Journal For Self-Expression - Journaling for Self-Expression and Mental Clarity

https://lestallion.com/collections/journal-notebook-for-self-expression

The simple act of putting pen to paper might be the most underrated tool for mental clarity in our digital age. This deep dive explores how journaling creates a sanctuary for our thoughts and feelings - a physical space where the chaos in our minds can find order and meaning.

We unpack why the tactile experience of writing connects us to our inner voice in ways typing simply cannot. Quality matters too - from thick paper that prevents bleed-through to covers that feel satisfying in your hands, these details transform journaling from a fleeting habit into a lifelong practice. The right journal becomes more than a notebook; it becomes an archive of your evolution and a trusted companion through life's challenges.

Through personal stories, we reveal how journaling has helped people navigate overwhelming anxiety, creative blocks, and emotional turmoil. One friend described her hardcover journal as a "symbol of strength" during a difficult transition, while another found that the simple act of externalizing racing thoughts created enough mental space to break through paralyzing overwhelm.

Consistency emerges as the key to effective journaling - even just minutes daily can yield profound benefits. Whether you use prompts, free writing, or gratitude lists, the practice builds emotional intelligence and creative resilience over time. Perhaps most valuable is the opportunity to revisit old entries, having conversations with your past self that reveal how far you've come.

What thoughts or feelings might benefit from having a dedicated space in your life? Consider how a thoughtfully designed journal could become a valuable companion on your journey of self-discovery.

Other Episodes

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071281/episodes/16849951-journal-for-meditation-how-journals-revolutionize-meditation
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071281/episodes/16849954-journal-for-fitness-how-journals-transform-fitness-progress
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071281/episodes/16849956-journal-for-habit-tracking-personal-growth-through-dedicated-journaling-and-daily-habit-tracking
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2071281/episodes/16849961-journal-for-manifestation-the-power-of-manifestation-journaling

LeStallion offers premium PU leather journal notebooks for writing, dedicated to all those who are pursuing their dreams and goals, or nurturing their personal development and mental health.

For More Info on LeStallion, check out:
https://lestallion.com/

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right.
So today we're going to bediving into self-expression.
You know, like how we bring allthat stuff from inside us, like
our thoughts and feelings andideas, into something real and
tangible.
Especially in the world we livein, it feels like it's just
constantly go, go, go, andfinding time for that can be
challenging.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Oh, absolutely.
We're constantly bombarded withall these external pressures
and it feels like that internaldialogue, the space for it, gets
kind of pushed aside, you know,and it's a shame, because I
think that's really where somuch richness lies.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
Totally, and that's actually what this deep dive is
all about.
We want to look at a tool thatcan help us cultivate that
self-expression.
And you know we're not talkingabout some groundbreaking new
method or anything.
We're talking about somethingpretty classic journaling.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yep, good old-fashioned pen and paper.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Exactly, and we've both been talking about this for
a while now, about how awell-made journal like the ones
from Lestallion, for example,can be so much more than just
well, a blank notebook.
They use that thick 120 GSMpaper so ink doesn't bleed
through, and their covers a lotof them are that really nice
soft faux leather, like you canjust tell it's made for keeping

(01:08):
your thoughts for a long time.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
It's true, you really do get that sense, and I think
that tactile quality is whatmakes journaling so special.
You're not just typing away ona screen, you're really engaging
with the process.
You know, and all thosefeatures, the paper, the binding
, it all adds up to a completelydifferent experience.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Absolutely so.
Today we're going to really tryto understand why a journal
notebook, especially when it'smade with that attention to
detail like Lestallion does, isso valuable for helping us
unlock our creativity and reallyconnect with our emotions on a
deeper level.
Okay, so why don't we startwith the basics?
Why is a journal so essentialfor self-expression?

(01:44):
I mean, it's more than justhaving a bunch of empty pages,
right?

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeah, yeah.
It's like you're creating aspace, a sanctuary for your
thoughts and feelings.
Unlike those random notes wejot down on our phones or, you
know, those ideas that just popinto your head and disappear
just as quickly, with a journal,you have a consistent place to
put everything down.
It's almost like a physicalanchor, right, and there's just
something about putting pen topaper that connects you to your

(02:10):
inner voice in a way that typingjust doesn't.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
It forces you to slow down too.
You're really engaging withyour thoughts, so what kind of
benefits do people usually seewhen they start journaling
consistently?

