10 Creative Journals for Self-Care and Well-Being
Journaling is one of the most important habits for creativity and well-being. Here are 10 creative journals for self-care and well-being.
Journaling is not only a great daily habit to support creativity but also well-being. Throughout history, you can find creatives keeping some form of a journal. Either to track their progress, support creative thinking, and of course, support well-being. The creative process isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. It can be a grueling grind that can hurt wellness when creative blocks pop up.
To support your wellness and creativity, start a creative journaling habit to get negative thoughts out of your head, learn more about yourself for better self-expression, and boost creative thinking with unique ways to journal.
Journaling is a great way to support creativity and well-being. Research shows that expressive writing can be a therapeutic tool for improving emotional health and even longer-term physical health. There are many ways to journal, and no one way is correct. You don’t have to write long poetic prose to experience the benefits. Journaling can be as simple as a to-do list.
For example, the five-minute journal has a structured format to boost your happiness in 5 minutes a day with prompts that includes: gratitude, prioritizing your day, 3 amazing things, inspiring quotes, daily affirmation, and end-of-day self-reflection.
Zen as F*ck: A Journal for Practicing the Mindful Art of Not Giving a Sh*t by Monica Sweeney is an uplifting mindfulness journal with an attitude. Learn to be mindful of your thoughts and feelings to overcome creative blocks.
Less of a book and more of a journal, Zen as F*ck is a great way to learn what’s causing your creative blocks and learn more about yourself to improve your creative process and gain a deeper understanding of yourself for better self-expression. Journal your way through positive affirmations and cathartic-as-f*ck activities on your liberating journey toward something pretty close to happiness.
There are many ways to journal. Because it’s such a creative act of self-expression, finding a method that works for you will have the most benefits. This unique journal will have you painting, shredding, transforming, and unleashing your creativity with different prompts every day.
Wreck This Journal: Now in Color invites you to wreck with color: mixing colors to make mud, letting chance dictate your color choice, weaving with brightly colored strips of paper, and more.
Notes to Mindfulness Journal is designed by Intelligent Change and Chelsea Kauai to help people find inner peace, creative self-expression, and practice gratitude. It’s intended as a guided practice for cultivating self-consciousness and more moments of wonder.
Notes to Mindfulness features guided and structured exercises to help inspire fearless self-discovery through creative expression. Build a creative morning habit of setting an intentional action plan to ensure you are taking action to make your day successful and fulfilling.
Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal contains 1,825 questions, one for every day, for five years, to help you grow and look back on. This creative journal is a journey of well-being and discovery.
Do you ever stop to wonder how you got where you are? With this journal, you can build a creative journal habit, gain insights, and explore unique questions you haven’t thought of before. This is great for any creative starting a new journey or making a big change in life.
Daily Self-Care Manifestation by the Freedom Mastery Store is a 90-day journal to support and guide your journey of creating your ideal creative life. What does it mean to you to live a creative lifestyle? What habits do you want to build to support a happier and more productive life?
With this extremely popular journal, you can track and cultivate gratitude, success, visions for the future, creative habits, and more to become the best possible version of yourself on a mental, physical and interpersonal level.
52 Lists for Calm by Moorea Seal is a creative journal to soothe anxiety and create a peaceful life using 52 prompts—one for every week of the year—that offer a safe, calming space for self-care and mindful reflection.
Featuring gorgeous illustrations and inspirational quotes, this hardcover list journal is the perfect gift for anyone suffering from anxiety, tension, and burnout.
Prompts are divided into four themes: be present, look back, move forward, and release. Each prompt also includes short exercises (meditations, affirmations, relaxation exercises, boundary-setting, etc.) to support and guide wellness.
Visual Journaling: Going Deeper than Words by Barbara Ganim and Susan E. Fox is a unique and creative six-week journal to reduce stress and promote well-being through creative exercises and interpretive activities.
Most people who journal use words. But words come from the left brain, which interprets experiences through our learned beliefs and expectations. This creative journal uses images, drawing exercises, doodles, and other creative forms of expression to help you reach a deeper understanding of yourself to inspire a happier and more creative life.
These Creative Thinking Journals by Pilgrim Soul feature 50 fun, creative challenges designed to increase your creativity, productivity, and well-being.
Pilgrim Soul has created two inspiring guided journals for the sober and high creative, both filled with creative thinking exercises to provide hours of fun and inspiration. Each challenge pushes you to rethink how you see yourself and the world to uncover new possibilities and ideas.
Rainbow One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book by Kindah Khalidy is a best-selling creative journal that can help people capture five years of memories using creativity to reflect and record.
This vibrant version of the beloved One Line a Day journal, featuring the rainbow-like paintings of Kindah Khalidy, offers space to write a brief line every day while also allowing you to compare today’s events with your notes from the same date in years past. This keepsake journal will brighten all your days and support creative thinking when you record and look back on your creative memories.
Let That Sh*t Go by Monica Sweeney is a creative zen journal to help you leave your bullsh*t behind and create a happy life.
From the author of bestselling journals Manifest That Sh*t and Zen as F*ck, Monica Sweeney gives the gift of letting go with this creative journal, featuring profanity-laced catharsis, activities, and inspiration to help you find your zen in unique ways.
Zach is an international writer, photographer, filmmaker, martial artist, and creator of Creative Enso, the Zen art of creative living. His goal is to empower and inspire creatives to live healthier, happier, and more creative lifestyles.
