1. Establishing Your Why

Writing in a journal is a unique experience as it allows you to express yourself any way that you want. A good place to start is thinking about why you would like to journal. Perhaps you want a place to vent your frustrations or maybe you want to get to know yourself better. Some might write whole essays while others may write more lists (like me haha). I journal because it gives me clarity and a place to keep track of things I would otherwise forget.

2. How are you going to do it ?

There are many different ways to journal but I don't want to bombard you with too many options. It is good to decide if you would prefer to journal electronically or in a notebook. Some might benefit from the feel of a pen or pencil between their fingers while others prefer to be online. There is nothing wrong with either choice as both present unique benefits and opportunities.

3. Get started!!

After you have established your why and your how, you can get started. It might seem daunting at first, and believe me, I certainly know the struggle. But the best part about journaling is that there is no wrong answer. When in doubt, always do what feels right. If you really don't know what to write and the blank page staring at you makes you uneasy, then you should try prompts. Prompts are little nudges to get the creative juices flowing.

Here are some good prompts to get you started:

1. What are three things you are grateful for?

2. What is one thing that you don't think you could live without?

3. If there were no obstacles or barriers in your way, what would you do?

4. What is a subject you could talk about for hours? Why? What is so interesting about it?