The Phenomenon Of Journaling: Why Everyone's Doing It? Does It Help? & The Best Ones To Buy

Another observation that's bubbling in the wellness space is the idea of mindful journaling. Sitting down in the morning and penning down gratitude, doodling in your burn book, or simply writing about how your day was—all of which have become a beautiful form of keeping (literal) notes of your mental health. Let's face it, we do live in times when mental health advocacy is at its peak and rightly so. Hence, with the self-help books flying off the shelves, what is also flying off the shelves are diaries or guided journals.

During my recent visit to my favourite bookstore in Delhi's GK2 —Kunzum, I came across an entire section on guided journaling, and while I was glad that more folks like me have made it out of the notes app, what was fascinating is how this has become a fad—a lil-im-just-a-girl crafty activity, or even something to combat a 9-5 burnout.

This brings me to the idea of journaling. I'd like to believe that journaling goes beyond reflection. It is a conversation with yourself, one that forces you to sit and decode your emotions, turn off the tap in your mind, or even at times let the floodgates open.

More so, “Research has consistently linked the habitual tendency to accept one’s mental experiences with greater psychological health” (Ford et al., 2018, p. 2). Studies suggest that accepting our feelings is linked to better psychological health and positive therapeutic outcomes, including improved moods and reduced anxiety. Maybe that's why, in a post-COVID world, while we've all jumped back onto the hamster wheel, we're carrying some wisdom with us in the form of these tiny books that help keep everything in check.

The Artist's Way is a brilliant 270+ page book that is all about course correcting purpose and one's creative path. Authored by Julia Cameron, it gently guides readers by uncovering problems and points of pressure that become hiccups when it comes to creativity. It offers hundreds of exercises, activities, and prompts to help readers thoroughly explore each chapter while also providing opportunities for self-growth and discovery.

Gratitude is a word that is often echoed when it comes to mindfulness. And this guided journal is made to ensure you take stock of what you have, day and night. Psychologically speaking, gratitude is something that is known to positively rewire your brain, and this journal aims to do exactly that.

The book comes with a morning and night routine section, with prompts that include gratitude, prioritising daily goals, positive affirmations, 3 things that happened today and end-of-day self-reflection.

If commitment were personified, then it might as well be this guided journal by Aimee Chase. One Question A Day is a five-year journal that is a personal "time capsule of questions and answers". What's so cool about this journal is that it is inspiring enough to get pretty much any and everyone writing and remembering. The book is riddled with questions that force you to sit and reflect! Additionally, the beauty of this is that it helps one track emotional growth as well as keep track of memories, providing an interesting walk down memory lane a few years later.

Glimmers are the opposite of triggers, and that thought alone makes anyone's heart warm. Created by Cailin, this is more than a journal. It is a guide to help one find joy and happiness every day. The book also comes with poems, illustrations that highlight the small, yet powerful moments that spark happiness and gratitude.

A TikTok book that went on to become the national bestseller, Burn After Reading by Sharon Jones, is an almost 200-page must-have journal for teens, tweens, and anyone who is just getting started. The main focus of the book is to discover who you really are when no one is watching. The journal comes with incisive questions and experiments that challenge thought patterns.

The title itself is very indicative of what is expected of one who is journaling. You can be your most authentic self and then toss away or even burn the pages once done.

Odd Giraffe is again one of our favourite stationery stops on the internet. We love their Initial notebooks that are hardbound, come with 104 pages (208 sides), and you can choose between lines, plain or even dotted. It is perfect to gift someone, or even yourself, especially if you wish to start journaling.

The writer would like to believe that Muji is God's gift to mankind. They do everything from home decor, clothes, to the finest accessories, all from Japan. We're in love with their notebooks that are all kinds of sleek, chic and get the work done. Trust me when I say that holding a Muji notebook in your hand will make you want to journal! They come in pretty much all sizes; however, this one is particularly a pocket-sized book made with recycled plain paper notebook with a sturdy paperback novel bookbinding. Also, it features a red thread bookmark!

Living Waters is known for their hatke stationery. Everything they do is fun, quirky, and very on trend—striking a cord with the younger generations. We particularly love their hardcover diaries that are plain sheets, amounting to around 100 pages. The paper is fine and easy to write on, too! Plus, the fun covers are definitely something we dig the most.