouts of the song's poster, like a Spotify barcode. Remember, journaling isn't just about writing; you can draw or decorate it with stickers, photos, or anything you like.

୭ Make a List of Everything That Makes You Happy and Grateful

    This is part of gratitude journaling—a recap of all the things that made you happy in a month. Write about the small joys, like finally indulging in a craving food, catching your bus right on time at the stop, or enjoying a quiet commute to work with the chance to sit all the way to the office. Sometimes, it's the seemingly small things we didn't realize were blessings.

୭ Pages Filled with Books You Have Finished Reading

    In this section, you can fill in details like the book's title, author, and page count. Note the dates you started and finished reading, give it a rating, and share your thoughts in a review—mention what you liked, learned, and any impactful sentences from the book.

   So, how about you? How is your journaling journey going? If you haven't tried it yet, are you interested in starting? I hope my reflections on journaling can inspire you. Have a great day! ♡