My Favorite Journaling Supplies

Practicing Authentic Self-Care features several writing exercises that you'll have to complete using a pen and paper. 

Handwriting has a unique effect on our brains and neuroscience research shows that it can help us better retain information and even make us better at coming up with new ideas, compared to typing on a computer (or with your thumbs on your smartphone….)

Writing is also a great way to facilitate metacognition, which is a fancy sounding word referring to a type of self-reflection that just means thinking about thinking in order to grow and change. 

While I am putting the finishing touches on the content for the free beta run, I wanted to give you a heads up that you'll need to have a notebook (ideally) and a pen to be able to do the work, so in case you need to go shopping you've got time to do that before we begin. 

If you don’t already have one, I do recommend keeping a journal for these exercises, rather than just using random sheets of loose-leaf paper.

If you must use loose-leaf sheets, keep them organized in a folder or binder. You can use an existing journal if you have one, or if you are like me and have a giant collection of blank notebooks, you can start a fresh one ;-)

I personally prefer artists’ sketchbooks for my journals and notebooks since sometimes I do find drawing to be a therapeutic complement to journaling. Plus the paper is usually higher quality and just feels nicer to write on. If you have a local art supply store, you can pick one up that feels good to you. But if you like to order online, here are some of my suggestions. 

I like this one by Strathmore and have used this extra-large Moleskine before, too. Cachet is another brand I like that is much cheaper to buy from a local store vs from Amazon. I haven't tried it, but the Amazon Basics Moleskine copycat looks like it could be a good budget option, too. 

And of course you will need a pen, or if you are like me, an assortment of pens. I have always had a very large pen collection and find joy in being able to select the perfect pen for each writing session. I also love to rotate between several colors to make my notebooks feel more vibrant.

I got hooked on Sakura pens as a teenager and still keep a set of Gelly Roll pens around. I also LOVE writing with my Marvy Le Pen ultra-fine tip markers as well as my Sakura Pigma Micron (this set includes extreme fine-tips that are great for drawing; I like the size 03, 05, and 08 for writing - most art stores will have these for sale as individual pens if you don’t want a set, but I like to use those teeny tiny tipped ones for my drawings).

If you prefer ballpoint pens, Pentel RSVP pens are a classic! I use those in my recipe development notebook or when I need to write fast and furiously in my journal.

You can also just use any old pen you’ve got lying around the house — you definitely don’t have to buy new ones if that doesn’t excite you! But I know there are people out there like me who just LOVE new pens and the feeling of a fresh, crisp notebook, so I wanted to share some of my favorite items that I've used for many years :-D

THANK YOU so much for your patience while I get the free beta version of the course ready for you.