Self-care App review: Zinnia journaling

I used to journal when I was a teenagers. I still have those notebooks on my attic and there's many of them. It really helped me to process my experiences, emotions, all the ups and downs of the teenage years and cope with all the changes and challenges I was facing. As a young adult, I gradually gave up journaling, only writing (mostly typing at that time) when experiencing a major emotional episode whether something really happy or sad.

It was about a year ago, that I rediscovered the benefits of journaling. Nowadays, I would take a few minutes every morning to write down my thoughts, my feelings, my concerns, my excitement, and my fears. It helps me reflect on recent events and structure my day, priorities and get myself in a positive mindset for the day ahead. While having my morning coffee I can find the peaceful and quiet time to do my journaling. For many, it is rather the evenings to look back on the day behind and process the events.

For us, introverts journaling is a very natural way to get inside our heads and hearts and dig deeper. Writing usually comes rather easy and is a preferred method of expression. I wholeheartedly recommend journaling as a way to connect with our inner and deeper selves. I also post journaling prompts on this blog every last Tuesday of the month. You can check out the one about introverted strengths and reflection and goal setting for the new year.

While in the past I filled many notebooks with my thoughts and feelings, nowadays I prefer to use my tablet for journaling out of sustainability and convenience. In my search for the right tool, I came across an app that I've been enjoying a lot. There's only one downside: Zinnia is only available on IOS platform.

Pros

Zinnia allows typing as well as writing with the Apple pencil creating a real journaling experience, where you can doodle, use different colors, different pencil types just as if you were writing on paper. There are multiple notebook templates ranging from a classical annual planner, free form writing, manifestation journal, student planners, journals designed for health and well-being, creativity, and even a meal planner. These can work as great starting points to help you structure your writing experience or give inspiration on the different ways you can use the app. On the other hand, Zinnia is super customizable. You can create your own notebooks, own templates, to match exactly what you need. You can make use of pre-made page templates, stickers, all sorts of icons, boxes, dividers and paper types, which ultimately creates the experience as if you were working on real paper. Additionally, you can import your photos or pictures from the internet, which makes the possibilities almost endless when it comes to reflection or vision boarding. Every month they add new collections, tips and tutorials to help you get the most out of your journaling experience. It is colorful, rich, super easy to use and the possibilities are endless to enable you for journaling. The app works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, although in my view IPad is the best device for journaling – with the pencil.

With a monthly overview it is easy for me to view my plans and get excited about them

Cons

I've tried multiple apps before finding Zinnia and for me, this is just amazing. There are however some min points. It is only available on IOS, hence you either need to invest in the Apple ecosystem or you are missing out. I haven't found a comparable option on Android. GoodNotes may be a good alternative, but missing all the cool pre-built stickers, templates, icons, etc.

While the app works well for the most part, sometimes my palm touching the screen switches off or changes the settings of the pencil tool. This is not a biggie, but can be annoying when in the flow of writing.

Surely, depending on your screen size, the available page space may be limited. I personally find the experience to write with the Apple pencil very realistic and good (much better than with Samsung).

Lastly, building your own templates may take some time and frustration. For instance, I didn't find an option to build tables (like in Microsoft Word), but needed to add lines and try to align them completely horizontal and vertical. Gave up very quickly... I think some improvements in table design would complement the app big time.

How I use Zinnia

While the options are endless, here's how I've been using Zinnia:

• Daily journaling: I use a blank page with lines to do my morning reflection journaling. One tablet page is usually enough to write down all thoughts coming to my mind on that particular day. I often add pictures from my phone, stickers, emojis or other icons to the pages as a way to express myself beyond the words.

• Weekly eating habits tracking: Since I started adapting a majorly plant-based diet, I have been keeping track of my food intake. This is for two reasons: have an overview of the macronutrients intake throughout the week and track the number of plant based products I eat (weekly goal is 30 different plant based foods). I found a good template for this and have been using it for a while now.

• Weekly affirmation: I would set a weekly affirmation for myself and make notes throughout the week how I managed to fulfill this affirmation. On my Instagram page, I share a weekly affirmation for introverts every Sunday.

• Daily gratitude and successes: I make sure to write down each day at least one thing I am grateful for and one thing that went well during the day. This helps to reassure me and build my self-awareness and self-confidence.

• Monthly goals and reflections: I found a notebook template that guides me through a monthly goal setting for various areas of my life and as the month is coming to an end, there is a page to reflect.

• Annual calendar: I made use of a template to add important dates in my overview for the year, such as birthdays, travels, self-care days, happy moments and other notable days. I also keep track of the books I read throughout the year here.

Overall, I am enjoying Zinnia very much. It allowed me to bring back journaling to my life and helps to do it in a creative and guided way (when needed). It has many great functionalities and only a few limitations (the biggest being the sole availability on IOS). If you are looking for a sustainable and carry-on way of journaling, I recommend trying it out.