Amber Lea Starfire is a writer and writing coach who has published two memoirs and several journaling how-to books. She has also developed a series of online classes and workshops that have helped hundreds of people journal and deepen their writing practice. Find out more at www.writingthroughlife.com.

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 3

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting Started With Journaling 7

Chapter 1: Exploring Life With Journaling 9

Defining Journaling 10

Appreciating what journaling is 10

Recognizing what journaling isn’t 11

Taking First Steps Toward Journaling Success 11

Determining your preferred communication style 12

Understanding your motivations 12

Introducing the Many Ways You Can Journal 14

Writing without structure 14

Using writing prompts 14

Making lists and other structured forms 15

Drawing on your creative side 15

Journaling for specific purposes 16

Trying Your Hand at Journaling 16

Chapter 2: Discovering the Many Benefits of Journaling 19

Enhancing Your Well-Being 20

Emotional and mental health 20

Physical health 21

Supercharging Inspiration and Achievement 22

Creativity 22

Productivity 24

Writing craft 24

Improving Your Life 25

Recording events 25

Clarifying thoughts and feelings 26

Making decisions 27

Tapping into your inner wisdom 28

Discovering your Self 29

Chapter 3: Preparing for Your Journaling Practice 31

Exploring Your Reasons for Journaling 32

Listing your reasons 32

Identifying your top priorities 33

Setting Realistic Expectations for Your Journaling Practice 34

Figuring out your ideal journaling schedule 35

Building incrementally for achievable results 37

Choosing Your Main Medium 38

Journaling by hand: Arguments for and against 39

Going digital: Comparing advantages and disadvantages 41

Figuring out what works best for you 43

Gathering Your Tools 44

Choosing a nifty notebook 44

Picking a comfortable writing instrument 44

Selecting a digital journaling application 46

Preparing Your Journaling Space 48

Carving out your niche 48

Getting comfy with the right furnishings 49

Seeing the light 49

Setting the stage with the right props 50

Chapter 4: Establishing Your Practice 51

Making Time for Journaling 52

Deciding when to write 52

Putting it on the calendar 54

Setting reminders 55

Holding yourself accountable 55

Setting Boundaries 56

Announcing your intentions 56

Making arrangements for childcare and other responsibilities 57

Holding the line 57

Overcoming Fear and Other Obstacles to Journaling 58

Determining what’s holding you back 58

Facing your fear 59

Making your fear your friend 64

Putting Your Seat in the Seat 67

Avoiding procrastination 67

Turning off social media and other distractions 68

Using tools to help you focus 68

Setting the Mood 68

Creating a ritual 69

Breathing deeply and going within 69

Writing Your Plan 70

Part 2: Exploring Popular Journaling Techniques 71

Chapter 5: Journaling for Reflection 73

Exploring Life with Reflective Journaling 73

Defining reflection 75

Seeing the benefits of reflection 76

Getting Started with Reflective Journaling 78

Step 1: Focusing on your purpose 78

Step 2: Setting a time limit 79

Step 3: Structuring your writing process 80

Step 4: Reflecting on the writing process 86

Writing Through Time 87

Shining a light on the past 87

Contemplating change in the present 93

Considering the future 98

Deepening Reflection to Uncover Gold 103

Writing more with a daily twist 104

Mining past entries 105

Chapter 6: Focusing on the Present: Mindful Journaling 107

Reaping the Benefits of Mindful Journaling 108

Centering Yourself: The Importance of Being Present 109

Exploring Mindfulness and How to Become More Aware 110

Determining what mindfulness means to you 110

Body scanning: Tuning into physical sensations 112

Paying attention to your thoughts 115

Centering on the Moment 118

Focusing on breath 118

Finding the sweet spot: You’re ready to write! 122

Putting Mindful Journaling in Play 123

Step 1: Set your intention for the journaling session 123

Step 2: Focus your awareness in the present 124

Step 3: Journal spontaneously 125

Step 4: Reflect on the process 127

Chapter 7: Getting Organized with a Bullet Journal 129

Getting Acquainted with Bullet Journaling Benefits 130

Organizing your thoughts 131

Setting and prioritizing goals 134

Focusing on what’s important 135

Reflecting on your activities 135

Exploring Your Reasons for Bullet Journaling 136

Evaluating your current systems 136

Deciding what you want to achieve 137

Determining whether Bullet Journaling works for you 138

Starting a Bullet Journal 139

Assembling supplies 139

Indexing entries 140

Creating your first collections: Daily, monthly, and future logs 140

Using symbols to identify entry types 144

Trying your hand at creating a daily log 146

Practicing the Bullet Method Over Time 147

Creating a routine 148

Adding new collections 152

Indexing additional pages 153

Exploring Other Ways to Use Bullet Journaling 154

Tracking your habits 155

Improving mental health 156

Planning the future 156

Chapter 8: Expressing Yourself through Creative Journaling 157

Unlocking Your Creativity 158

Freeing your mind from preconceived notions 158

Releasing inhibitions to self-expression 160

Inviting your muse 163

