When you hear journaling you may have flashbacks to your younger self writing your deepest darkest secrets in your password journal – and those deep dark secrets were the most ridiculous things you have ever wrote down in your life, yet they mattered so much to you. As juvenile as journalling may seem it is something that has so much value as you get older.
There’s really a relaxation that comes over you when you start putting the pen to paper – being in your 30’s and taking the time to decompress and unpack all of the craziness in your life is almost cathartic. Just imagine yourself posted up in your cozy chair, writing down all of the amazing things and maybe some of the not so amazing things, that you experienced. Putting words on paper almost releases them from our thoughts and can be an aid in healing and letting go of people, places, and things that no longer serve us. Journaling is a powerful practice, journaling in your 30s is even more powerful.
Journaling has evolved, just like all of us – online journaling is another great avenue. Not feeling like breaking out the pen and paper? Go ahead and start a digital journal and start online journaling. You’ll get the same benefits or classic journaling, but finding the method that best fits you needs and your lifestyle will help make journaling a more adoptable practice.
Maybe you have the urge to get creative and start writing down experiences of thoughts your having. Maybe you feel stuck and need an outlet to not only express yourself but help keep your thoughts in order. Regardless of what it is, journaling in your 30’s is something that is great to pick up! I mean we love activities that take us away from screen time right?
Here are a 4 reasons to start journaling as an adult :
Goal Setting
Back when I was younger, I thought my entire life would be together by the time I turned 30 and everything would be sunshine and rainbows – spoiler alert it’s not. Regardless of if it’s a long term goal or a short term goal, journalling can help you explore your goals and work through your thoughts on how to accomplish them. Another benefit of journaling in your 30’s is that journaling helps you hold yourself accountable for the goals that you do set.
Self Reflection
Having a moment to reflect on a situation – it can be work based, relationship based, family based, anything really – can be the difference between having emotions fester or acknowledging a situation and growing from it. Journaling allows you to do just that by freely writing your thoughts and emotions on paper. Having a self reflection moment in your 30’s is so valuable because as we all know, every single day we learn and grow and evolve and people.
Clarity
Sometimes having a place where you can write down your thoughts helps you un-jumble all the chaos that is rotating in your brain on a daily basis. I don’t know about you but between work, my relationship, friendships, finances, and everything else in between, my brain is constantly spinning with thoughts and trying to process all of the things that are happening at once. Being able to journal your thoughts freely allows you to release some thought space and begin to see things a little more clearly than you did before.
Memory Preservation
Journaling in your 30’s can act as a memory log – what did you do? who did you do it with? how did you feel about it? would you like to have similar experiences again? Journaling is totally freeform in the face that. you can write about whatever you want however you want. In my 30’s I started going on more adventures and travels, experiencing new cultures, and going through situations that I never thought I would – journaling allows you to not only process events but have them documented. Also who doesn’t love revisiting old journal entries? I always get a kick out of revisiting journal entries my younger self wrote.
Personal Growth
Combine all of the reasons above and you can see that journaling in your 30’s is the ultimate recipe for personal growth. At it’s core journaling allows for you to release emotions or thoughts, see situations through new lenses, and set intentions or goals to continue working towards becoming the best you that you can be. I don’t know about you but I think that your 30’s are the perfect time to continue evolving!
Tips on How to Start Journaling in Your 30s
Find a Journal that Speaks to You
Nothing is more motivating than wanting to reach for a journal with a design or a color that just makes you want to pick it up and start writing. Here are some of my favorites :
Pink Sun Journal
Textured Teal Chunky Journal
Tarot ‘The Lovers’ Journal
Funky Flower Journal
Water Color Pages Journal
Add Journaling into Your Routine
Building out a routine is such a great way to add structure to your day but also to ensure that you are taking some me-time and practicing self love throughout your day. Whether it be in the morning and gratitude journaling to start your day on the right foot or by add journaling to your nighttime routine to decompress after a day’s events, you can can incorporate journaling into your daily routine by simply setting 5-10 minutes aside daily.
Research Journal Prompts
In your 30’s you are constantly playing a balance game of all the things that are going on in your life, the last thing you want to do is think of things to write about in your journal. Don’t even stress over that because there are guided journals but there are also many outlets, including my blog, that share journal prompts for you to explore. A quick google search can turn up 100’s of ideas on what to write about! Here is one of my previous blogs on journal prompts – Journal Prompts for January
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