Journaling when you are not a journaler
Three low-effort formats for people who find blank pages intimidating.
Journaling helps far more people than practice it, mostly because the blank page feels like an assignment. It does not have to be one.
The two-line check-in
One line for how your body feels, one for what is on your mind. That is a complete entry. Over weeks, patterns appear that you would never have noticed day to day.
The worry parking lot
Write the worries down in the evening and close the notebook. You are not solving them, you are storing them somewhere other than your head.
The three-good-things list
Small and specific works best. Warm shower, a text from a friend, the fact that the dog waited by the door. Specific gratitude retrains attention better than general gratitude.
You are not writing for anyone. You are giving your thoughts somewhere to land.