Journaling, like any habit, can become monotonous if you don’t mix it up. Here are some unexpected journaling page ideas that will add excitement and variety to your practice.
Feeling stuck with your journal? Ready to breathe new life into your writing routine?
You’re in luck! As a seasoned journaler, I’m always on the hunt for ideas that not only look great but also bring real value to my daily life.
In this blog post, we’ll dive into unexpected journal page ideas that will not only freshen up your journaling routine but also transform your life for the better.
This blog post is all about journal page ideas.
In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about visualisation and manifestation through vision boards. What if I told you, that it is actually backed up by science?
Benefits
From a biopsychological perspective, visualizing your goals can activate your brain’s reticular activating system (RAS), which helps you notice opportunities related to your goals. Regularly seeing pictures of what you want to achieve will make you achieve it. It is a subconscious process. Plus it will enhance your motivation, since this is a really fun and creative exercise.
How to Create a Vision Board Journal Page
- You are going to need a lot of pictures that represent your goals. You can get them from magazines, draw them or print them out. One of the best websites for aesthetic pictures is Pinterest.
- Then turn up some music, prepare a fresh drink, get into comfortable clothes and gather all the supplies. You are going to need some stickers, glue, scissors, pens, and a big poster.
- Then the only thing left to do is let your creativity flow. Arrange the pictures so they make sense to you. They can be categorized by goals, timeline, colour or randomly scattered over your poster.
Have fun with it, there really are no rules on how to make it happen. The only thing you should remember is that the pictures need to be meaningful to you so that when you look at them, you feel the emotion of the goal you want to achieve.
Here’s a vision board I recently created using old magazines:
If you want to create something similar, you’ll need:
You can also create an online vision board with Canva or Pinterest:
2. Dream Journal Log
Our dreams offer us a glimpse into our subconscious. A dream log is a safe space where you jot down your dreams as soon as you wake up, so you don’t forget them and can analyze them later.
Benefits
Dreams can be a window into our unconscious mind, revealing hidden thoughts and emotions. By analyzing your dreams, you might gain insights into unresolved issues or creative solutions to your problems. This practice leverages your brain’s natural processing during the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep phase to support mental health and self-awareness.
Tips for Effective Dream Logging
- Keep your journal and a pen beside your bed.
- Write down dreams as soon as you wake up, before they fade from memory.
- Record as much detail as possible, including emotions, colors, people, and locations.
- Use keywords or phrases to jog your memory later when analyzing your dreams.
- Consider using sketches or drawings to enhance written descriptions, especially for vivid or complex dreams.
- Get a dream dictionary, so you can easily interpret your dreams (there are some great ones, recommended here).
3. Gratitude Mandala
This is the one, I recently introduced in my journal and I absolutely love it.
A gratitude mandala is a mix of gratitude journaling and the relaxing art of creating mandalas. It is a beautiful, mindful way to reflect on the things you are grateful for.
Benefits
Studies show, that practising gratitude will boost mental health by increasing dopamine and serotonin levels—key neurotransmitters involved in feelings of happiness and well-being. Creating a mandala can also be meditative, helping to reduce stress and enhance mindfulness.
How to Create a Gratitude Mandala
There are a few ways you can go about this:
- Draw a mandala (a circular design with intricate patterns) on a journal page. As you draw, think about the things you’re grateful for and incorporate them into your mandala. You can write words or phrases around the mandala or within its sections.
- Get a mandala colouring book and choose the mandala you love. When you are coloring think about all the things you are grateful for and include them in the design. (I like to write them down on the other side).
Here is a mandala that I have coloured:
If you want to try something similar, you’ll need:
4. Habit Tracker with a Twist
Habit trackers are great, to stay consistent and track your progress over a goal or a new habit. But let’s be honest, checking boxes gets boring. So instead create a fun tracker with a little artistic twist.
Benefits
Tracking habits creatively engage areas of the brain involved in visual processing and fine motor skills. This can make the process more enjoyable and less like a chore, increasing the likelihood that you’ll stick with it. Plus, the act of physically creating something can be rewarding and reinforce positive behaviours.
Biopsychologically speaking, journaling engages our cognitive processes, activating areas of the brain involved in self-reflection, emotional regulation, and memory recall. When we put our thoughts into words, we activate the prefrontal cortex, enhancing our ability to make sense of complex emotions and experiences.
Journaling for healing goes beyond mere catharsis; it’s about creating a narrative that integrates our thoughts and feelings, fostering emotional resilience and promoting psychological well-being.
Research shows that regular journaling can reduce stress, improve mood, and even strengthen immune function—a testament to our mind-body connection.
Innovative Habit Tracking Ideas
Instead of traditional checkboxes, use drawings, symbols, or colours to represent your habits. Here are a few examples of creative habit-tracking methods:
- Draw a small plant and colour in a leaf each day you complete your habit.
- Create a mosaic pattern where each tile represents a day.
- Draw a mandala and divide it into sections for each day of the month. Fill in a section each day you complete your habit, creating a beautiful, colorful pattern.
