There are lots of different ways to keep a journal, and some find it useful whether new to mindfulness or a seasoned meditator.
In the early days of your learning, it can be particularly useful to keep a record of your experiences, to help you find out what works best for you (and what doesn’t).
Some people find keeping a record helps in the early days while they establish what time of day is best for them to practice, and for how long. Some people for example find meditating much easier in the evenings, whereas others manage to incorporate mindfulness activities in to their every day activities, perhaps as part of their Mindful Morning routine.
Where to Start
You don’t necessarily need a new or bespoke notebook, any pen and paper could do especially as you may decide to just to keep your record for a week to notice any themes (e.g. when’s the best time for you to practice). Do keep the pen/paper nearby (you may even choose to use the notes in your phone) so that, if you decide to do an activity, you’ve got what you need to record your outcomes nearby.
Say for example you tried meditating for 10 minutes in the morning, but kept falling back to sleep. You might record this for a few days to see if you have the same results, and perhaps shift your practice to the evening instead for a while. In the same way you might find that when you do a particular activity you have a better night’s rest. By keeping a note, you’ll start to see what helps your well-being as well.
You could start with a blank page and simply write the date to start with and then write any notes afterwards that you feel are useful to record. You could also separate the page in to headings, for example: date/time, how long you did an activity for (and possibly which activity you did), and how you felt afterwards. In the same way as I suggest in Answers In The Dark to keep a dream diary, to notice patterns in your dreaming, you might find keeping a meditation journal helps you understand the experiences you have.
Types of Experience
Sometimes people find they have really deep and meaningful experiences while meditating, especially if they do a guided visualisation. You may decide periodically to keep a note of these as they happen, to see if there is a pattern or if you find certain times of the day/month/year easier than others, especially if particular symbols appear.
You might also write down your mindfulness experiences, like when you saw a beautiful sunrise and allowed yourself to ‘be’ for a moment, so that you can see what types of activity help you remain present.
Remember though that the purpose is not to get meditation ‘right’, but to experience what it’s like to be “here” without judgement. Use your meditation journal as a way to work for you, and perhaps as a way to enhance your spiritual intelligence.
Delphi is the author of Answers In The Dark: Grief, Sleep and How Dreams Can Help You Heal, out now on Amazon and Hive. You might also like Monday Mojo™. The Helping You Sparkle™ magazine / The Dreams Maven™ is part of the Helping You Sparkle™ portfolio.
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