The Different Types of Journals

There are several unique types of journals. You may find that you want to keep several journals for various different areas of your life. Perhaps you like to travel, so a travel journal is an excellent way of keeping your mementos and thoughts about different countries. Or, maybe you are expecting a new baby or other major life-changing event. No matter what your journaling goal is, you are bound to find one that will help you grow and remember different areas of your life. Different types of journals include:

Personal Diary:

The most common type of journal is a personal journal allows you to write about your day-to-day life and personal feelings. You can discuss your daily life events and how you feel about them. You can tell a funny story about something that happened to you today, etc. Your entries don't have to be long accounts of your day, but simple entries that allow you to express how you feel and then review those entries later for self-growth.

Dream journal:

A dream journal is a unique way to inspire recall and record of your dreams. Dreams are a like a window into the human psyche and you can often learn a lot about yourself through journaling. This type of journal should be kept at your bedside so that you can jot down the dream the moment you wake up. A dream journal can be as simple as a spiral notebook; you just need something that is accessible. You also want to have a writing instrument nearby so that you are able to quickly log your dream. There are also special dream journals that help you to recall your dreams through prompting questions. Dream journals have been useful to people who experience recurring dreams that bother them, or to those people who need help coping with insomnia.

Travel Journal:

A travel journal is another popular form of journal. This is a great way to document your travels across the country or across the world. These journals allow you to document what you saw and how you felt about the place that you traveled to. Most travel journals begin as blank books that end up being filled with numerous accounts, clippings, tokens and photos. They are excellent for written accounts that not only allow you to describe where and what you are doing, but how you felt about it as well. There have been several famous travel journals documented through the movies. A very popular one is that of Lieutenant John Dunbar in Dances with Wolves. This journal was a documentation of his observations of the American Indians. In literature we can find Jack Kerouac's On the Road, which documented his spontaneous road trips with friends across the company. In your own personal travel journal you may want to draw pictures, paste mementos and discuss the good and the bad experiences that you have encountered along your way.

Pregnancy Journal:

Many new mothers choose to keep a pregnancy journal. This journal helps them deal with the changes they are feeling and seeing in their bodies. It also helps them to document any odd dreams or emotions that they may be having as well. Many mothers also use these journals as an opportunity to talk to their unborn child and discuss life with them before they are born. These are often shared with the child later in life. There are also guided pregnancy journals that have writing prompts in them. These allow a person who is not a natural writer to be prompted through thought provoking questions. Questions may be documented monthly. Month one could include questions such as "Describe how you felt the moment you found out you were pregnant" or "Who was the first person you told that you were pregnant?" Month two may be questions like, "What is your favorite food this month?" These unique questions get you to think and write and because they are monthly, you are motivated to write on a regular basis.

Study Journals:

Think of the great Indiana Jones and how he followed his father's journal about his archeological travels. A study journal is what he was using and it is one of the best ways to document the knowledge that you have gained throughout your life. This journal could easily be one that lasts you for several decades so be use a journaling service that will stand the test of time.

Spiritual or Gratitude Journals:

These are journals that record spiritual events in your life along with your thoughts on those moments. These could be anywhere from daily thanks to the documentation of your spiritual growth. They can document your prayers, testimony, conversions and other spiritual thoughts and ponderings.

There are a large variety of journals to choose from and you can write about anything that you want.