What is Expressive Journaling?

What is Expressive Journaling?

Expressive Journaling is another term for Junk Journaling.  I first discovered it online while scrolling through Facebook.  I ran across a short video of a creator arranging a variety of crafting materials such as colored and printed paper, stickers with flowers, butterflies and glued on jewels.  

The pages of the persons journal were filled with beautiful colors and an assortment of unique items that represented that person's mood that day or their favorite color.  I liked the video and that brought more videos into my news feed and after that I was hooked on just watching them.

During that time, I was still someone who just journaled traditionally.  I love journals and I love journaling.  I would write my private thoughts and fill many of them in one year.  Junk Journaling was an exciting new way to express myself.

Also, I was feeling a bit of writer's block, and this allowed me to take a break from writing and finding other ways to say how I was feeling.  

When I was younger, I used to love looking through magazine and I would keep them and once I'd read it through from beginning to end, I would start to cut out words and pictures that I like and make collages and hang them on the walls of my room.  

My first attempts at junk journaling started like that and it brought a lot of good memories back to me of when I would do things for myself that made me happy.  I didn't worry about what other people would think.  

Expressive Journaling is more than Junk Journaling because it's an opportunity to express yourself with crafts without worry about what someone will think about you.  If you don't like writing this is a way to journal and express yourself.  

According to research, "crafting, whether it's making handmade cards, scrapbooking, journaling, or knitting has been shown to have a positive impact on mental health.  Engaging in creative activities can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by providing a sense of accomplishment and boosting self-esteem." 

Crafting, whether it's making handmade cards, scrapbooking, journaling, or knitting has been shown to have a positive impact on mental health. Engaging in creative activities can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by providing a sense of accomplishment and boosting self-esteem.