How to Journal As A Couple: A Guide To Getting Started
Journaling can be very beneficial to our mental health and stress levels. Likewise, journalling together as a couple can do the same thing plus strengthen your relationship, improve communication, and help with intimacy and connection.
(THIS POST PROBABLY CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. OUR FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY IS LONG & BORING BUT, YOU CAN FIND IT HERE.)
How To Get Started Journaling As A Couple
Many people use journaling as a way to reduce stress and help their mental health. It is a way to organize thoughts, manage your feelings and is also a way to express creativity. Journaling as a couple can have all of the same benefits plus some.
Many couples throughout life have seasons of happiness, seasons of stress and season of fighting and not connecting. This happens for many reasons.
A great way to get that spark back, to reconnect, and to open up about your thoughts and feelings is by trying to journal as a couple.
Who doesn’t need to feel more connected to their partner? More intimacy? Who has perfect communication with your partner? Even the best of couples could use some help in one or all of these areas.
What if you are busy and do not have time? Journaling dose NOT need to take 30 minutes. It can be as little as 10 minutes a week that you set aside to write and even that 10 minutes will make a huge difference if you commit and give it you’re all.
Journaling Styles and Types
There are many different types of journals and technics you can choose when wanting to start. Today, I’m going to going over journaling ideas you can do as a couple. If you need more info on staring a journal for your self then check out our other post, Journal Tips for Beginners.
Write Out YOUR Love Story
One way you can journal together is by taking turns writing out your very own love story. Take turns writing down everything that happened. How you met? What you thought when you first laid eyes on each other. This can be a wonderful keep sake and can even be passed on to your kids and for generations to come.
Answering Questions
Pick a question each week and take a turn answering it. You can answer the question together as a couple, or separately and then read each others answers. Your partner might answer the question in a way that is a total surprise to you.
You can also write questions for each other to answer. Maybe you have always wanted to know something but were too shy. Maybe you wanted to asks something but never knew how to bring it up. Now is your chance.
Bucket List
Make a bucket list together. Are there things you have always wanted to do in life that maybe you have never expressed to your partner? Now is the chance to do so. Maybe you’ll be surprised that you want the same things and maybe you’ll be surprised that you are the complete opposite.
Make the list and then maybe decided which ones are a priority and which ones you aren’t sure you want to do together. After all, just because you want to do something doesn’t mean you have to do it together but you can support each other in making it happen.
Stories From Your Past
Maybe your partner doesn’t talk about their childhood much. Maybe you don’t talk about yours. Perhaps you already know about all of the stories, or so you think you do. Decided where you want to start. You can also use journal prompts to decided what from your past to write about.
Learning about your partners past can help each other see why they are the way they are. It can also help you better know each others triggers. Knowing that about a person makes a huge difference in the way you interact with each other and can save yourself a lot of grief and pain associated with fighting.
Give Compliments
Most people love compliments. It helps make you feel better about the person you are. I think it also can help you to improve yourself and become a better person. A compliment journal for couples is a great way to share your feelings. Let each other know how awesome they are doing. This can be an everyday thing or a once a week thing.
However you choose to do it, just remember that even a one sentence answer is great. Communication is the key. Making them feel good about themselves helps them to be a better partner for you. When we feel good about ourselves, it is easier to compliment and be nicer to others.
Keeping A Daily Record
This is what most people think of when they hear the word journaling. Keeping a record of your daily or weekly activities. This is a great way to look back on your week together as a couple and see where you can make improvements and how you can better help your partner.
This is also just a fun way to remember the good times you have had together and again have something to pass down to your kids.
Gratitude Journal
Thankful journals are a lot like compliment journals, only this time you are telling them what you are grateful for. I HATE doing the dishes and if my husband does them for me I always tell him how grateful I am for that act of kindness.
This is a great way to learn what acts of kindness and thoughtlessness help your partner function from day to day.
Maybe you didn’t realize how much your partner appreciates when you put gas in their car. Perhaps you didn’t know they appreciated when you folded their laundry. This is such a great way of learning those little things about them that may never get discussed otherwise.
Write Letters To Each Other
I feel like between cell phones, email and texting, good old letter writing has gone by the way side. Let’s bring it back by starting a letter writing journal. I have always had a love for letter writing and this form of journaling really can be a combination of all of the above wrapped up into one style.
Using Journal Prompts
Sometimes journaling can feel stressful when you do not know what to write about. Find some journal prompts on line and decide on a few each that you would like to answer. I love journal prompts because they take the stress out of deciding what to write about. Check out these unique journal prompts to get you started.
Now What?
Does this seem overwhelming? Are you confused on what to do? Here are a couple of steps to take when starting your couples journal journey:
- Start now.
- Set aside time to make sure you get your journaling done.
- Choose a method you want to try but make sure you choose together.
- Don’t be afraid to change up your method if it isn’t working.
- HAVE FUN!
Really what is most important is that you improve your communications skills with one another and reconnect in ways you haven’t in awhile.
At the end of the day we all want to be loved for who we are. We all want to connect with our partners and we also want them to connect with us. We want to be able to understand one another and be aware of each others needs.
Journaling is such a great and fun way to start doing so now.
Couples Journal Prompts
Still stuck on where to start? Maybe these couples journal prompts can get you started on the right track. Whatever you do, remember to have fun, be vulnerable and there is not a wrong way to do this. Whatever works for you and your partner is great.
Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Do not be afraid to open up. Just share and be open to whatever happens next.
- What are some things you do that make YOU a good partner?
- What are some things your partner does that make them a good partner?
- What was your first impression of your partner when you met them.
- What are some of the challenges you have faced while in a relationship together? What can your partner do better in the situation if it comes up again? What can YOU do to better the situation next time?
- What are some things you would like to learn about your partner?
- What are some things that make you feel most loved by your partner?
- Do you think it is important to have common interest with your partner? Why?
- How do you show love to your partner?
- What are some things that make your partner special?
- Do you feel like you make enough time for your partner? Do you think they make enough time for you?
- What was your favorite part of our wedding day?
- What are some things you and your partner can do to improve intimacy and keep the romance alive?
Journals You Can Buy
If you go on line and search journaling for couples there are a ton of options. These are great if you’re still not sure how to get going. Here are a couple of our favorites:
Journaling as a Couple
Do you think you’ll start journaling as a couple? I think you should at least give it a try. You might find it’s one of the best things you can do as a couple to bring you closer together.
Have you considered a couple journal before? Which method sounds the most fun for you and your partner? Let us know in the comments below.
