Understanding Mindful Journaling

Mindfulness is about being present and more self-aware. You are going to spend time 
getting your mind into the present moment, including what you are feeling, thinking 
about, worried about, exploring, and experiencing in the moment. You put aside 
thoughts about the past and future momentarily while you enter a state of mindful 
meditation.

This can also be useful when you are journaling. Here are some things to know about 
mindful journaling.


Acknowledge Your Present Without Judgment

In order to practice mindfulness, you are not pretending your problems don’t exist, you 
are actually allowing all those thoughts and worries to come into your mind. Be in the 
present moment, understand your circumstance, and just acknowledge it. The key here 
is to do so without judgment. When a thought enters your mind or you think about what 
you are experiencing right now, don’t place judgment on yourself for that emotion. If you 
feel guilt, jealousy, sadness, or something else negative, just understand that is your 
emotion right now, accept it without judgment, then move on from it.


Start Writing While in a Mindful State

Once you reach this mindful, acceptance state, you will then start writing in your journal. 
This doesn’t mean you are only going to write about positive things, though it does help 
to try to put a positive spin on things you write about. Instead, you are staying in that 
non-judgmental, present state, and writing how you are thinking and feeling right at this 
moment. Maybe right now you are thinking about your job, or you are a little worried 
about plans you have later today. Try to stay present iny our emotions and write with 
complete transparency.


Write About Moments From Your Day

An easy way to get started with mindful journal is to just write about your day, without 
talking about the future or the past. Just the moments you experienced today. How did 
you start your day? Who did you talk to? What did you do? What are you grateful for? 
Just write about your day from beginning to end, kind of focusing on how you felt during 
different parts of the day. 


Let it Go

The last time is to let everything go. This is a really helpful step, because it lets you 
move past the moments you had during the day, and even to move past what you are 
feeling right now. Understand that just because you are in an anxious state right now, 
doesn’t mean you have to be later on. You can still let it go.

