Do you journal? Journaling is a wonderful way of recording your life events. It not only helps as memorabilia of your life, but from a spiritual perspective, it helps you look back at how God intervened in your life.

I have been journaling for a long time. Most of the journals I have written from my youth I have discarded, mainly because they contained too much painful memories and I chose to let go of those and start my life afresh.

I began journaling again in 2017 when I had serious self-esteem issues. Somewhere at the back of my mind I felt I was not good enough. But I made up my mind to try and deal with it, to find ways to help me build my self-esteem and become a more confident person.

I realized it was not something I could do on my own, and I certainly did not want to spend money on a therapist. I started reading this book called “Self Love, 50 WAYS to Improve Self-esteem” by Anastasia Zaloga.  It was through this book that I began journaling again. I started a self-observational journal, a gratitude journal and a general journal. 

Later on, as I began to deepen my spiritual life, I began a prayer journal. I mainly use this now, along with my gratitude journal where I give thanks to God for all he has done for me.

General Journaling

The general journal started with me writing out some of the things I would have liked to accomplish in my life.  It eventually gravitated to being a journal that recorded the events of my day.  Some days were so stressful I just had to find a way to get the thoughts out of my head and the best way I could do that was to just write everything in my journal.

I mean I just wrote. And wrote. It was great therapy. I just let the thoughts flow out of my head unto the paper, and at the end of it I felt so much better.

The Gratitude Journal

Then there was the gratitude journal. I started by writing out three things I was grateful for everyday along with notes on why I was grateful for them. A gratitude journal is a great way of focusing on the good things in your life rather than on your circumstances. Some days may be more difficult than others to feel thankful, but there is always something to be thankful for, even if it is just to say “thank you for life today”.

Even though I had stopped recording in my gratitude journal in September, that does not mean I stopped being grateful. It’s just that some days got so busy, finding the time got difficult (no excuse I know). However, when I write in my prayer journal, or pray generally, I do express my thankfulness. It is my intention to start a fresh gratitude journal in 2021 and to remain consistent in writing what I am thankful for everyday.

The Prayer Journal

I started my prayer journal in October 2019. My prayer journal replaced the general journal as I started relating everything that affected me to the Lord. In there I lament, I praise, and I thank God. The best thing is I can look back and see how he has worked in my life, how he answered my prayers, and even the ones he has not answered. Either way I have a record of prayers that I can look back on and give Him glory.

Just Write

For me, writing with no particular structure was best because it allowed me to just let the thoughts flow without any concern for grammar or beauty. To me, structuring and beautifying just took away from what I was trying to say. Allowing the thoughts to flow helps you get a sense of what is happening to you at that point in time and helps you to deal with it in constructive ways.

As your journal is personal to you write in a way that is best for you. In some of my posts I have included prompts to get you in the habit of journaling.

Read my post on how you can use your artistic abilities to journal in a method called Bible Journaling.