The art of journalling

In our fast-paced lives, there are different ways to recollect your thoughts and reduce stress, writes Anoushka Metrani

The practice of journalling has been around for a very long time. Most believe it to be about writing down events of the day along with your feelings. But today, different ways of journalling help you collect your thoughts and reduce stress. Here are five easy ways you can start journalling today.

Free flow journalling

As the name suggests, in this type of journalling, you write your thoughts exactly as they come. There is no filter or censorship to your thoughts. The goal is to write continuously for a certain amount of time without stopping. The words or paragraphs don’t have to make sense to anyone but you. Include quotes or song lyrics if you want to.

Art journalling

Here, you fill the pages with a combination of art, imagery and words. Tap into your artistic side and express your thoughts through drawings, paintings, doodles, colours and pictures. The best part of an art journal is that it gives you a variety of options. It is the perfect place to explore your feelings, positively, without any rules.

Scrapbook journalling

Here, you can draw, doodle, write, or stick pictures, cutouts, stamps, and so much more. Though scrapbooking involves planning and layouting, feel free to do as you wish. Often, people start with a journal entry.

After that, they write about something and then add embellishments that bring in the aspect of scrapbooking.

Gratitude journalling

In this format, you regularly record things that you are grateful for. In its essence, gratitude journalling is meant to help you focus on the positive things in your life. Studies have shown that gratitude journalling leads to better psychological and physical functioning. While some people like to keep their entries short, like making bullet points, others prefer diving into their thoughts with longer posts.

Bullet journalling

The purpose of a bullet journal is to be organised while also being creative. You can make lists of your goals. You can even plan out your day or week, mark important
days or track habits you wish to develop. The possibilities are endless.