10 Things To Journal About

The Journal: Not just for feelings anymore.

No, really! Keeping a journal has gotten a bad rap as the grown-up version of an angsty middle-school student’s diary, but working out your Alex-told-Sue-told-me drama isn’t the only benefit to putting pen to paper. Journalling can be a great way to invest in your family memories, too – past, present, and future.



Check out this list for some journal inspiration:

1. Your children. Your kids say and do the most adorable things, don’t they? Over time, you’ll probably forget which kid ate an entire lemon on a dare or who snuck the hamster to school in their backpack. So take five or ten minutes at the end of each day to document your their antics.



2. Gratitude. Adulting is tough, and it’s easy to get hung up on all the stuff that’s going wrong. To stay centered and optimistic, take time each day to write about one thing or person for which you’re grateful.



3. Your future. Rather than the traditional “here’s what happened today” approach, think forward. Write about your possibilities—your goals for the coming weeks or months—and then develop action steps to make them a reality.



4. Ifs. Brainstorm a list of “if” questions and answer one each day. For example, “If I could change one thing about my childhood, it would be…” or “If I could have dinner with two former Presidents, I’d choose…” or “If I could completely solve one major world problem, it would be…”



5. Letters. Write letters to significant people in your life. Start with each of your family members—even ones whom you may have never met, such as a great grandparent—then move to your friends, former teachers, neighbors, and so on. Try writing letters for your children to open on an important day in the future, like a milestone birthday or their wedding day.



6. Quotes. Visit BrainyQuote, pick a topic, and then choose a quote to reflect on.



7. Creativity. When it comes to journaling, there are really no rules, which means you can write about whatever you want—even if it’s absolute fiction. So, get those creativity muscles flexing and turn your “journal” into a novel-in-the-making!



8. Top 5. Each day, create a Top 5 list: foods you like to eat, movies you’ve seen, books you’ve read, people you hang out with, and so on. It’ll be great fun to look back on those lists in a few years to see how you’ve changed.



9. Dump. Do I negativity mind-dump. Write down the things you’d never ever ever say out loud: Chew out your boss. Admit your greatest fears. Say mean things about political candidates. Just get that junk out of your psyche!



10. Your life. Okay, okay, go ahead and channel your inner middle-schooler and write about what’s going on in your life—in your family, at work or school, in your neighborhood, at church, or whatever. If there’s some “yuck” to sort through, write about both your thoughts and feelings for the best (and free!) therapeutic benefit.

RESOURCE: Many of these ideas were inspired by this Daring to Live Fully post. Check it out for more idea of what to journal about!

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This post was written by the fabulous Kelley Hartnett. Thanks for writing for Intentional April, Kelley!