Mindful journaling, or expressive writing, allows us to step back and reflect on ourselves and the world around us. It provides a space to freely express ourselves for ourselves. Cloth & Paper’s selection of items for mindful journaling helps us establish a reflective and invigorating start to our day.

Mindful Journaling

Transfer and process your thoughts with one of my personal favorites, our Journaling Inserts*. I prefer to end my day with reflection and gratitude journaling, although mindful journaling is beneficial at any time of the day! Take advantage of the prompt page provided to get your thoughts flowing. A monthly mood tracker and key are available, along with a section to write and expand on your affirmations and inspirations. Highlighters, colored pens, and markers are all good options for creating mood tracker keys. I prefer to use our Transparent Shape Stickers | Dots in three similar colors to serve as mood indicators - Linen for a “happy” day, Ibiza for an “okay” day, and Nude for a day that “could be better”. While these three choices do not encompass the entirety of my moods, they serve to easily track patterns at-a-glance to later reflect on.

For a burst of inspiration, take a look at our journaling prompt questions. I focus on two to three prompts per day, depending on what most interests me. Since I end the day with journaling, I often use “Gratitude” and “Self Reflection” prompts. My favorite aspect of mindful journaling is that it is for myself. There is no need to edit or organize paragraphs, and doodling is encouraged. What is important is that my thoughts and feelings are reaching paper to be explored and reflected on.

Get Into a Positive Morning Mindset

Set a positive tone for your day with our “Morning Mindset” Half Page Planner Dashboard. Use in tandem with your journaling inserts at the start of your day to set your intentions and establish mindfulness for the rest of your day. Or, pair this slim dashboard with our Undated Vertical Weekly Inserts | 2nd Edition. Journaling will look different for everyone, and these undated inserts allow you to explore that. Utilize these to bullet-point your thoughts, view a week’s worth of writing at a time, or write down a couple sentences a day. When writing in a line-a-day style, I find it best to both summarize the day's events and note a reflection or gratitude for that day. For a perfect touch of gratitude inspiration, add our “Life Becomes Rich” Planner Dashboard to your planner.

The key to mindful journaling is allowing yourself the time and space to ground yourself and analyze your thoughts on paper. Explore journaling methods to find the ones that work best for you, and elevate your day by practicing expressive journaling and reflection with the help of Cloth & Paper!