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Well, I'd say one of the biggest benefits is clarity.
When you write down yourthoughts and feelings, you have
to organize them.
In a way, it's like you'rebringing order to the chaos
right.
It helps you process thingsinstead of just I don't know
letting your emotions run wild.
And for creative peopleespecially, a journal can be
like an incubator for ideas, asafe space to experiment without
judgment.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
And, you know, even for professionals people who are
trying to solve complexproblems, writing things down
can be a game changer.
It's so true.
I found that just writing downboth the big and small moments,
you know the everyday stuff.
It helps me understand myselfso much better, and then I can
look back and actually see howI've changed and grown over time
.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
I think that's one of the most rewarding things about
journaling.
And speaking of looking back,this is where something like
that 120 GSM paper thatLestallion uses comes in handy.
It's thick enough that you canuse any pen, or even paint, and
nothing will bleed through tothe next page.
So you know that your words,your ideas, they're going to be
preserved.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
You're creating a legacy, almost.
It becomes like an archive ofyour inner world.
Yeah, okay.
So we've talked about whyjournaling can be so great, but
what happens when we don't havethat outlet?
What are some of the challengespeople might face if they're
not making time forself-expression?

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well, one of the biggest ones is what I like to
call mental clutter.
You know, when you have allthese thoughts and worries
bouncing around in your head,it's like having a million tabs
open in your brain, and it justbecomes exhausting If you don't
have a way to get all that stuffout it can really take a toll
on you.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Yeah, it's like that feeling when you have way too
many tabs open on your computerand everything just starts to
slow down.
And for creatives, I imaginethat not having a dedicated
space for exploring new ideascan lead to some pretty serious
blocks.
It's like you're trying tocreate, but you don't even have
a place to start.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
Exactly.
And on the emotional side ofthings, when we constantly push
down our feelings and pretendthey're not there, well, that
can lead to feeling disconnectedfrom ourselves and even from
other people, and it can make itso much harder to figure out
what we're actually feeling.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
And that feeling of being stuck like you don't know
how to move forward in life.
I think that can come from nottaking the time for
self-reflection.
A journal can give you thespace to actually process
everything that's going on.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
I couldn't agree more .
So how does a journal,especially one with those nice
features we've been talkingabout, actually help with all of
that?

Speaker 1 (04:41):
Well, I think even just having a dedicated notebook
sends a signal to your brainthat this is a space for
reflection, and while Lestallionoffers all those journal
prompts online, even a blanknotebook like theirs can provide
some structure, you know.

Speaker 2 (04:55):
And that's actually a really good point.
You can create your ownstructure, even if the journal
doesn't come with any predefinedsections.
You can dedicate pages tospecific themes, your goals, or
even just to process certainemotions.
It's almost like you're mappingout your internal world.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
And then there's the beauty of the blank page.
You can do whatever you wantwith it.
You can write, draw, make lists, jot down random ideas,
whatever feels right.
In the moment, there are norules.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
And I think that's where Listallion's design
choices really stand out.
Something as simple as havingnumbered pages makes it so much
easier to reference things lateron, and they usually include a
table of contents too, so youcan create an index of your own
thoughts and feelings.
It's like you're building yourown personal library, and then
they use those dashed linesinstead of solid ones, which

(05:41):
makes it easier to write neatlybut also gives you the
flexibility to do other thingslike draw or make diagrams.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
It's all about creating a positive experience,
so you'll actually stick with it.
So I think it'd be cool toshare some personal examples,
kind of bring this idea offeatures telling stories to life
.
I know I had a time a couple ofyears ago when I felt
completely overwhelmed.
Work was crazy.
I had a ton of personal stuffgoing on and my mind was just
racing constantly.
I couldn't focus on anything.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
That's something so many of us can relate to it
really is.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
Anyway, I started using a Lestallion journal I
think it was one of the forestgreen ones with the soft cover
and I started just writing downeverything that was in my head
my tasks, my worries, randomthoughts, everything.
And it's crazy, but just theact of writing it down on that
nice thick paper gave me so muchrelief.
It was like getting it out ofmy head and onto the page
actually helped me create somemental space and I even started

(06:35):
using those dashed lines to maketo-do lists, which was kind of
fun.
It really helped me breakthings down into smaller, more
manageable steps.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
It's amazing how something as simple as writing
things down can have such a hugeimpact.
It's like that physical actallows you to step back and see
things from a new perspective.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
Oh for sure, and I'm thinking of my sister who's a
graphic designer.
She was going through a reallytough time creatively, like she
felt like she'd lost her spark.
She ended up getting aLestallion journal, one of the
small A5 ones with the dark bluecover, and she said, even just
holding it, feeling the textureof the cover, it inspired her.
And those blank pages, she saidthey were just so inviting,

(07:13):
like they were waiting for herto fill them with ideas.
And because it was small enoughto take everywhere, she would
jot down ideas or do littlesketches whenever inspiration
hit.
And she truly believes thatjournal helped her get through
that creative block.

