Nah jk. But this post will definitely be about journals, the different ones that I own and what I use them for, and I will also share some journal prompts to inspire you if you’ve ever considered journaling and just didn’t know how to get started. Or maybe you just needed a little inspiration?

I’ve been journaling since the young but mighty 8th year of my life. I’ve always had big feelings that I didn’t quite know how to express or how to release until my best friend at the time introduced me to writing my thoughts down. Since then I’ve been hooked.

That first diary of mine was of The Lion King’s Simba and Naila. I actually found a picture of the same one online!:

I purchased mine at the Scholastic book fair in the beginning of 4th grade. I then filled it up, and began my second diary which was Lisa Frank themed. I still have this one thanks to my mami. I found it in the attic at my father’s house a few months ago.

Needless to say I was laughing at myself a lot while reading most of it. It’s interesting looking back at the things that used to upset me or make me happy. One thing is for certain, I couldn’t wait to be 18 back then lol! I’d always threaten to move out under my breath. Until my brother told my mother and then I’d just write about it lol. Side note: I moved out of my parent’s house when I was 23 years old.

The journal pictured below is my current daily journal (yes, I’ve been writing daily for the last few weeks) which was a Birthday gift to myself a few years ago. I purchased it from Rustico. And in my humble opinion—-was not worth the splurge. I also own a journal where I write my visualizations, and one where I document my oracle card pulls while working with my guides. I have a dream journal. But I tend to document those on my Note app on my cellphone since the details of some dreams can come at any moment’s notice, and I always have my phone around…

When I tell someone that I journal. A question that I am always asked is “aren’t you afraid of somebody reading it?” And my answer is always no. My life really isn’t that interesting, and I keep it in a safe place, and the people in my household know better. Plain and simple. Even while growing up. My brothers never tried to find my journal to read it and vice versa. I wasn’t snooping around their rooms for things (other than a t-shirt or hat). And then the next thing someone says is “I’ve thought about it but don’t know what to write about.”

Here are some helpful journal prompts:

What’s something that stood out about today?
What made you happy today?
What’s something you’d like to remember about today?
What’s something you’re manifesting?
A letter to yourself.
A letter for someone else.
Write, or paste your favorite quotes on a page on or different pages (I do this).
Add Polaroid picture(s) to pages and write something about it.

There are many more! Simply type in “Journal prompts” into your web browser’s search bar and have your pick! If you’re looking to make it a habit then try to do it daily. And don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Keep it light, keep it fun. Keep the journal where you’ll see it or a place you’ll access during the day so that it won’t get dusty and forgotten. Like mine did for a few years at one point. No, not the one pictured above.

I went months and sometimes would skip a year in between entries. It was something that always felt like a regret. So I decided to improve on that.

Ive purchased my journals from Amazon, Rustico, Michaels (for my manifestation, creative journals). But a store that never fails when it comes to Journal selections is Barnes & Noble! Im thankful to have one locally with a decent in store selection. I like to hold the journal and flip through the pages before purchasing. I make sure the pages are thick to support my gel pens and creativity. I also want a journal that will last me a while, so the page count is important as well.

This was captured at Barnes and Noble’s journal aisle. There they have guided journals and others. I needed to purchase my new daily journal. I found 3 contenders and decided on the perfect one. It felt great in my hands, and the pages are very similar or identical to my current journal. Hmm… this just gave me a great idea (more on this on a later date).

(An example of the things I glue into my journal pages)

If journaling is something you’ve considered, I hope you’re walking away more inspired and ready to begin. If not? You just learned something new lol.

Enjoy the rest of your week! I’m so grateful that you stopped by!

Love, light, the shadow too—- Cin.

If you’d like to donate or support me and my blog: Cashapp $cincimma , Venmo @cincimma funds go towards learning. materials, and monthly website domain fees.

63| HIDDEN GEMS

62| DEAR JOURNAL,