Journal Writing and Journal Entry Ideas

I have been trying to be happier. It takes work, but everyone needs to be happier. The happier I am, the happier everyone around me is. Or maybe that's just because I'm the Mom. Writing in a journal helps me stay positive sometimes and helps me look back at how I was positive before and it reminds me that I can stay positive again.

I have a few rules for myself when journaling. The first rule for myself is to keep everything positive. There is enough negativity as it is, and I don't need to hold onto it for the future. Sometimes I need to rant about negativity and doing it on paper helps. I just make sure to do it in a cheap notebook and throw it out immediately after it is written.

Another rule I try to follow is to date my entries. It makes it so much better for if you ever want to look back at them.

I also keep most journal entries very short. I usually don't have time for much and I won't write at all if it takes too long so a short list or small quip about something is usually perfect. The one main exception to that is when I wrote down my son's birth story. I realized I was already forgetting some of the small details a few weeks after he was born so as I nursed I wrote every detail I could remember. It was pages and pages and it took me days but it is worth it to me and it might be to him later on.

One last thing I try not to do while writing in my journal is to back track. Unless it is a big event (like my son's birth) I won't let myself feel guilty that I haven't written in a few days, months, years, etc. And I won't try to remember what happened for yesterday or for the last three years that I didn't write a thing. I just put down today's date and move on.

Here are a few ideas to get you started writing in your journal:

Things Accomplished Today List

Top 5 Good Things About the Day

My Favorite Things (in my house, kitchen, from my vacation, foods, clothes, anything)

Reasons I am Happy with My Life (or My Children, or My House, or my Neighborhood or anything else you can think of)

Reasons I Love My Spouse (or Child, Friend, Co-worker, whoever!) {See My Post Here}

Reasons I Love Myself (what personality traits or quirks do you love about yourself?)

Reasons I'm Happy to Be Home (or on vacation, or any change you are experiencing. Think of why you are happy to be there. Another I have done is Reasons I'm Happy to Be Not Pregnant)

My Bucket List (Keep a few blank pages after it and you can add to it at any time) {See Mine Here}

A Quick Story From My Day (Or week, month, vacation, etc!)

I'm Feeling: (positive emotions! and why)

What I Did For Exercise This Week

Child Updates (Check out this post at I Can Grow People for a great layout of it!)

Other Ways to Work on Happiness:
How to Stop Shopping
Happy Wive's Club: 21 Days to a Happier You
This vs That
My New Workout Plan