Speaker 2 (07:26):
It's a great example of how those little details like
the portability and the feel ofthe journal can really make a
difference in how we approachcreativity.
It's like it lowers the barrierto entry, you know.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Totally, and one of my close friends went through a
really rough patch emotionallyafter a big life change.
She had all these feelings butshe couldn't really talk about
them, not even with the peopleshe was closest to.
She ended up getting aLestallion journal one of the
hardcover ones, I think becauseshe wanted something that felt
really durable and would last,like a symbol of strength.
She started writing in it allthe time.

(07:57):
Sometimes it was just a fewsentences, other times it was
longer, more introspective stuff.
But she told me that justhaving that safe space to write
whatever she was feeling withoutjudgment, it was like therapy
for her and over time shestarted to understand her
emotions better.
She could see patterns and makesense of everything she was
going through.
That journal was like alifeline for her during that

(08:18):
tough time.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
I love that.
It shows how powerful it can beto just get those feelings out
of your head and onto the page,and when you have a journal
that's well-made and durable, itcan really feel like a
companion on that journey.
So what are some things peoplecan do to make journaling a more
effective practice?

Speaker 1 (08:35):
Well, I think the most important thing is to be
consistent.
Even just 10 or 15 minutes aday can make a huge difference.
You don't need to write a novelevery time you open your
journal.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Some days it might just be a few bullet points or
even a single sentence, anddon't be afraid to use prompts,
especially if you're new tojournaling or feeling a little
stuck.
Listallion has a bunch ofprompts on their website, which
is a great resource, you know.
They have everything fromsimple questions about your day
to prompts that really make youthink about your values and what
you want in life.

Speaker 1 (09:07):
And I think it's important to experiment with
different writing styles too.
Try free writing, where youjust let your thoughts flow
without stopping to edit.
Or you can make gratitude lists.
Or even try some creativewriting prompts.
Just have fun with it.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
Absolutely, and once you've been journaling for a
while, it can be reallyinsightful to go back and read
your old entries.
It's amazing how much you canlearn about yourself by seeing
how your thoughts and feelingshave changed over time.

Speaker 1 (09:31):
It's like having a conversation with your past self
.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
Exactly.
And remember this is yourjournal, so don't worry about
being perfect.
It doesn't matter if yourgrammar isn't perfect or if your
writing is messy.
The important thing is to behonest and authentic.

Speaker 1 (09:46):
It's a judgment-free zone.
And thinking about thoseLestallion journals again, I
really appreciate that they usethat soft cover because it makes
them so comfortable to write in.
And the back pocket is superhandy too, especially if you
like to keep little notes orthings that inspire you.

Speaker 2 (10:00):
All those little details really add up to a
positive experience.

Speaker 1 (10:03):
They do.
So, as we wrap things up, whatare some of the key takeaways
you want listeners to rememberabout journaling?

Speaker 2 (10:09):
Well, through journaling, you really cultivate
emotional intelligence, youknow.
You become more aware of yourfeelings and how to manage them,
and it's such a powerful toolfor boosting creativity.
It gives you the space to playwith ideas and see where they
take you, and ultimately, all ofthis leads to greater mental
well-being.
You feel more clear-headed,more resilient and more

(10:29):
connected to yourself.

Speaker 1 (10:31):
In a well-made journal, something like what
Lestallion makes can reallyelevate that whole experience.
It becomes like a partner inyour self-discovery journey.
So to everyone listening whatthoughts or feelings might
benefit from having a dedicatedspace.
Are there any ideas swirlingaround in your head that are
just waiting to be explored?
Take a moment to think abouthow you currently process your

(10:54):
inner world.
Could spending even a fewminutes a day with a journal
bring you new insights, clarityor deeper connection to yourself
?
Maybe now is the perfect timeto see if a thoughtfully
designed journal could be avaluable companion on your
journey of self-discovery.

Speaker 2 (11:08):
It's definitely worth considering.

Speaker 1 (11:09):
It is.