Dear Diary...

I think everyone who feels the weight of the world on them should try journaling. Writing words down is an excellent, and healthy, way to work through strong emotions, positive or negative. You might already be saying that it is not for you, but let me give you a few tips before you reject it outright.

How do you keep a journal? You could write out your reflections longhand in a notebook. The first draft of this post was written in my Piccadilly notebook. If your handwriting is poor or you are more at home on a keyboard, you could type out your journal on a computer, tablet, or phone. And if you are worried about someone else reading your private thoughts, you can type out your journal entry and never save the document. You get almost all of the benefits.

What do you write about? There are all sorts of things you could journal about. Writing about the events of the day, the weather, or a quote you heard are all good ways to get started. Some people keep gratitude journals where they list what they are grateful for each day. The important thing is to go deeper into your current hopes and concerns, your emotional state, and what's really affecting you. It doesn’t need to be a lot of words, as long as you get all of your thoughts out.

How often should you write? You could do it right away upon waking, at multiple times throughout the day, or as part of a bedtime routine, but try to write at least once a day. Life gets busy, and it’s inevitable that you’ll miss an entry now and then, but try your best to make it a daily routine.

It is worth trying journaling for a week to see if it works for you. If you give this a try, let us know how it turned out. And if you find that you enjoy writing, consider joining the WordWorkers. We’d love to have you!