Journaling Tips – Your teens and pre-teens are dealing with a lot of different emotions, and could use a way to release those emotions and thoughts in a safe way. Journaling can do that for them, and it is so flexible and easy to do, that it really is great for all adolescents. Here are some tips to help your teens start journaling.
Start Small | Journaling Tips
Journaling doesn’t have to be an all-encompassing activity; you can start small by taking just five or ten minutes each day to write down your thoughts. You might want to start by writing about what happened during the day or how you were feeling, then you can move on from there. Don’t worry if you don’t know where to start; just let your words flow freely and see where they take you.
Find a Journal You Love | Journaling Tips
Journaling Tips – If you want your teen to love writing, they need to love what they are writing with. This includes a journal or notebook that is just their style, along with some fun pens they choose themselves. Everyone tends to be picky about the type of pen they use, so definitely let them pick out some favorites.
Use Different Writing Tools, Stickers, and Embellishments
Journaling Tips – In addition to the journal and writing tools, you can get them some other tools as well. Teens who are on the creative side might want to add more color, doodles, or designs to their journal pages. This is super easy to do with colored pencils, watercolors, embellishments, stickers, and other similar items. These can be really inexpensive, and make a huge difference in how motivated your teens are to use their journal.
Keep Your Journal Private | Journaling Tips
Journaling Tips – It is really important that you make a promise to your teens that their journals will remain private and confidential. If they have any fears of someone (like a younger sibling) reading their journals, they won’t be as open and honest as they could be, which does diminish some of the potential benefits of this writing practice. Give them somewhere they can lock up their journals, or even get a diary with a key if they would feel more comfortable with that.
Writing Ideas | Journaling Tips
Journaling Tips – There are a lot of journal prompts out there, but many of them are geared towards adults. For teens and pre-teens, look for journal prompts about school, friends, getting ready for college, and this sort of thing. Here are some examples of great writing topics for teens:
- What does your ideal life look like?
- What do you want to major in?
- What college are you interested in?
- What are your future career plans?
- Where you would move to if you could move anywhere after high school?
- Talk about your BFFs
- What subjects do you love in school?
- Which subjects do you always dread?
- How do you like spending your free time?
Set Goals
Journaling Tips – You can also use journaling as a way of setting goals for yourself and tracking your progress over time. For example, if you want to learn a new skill or get better grades in school, write down what your goal is and then break it down into smaller steps that you need to take in order to achieve it. This will help keep you motivated and focused on reaching your goals.
Creating Space for Reflection | Journaling Tips
Journaling can also be used as a tool for reflection and self-discovery. Take some time each day (or week) to reflect on what has been happening in your life recently – both the good and the bad – and consider what lessons you can learn from these experiences. You might want to think about how these experiences have impacted your relationships with others or how they have shaped your outlook on life going forward.
Journaling is incredibly powerful tools that can help teens cope with stress, anxiety, and other emotions that they may not be able to express verbally. It provides them with an outlet for their thoughts and feelings while also teaching them useful skills such as goal setting, self-reflection, and creative expression. For parents looking for ways to support their teens during this challenging time in their lives, encouraging them to start a journal is one of the best things that they can do! Check out our shop here.
Therapy in Brandon
If you find that you’re feeling stuck more than often, or you’re noticing that your anxiety or trauma is especially high during the winter season, know that you’re not alone, we encourage you to reach out. Our counsellor here at Bliss Counselling & Wellness Centre have experience working with anxiety, stress, grief, trauma, depression, and so much more. We offer both in-person and online services. To learn more, reach out to us at 431-302-8803, or go here and fill out an online form!
Like this:
Like Loading...