Summer holidays are everyones' favourite part of the school year. Relaxing, scrolling through Tiktok and enjoying the sun every day, sounds perfect, right? But in the end you don't feel like you're enjoying yourself but rather like you're wasting away for weeks.

There is nothing wrong with doing nothing. We all deserve our rest after another exhausting year of school. Nevertheless there are some small things you can do to make yourself feel better while still relaxing.

Here are a few tricks to include journaling in your regular schedule to make the upcoming holidays as good as possible.

Why Should I Even Start Journaling?

When you journal you explore your own thoughts without the fear of judgement by another human. Your Journal is completely private and therefore you can write about anything. It makes you more honest.

Journaling helps you to:

• manage stress and anxiety
• remember how you spent your time
• track your progress and achievements
• keep your day organized

In which way you choose to journal is completely up to you. There are many different methods that can be helpful, just try out a few and see what fits best for you.

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Which Tool Should I Use To Journal?

You can pick whatever tool you like. There are different things that are better fit for certain personality types. Should your Journal look artsy and creative or is it only supposed to be a simple and practical book? Do you prefer pen and paper or would you rather use an app on your phone?

1. Notebook

Whenever someone mentions journaling that's probably what you think of: a notebook and a pen. You can, of course, keep it that simple. It's an easy, fast and accessible tool and you can write about anything you enjoy.

Put it next to your bed and give yourself 5 minutes in the morning and evening to write down thoughts, ideas, emotions, activities or things to be grateful for. Set a positive start and end to your days instead of immediately opening Tiktok or Instagram. To create a Journal that feels more like "you" or pleases your aesthetic seeking mind: use colorful pens, stickers, washi tape etc.

2. Daylio Journal (there are many similar apps, this is only an example)

Daylio is an app to track emotions and activities. You can either just add an emotion and the things you did or you can write down everything as you would do in a physical book. The advantages are that you don't need to carry around a book wherever you go and you can write an entry whenever you feel like it.

In addition you can add a notification so you remember to journal everyday. The disadvantages are that you cannot personalise a lot in the app and you will be spending more time on your phone. Obviously, it's a constructive way to use your phone but for some people it might lead to more distractions.

3. May: Bullet Journal

Bullet Journal apps are an alternative if you want more freedom with your Journal and create everything yourself. It takes more time than a simple app like Daylio but journaling is supposed to be fun. It's also a calendar so you can keep track of upcoming events, create To-Do lists and more.

4. The 6-Minute Diary

In case you want specified questions to help you journaling, a 6-minute diary might be the perfect option for you. It normally contains 3 questions to answer in the morning and 3 to answer in the evening. That way it won't take up too much time in your routine but still has the same positive effect.

Photo by Mark Casey from Unsplash

Different Journaling Methods

Free writing, bullet journaling and gratitude journaling, which is normally used in 6-minute diaries, are already 3 journaling methods. But they can all be done in many different ways. Especially free writing can feel quite overwhelming in the beginning, when you have no idea where to start and what to write. That's why there are many methods you can follow, that guide you through your journaling but also offer enough freedom to write about what you want.

1. ABCD Method

The letters stand for Activating, Beliefs, Consequences and Disputing. You start by "activating" the situation that caused your negative feelings. Write down what happened and what thought crossed your mind first.

After that you try to identify the negative thinking behind your initial thought and find out whether a situation in the past or a deep belief or fear might have caused this reaction. Ask yourself what the consequences of your way of thinking are. At last come up with a more positive way of thinking and write down affirmations that reflect your new healthier beliefs.

2. 54321 Method

The 54321 method is simple and way faster compared to the ABCD method. You start by writing down 5 things that are on your mind. Follow with 4 things to do tomorrow to determine what your priorities for the next day are and 3 things you're grateful for.

That's always important to keep in mind! Next write down 2 things you want less of, no matter whether it's things, people, events or anything else. Lastly think of 1 soul moment today that truly reflected your identity and heart.

3. Funnel Method

The funnel method is perfect when you feel like your head is too full to function properly. A thousand thoughts race through your mind and you can't seem to get anything done because your head never shuts up? Start by writing done every single thought you have.

You can do that in form of a list, a mind-map or a text. Hopefully your head starts to feel a little emptier now, but before you can get distracted again, take moment to anchor yourself. Write down 3 things you're grateful for. Now think of the 3 things you need to focus on today. Those are your non-negotiable To-Do's. Like that you learn to prioratize what is truly important and will actually get things done instead of floating between everything.

"Productivity is not about doing more but doing less"

4. Journaling prompts

You have time to journal and want to think about something new? Dive deep into your mind and maybe even write an entire essay? Then journaling prompts are the perfect invention for you.

They can be found everywhere: on Pinterest, Tiktok, websites or in magazines. Just pick one and write whatever comes to mind. It's a great way to think about something you normally wouldn't have considered.

My Opinion On Journaling

So far I have tried my fair share of different journaling tools and topics. Everything has its pros and cons so there really isn't much to do except try out everything until you find what is best for you. Personally, I still don't journal everyday, even if that would be best.

But in the end you have to see what fits best into your schedule. Journaling is always something that should make you feel better and not stress you out even more. The most important thing is that for once, you don't try to perform and be perfect. You need your raw thoughts and unfiltered emotions so that it will actually work.

For me simple free writing and mind-maps always work the best to get everything out of my mind. Once I see it all written down I recognise way better what is actually important and what is just overthinking. Then I can write a To-Do list and prioratize my tasks instead of feeling completely overwhelmed.

I hope you learned something new about journaling and find something that helps you!