- Assign specific stickers or icons to each habit and place them on your calendar or habit tracker page whenever you complete a task.
- Create a puzzle with a piece for each day of the month. Each time you complete a habit, add a piece to the puzzle and watch the picture come together.
- Create a storyline or comic strip where each day you complete a habit, you add to the story or illustration.
Habit Tracker Calendar
You can also use some of the premade trackers and save yourself some time and planning:
5. Random Acts of Kindness Log
This is one to boost your positivity and look for the good things in your life.
Benefits
Acts of kindness stimulate the release of oxytocin, the “love hormone,” which can improve mood and reduce stress. Writing down when someone or you have been kind to another creates a sense of connection and empathy, which are crucial for mental health. Regularly engaging in kindness can lead to a more positive outlook and greater overall happiness.
How to Create a Random Act of Kindness Log
- Choose the page in your journal and make it pretty.
- Then jot down how people were kind to you during your day. When did it happen? How it made you feel? Who did it?
- On another page add the kind acts you performed. What did you do? Who was it for? How it made you feel? You can also include ideas for future acts of kindness.
- Bonus tip: Use apps such as Google Keep to have your kind notes with you everywhere. I love adding notes to my list during the day, so I don’t forget them and have them with me whenever I need a pick-up.
6. Creative Doodles and Quotes Page
Whenever I read a book or watch a film and a sentence inspires me, I always think, “I need to write that down.” But I never actually did—until I created a quotes page in my journal. And whenever I think about romantic scenes the quotes are from, hearts and stars appear doodled on my page.
Benefits
Doodling activates the brain’s default mode network (DMN), which is associated with creativity and problem-solving. It can also serve as a mental break, reducing stress and improving focus. Incorporating quotes adds a layer of inspiration and can reinforce positive thinking.
Biopsychologically speaking, journaling engages our cognitive processes, activating areas of the brain involved in self-reflection, emotional regulation, and memory recall. When we put our thoughts into words, we activate the prefrontal cortex, enhancing our ability to make sense of complex emotions and experiences.
Journaling for healing goes beyond mere catharsis; it’s about creating a narrative that integrates our thoughts and feelings, fostering emotional resilience and promoting psychological well-being.
Research shows that regular journaling can reduce stress, improve mood, and even strengthen immune function—a testament to our mind-body connection.
Techniques for Creative Doodling
You don’t need to be an artist to doodle. Start with simple shapes and patterns. Pair these with quotes that inspire or motivate you. Write the quotes in different fonts and styles to add variety.
Here are some tips on how to start doodling:
- Freeform Doodling: Let your pen wander aimlessly across the page, allowing shapes and patterns to form naturally.
- Theme-Based Doodles: Choose a theme or topic, such as nature, emotions, or abstract shapes, and doodle related images.
- Zentangle Patterns: Explore the world of Zentangle, a structured form of doodling that uses repetitive patterns to create intricate designs.
- Line Variation: Experiment with different line weights and styles to add depth and interest to your doodles.
- Negative Space Doodling: Instead of filling in shapes with doodles, try leaving some areas blank to create contrast and visual interest.
- Pattern Play: Create your own patterns or borrow inspiration from textiles, architecture, or nature.
- Embellishments: Add embellishments such as dots, dashes, swirls, or flourishes to enhance your doodles and make them pop off the page.
- Coloring: Experiment with adding color to your doodles using markers, colored pencils, or watercolors.
- Inspiration from Nature: Take a walk outside and observe the shapes, textures, and patterns in the world around you.
If you want to learn how to doodle, I recommend you choose one of the following guides:
7. Sensory Journal Page Ideas
This journal page is all about documenting your sensory experiences. This practice can enhance mindfulness and bring a new level of detail to your journaling.
Benefits
Focusing on sensory details can ground you in the present moment, which is beneficial for mindfulness and stress reduction. This practice also engages the sensory cortex of the brain, enhancing your awareness and appreciation of everyday experiences. It’s a powerful way to deepen your connection with the world around you.
How to Create a Sensory Journal Page
Choose a recent experience and write about it using all five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Describe each sensory detail as vividly as possible.
Here is a step-by-step process of sensory writing:
- Choose a Sensory Experience: Select a recent experience that engaged multiple senses, such as a walk in the park, cooking a favourite meal, or attending a concert.
- Engage the Senses: Write about it using all five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Describe each sensory detail as vividly as possible.
- Visualize: Incorporate visual elements into your journal page to represent each sense. You can include drawings and sketches.
- Experiment with Textures: Add texture to your journal page by incorporating materials such as fabric, ribbon, or textured paper, dried leaves, flowers…
- Use Color and Design: Choose colors that evoke the mood and atmosphere of your sensory experience. Consider using warm, vibrant colors for a lively experience or cool, muted tones for a calming one.
- Write a Reflection: Write a brief reflection on your sensory experience, capturing any insights, emotions, or thoughts that arose during the process.
