2020 was extremely challenging in every sense of the word. Unfortunately, many started struggling with their mental health after being stuck inside and isolated for days on end. If we know anything in 2021, it’s that there’s an abundance of activities to keep ourselves busy and our minds healthy. One of these activity is journaling.
Journaling is a healthy habit to pick up in 2021 and you only need 2 essentials, a good notebook and a great pen! Journaling may not be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay. Mental health is not one size fits all but we think each activity is at least worth a shot. Give journaling a solid effort and if it’s not for you, find something else that works. Two of the most basic essentials to make journaling more enjoyable is a great journal and an amazing pen. You can make the journaling process easier just by having the right tools for the task at hand!
Journaling Essentials
Believe it or not you can have the wrong tools when writing. Here are our two tips when it comes to having the right essentials for journaling.
1. Use a journal that is easy to write in and gives you the space you need to express yourself. Think bigger notebooks with larger pages. Tiny notebooks will work for list making but not journaling. We highly recommend a spiral-bound journal. A spiral journal is one that does not have an ordinary sewn spine, similar to a book. Some call a spiral journal a “coiled” notebook. You want to be able to turn the pages easily, and rest your hand comfortably as you write. You can even fold the journal in half so you just have one page to focus on at a time. Another advantage of spiral journals is that you can easily tear out pages.
Shop our notebooks.
2. Use a pen that you enjoy writing with. We recommend a gel pen because of how smooth the ink flows out onto the pages. It may be difficult for you to express your thoughts. You don’t want a slow moving, annoying pen to hinder the process. You want your written words to come out as easily as your thoughts. Plus, it helps if your pen is one that brings a smile to your face. This may sound silly, but there are so many cute and pretty pens out there. For example, our pens have faces of dogs all over them, what’s cuter than that!?
Shop our pens.
Try to find a pen you love that has coordinating refillable ink cartridges so you can use it time after time.
Bonus tip: Journaling Prompt
After you have your two journaling essentials in hand, it’s time to write. If you have trouble beginning, start with writing 3 things you’re grateful for. These 3 things are often connected to other parts of our lives. You may be grateful for something because you know what it’s like to struggle with it, you worked hard to achieve or you cherish it. These thoughts will get you started on your writing journey. Just let the thoughts spill out onto the pages. You aren’t writing this for anyone but yourself so feel the freedom in what comes out.
To jumpstart your writing process, jot down a few ideas on a listpad like we discussed in this blog post. Once you have your list, you can expand on these ideas in your journal.
Kim is the co-owner of DogLoverStore with her husband, John. She earned her BS in operations management at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She enjoys walking in nature, gardening in the sun, eating sour candy, going on drives, yoga, and reading.
Leave a Reply