Making Your Own Rules 164

Establishing your purpose 166

Deciding what “visual expression” means to you 167

Collecting Creative Journaling Tools and Materials 169

Starting simply 170

Expanding your toolkit 170

Deciding which mode to use 171

Selecting the right notebook 171

Practicing Creative Journaling Methods 172

Writing in shapes 173

Doodling with color 175

Coloring outside the lines 178

Exploring multimedia 181

Chapter 9: Improving Life with Gratitude Journaling 185

Defining What Gratitude Means to You 186

Giving Thanks: Experiencing the Benefits of Gratitude 187

Lowering your stress levels 187

Renewing perspective 188

Becoming more self-aware 190

Readjusting your attitude 191

Increasing generosity 193

Finding happiness 194

Gaining a Deeper Understanding of Gratitude 195

Recognizing what you have 196

Acknowledging your sources 197

Appreciating abundance 199

Practicing Simple Gratitude 200

Doing it daily 200

Starting with yourself: Showing your body gratitude 201

Practicing Uncommon Gratitude 203

Flip the script: Reconsidering the terms you use 204

Embracing the unwanted 206

Bringing uncommon gratitude to life 208

Part 3: Journaling Your Way to Health and Happiness 211

Chapter 10: Healing Emotional Wounds 213

Assessing Your Readiness to Journal About Trauma 214

Approaching Trauma Indirectly 215

Get some distance: Writing in third person 216

Creative clustering: Pulling from your subconscious 218

Finding Meaning in Your Pain 221

Take control: Changing how you respond 221

Flip the coin: Finding strength in weakness 223

See the good: Shifting your focus 224

Writing Through Pain 225

Express your pain 226

Validate your pain 228

Personify your pain 230

Journey to the other side 233

Releasing Your Pain 234

Determine what “letting go” looks like for you 235

Make room for something new 237

Loving Yourself 238

Comfort yourself 238

Acknowledge yourself 240

Affirm yourself 241

Chapter 11: Unleashing Your Creativity 243

Celebrating Your Creative Traits 244

Identifying your creative characteristics 244

Considering ways to apply your natural creativity 247

Picturing Your Creative Side through Drawing 249

Varying your drawing methods 250

Challenging yourself with continuous line drawing 254

Playing with Ideas: Stimulating Your Imagination 257

Using free association 258

Flipping the challenge 259

Pushing Limits: Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone 261

Acting crazy 263

Changing your routine 264

Finding Inspiration from Within 266

Getting to know your muse 267

Introducing yourself to your muse 269

Calling on your muse 270

Chapter 12: Achieving Success 273

Deciding What Success Means for You 273

Exploring the idea of success 274

Finding balance in success 277

Narrowing your definition of success 281

Exploring Your Core Beliefs about Success 284

Identifying influential sources 285

Recognizing your mindset 287

Establishing Your Goals 291

Defining the What 291

Deciding on When 292

Figuring out the How 293

Understanding the Why 294

All together now! Writing your goal statement 295

Creating Your Plan of Action 295

Get Moving! Putting Your Action Plan into Action 296

Holding yourself accountable 297

Reviewing your progress 297

Celebrating your success 298

Chapter 13: Exploring Spirituality 299

Defining What Spirituality Means for You 300

Focusing on Spiritual Connection 304

Journaling for Spiritual Growth 307

Building on your strengths 307

Embracing your shadow 310

Developing Spiritual Mission and Purpose Statements 312

Step 1: Explore what drives you 313

Step 2: Look back on a life well lived 315

Step 3: Create your spiritual mission statement 317

Step 4: Write your spiritual purpose statement 319

Creating a Spiritual Journal 321

Chapter 14: Navigating Grief 323

Identifying Your Loss 323

Acknowledging and Validating Your Feelings 324

Allowing Self-Compassion 328

Having a Conversation with Grief 330

Expressing Grief Safely 335

Try a sentence-starter prompt 336

Color your feelings 338

Dealing with Numbness 340

Taking Action Against Loneliness 343

Getting Past Guilt 347

Identifying types of guilt associated with grief 347

Journaling for awareness 348

Journaling for transformation 349

Journaling After Losing Someone You Love 351

Chapter 15: Transforming Relationships 353

Prioritizing Your Relationship with Yourself 354

For Better or Worse: Examining Your Relationships with Others 358

Finding Empathy 364

Enhancing Romantic Partnerships 367

Improving Family Relationships 374

Deepening Friendships 379

Part 4: The Part of Tens 383

Chapter 16: Ten Tips to Maintain a Vibrant Journaling Practice 385

Stay True to Your Purpose 386

See Yourself as a Journal Writer 386

Start Small 387

Make It Easy 387

Be Flexible 388

Be Honest 388

Use Journaling Prompts 388

Change Things Up 389

Pair Up with a Writing Partner 389

Make it Fun 390

Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Generate Inspiring Journaling Prompts 391

Use Current Events 392

Keep Lists 392

Browse Blogs and Friends’ Social Media Posts 393

Use Images 393

Pick a Word or Phrase from a Book 393

Explore Extremes 394

Examine Your Values 394

Picture the Impossible 394

Start with “What if?” 395

When All Else Fails: Google journaling prompts 395

Index 397

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