Sometimes words aren’t enough. Your head feels full, yet you don’t want to explain everything. Still, there’s a need for clarity, perspective and a sense of control. In moments like these, colour can be surprisingly effective. Journaling with colour isn’t about creating beautiful pages or having artistic talent. It’s about making space for what you think and feel. Colour reaches a layer that goes deeper than language. It helps you recognise emotions, notice patterns and respond more intuitively. All you need is a pencil or a marker.
Why use colour in your journal
Colour is a form of language your body often understands more easily than words. Every colour evokes something: a mood, a memory, a reaction. Red feels different from blue. Yellow has a different effect from green. Without overthinking, you usually know which colour fits your mood on a particular day. By adding colour to your writing, you create more depth. Your journal becomes not only a place for reflection, but also a visual overview of your inner world.
Combining colour and journaling
There are many ways to use colour consciously while journaling and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Below are a few practical ideas.
1. A colour check-in at the start of the day
Before you begin writing, ask yourself: which colour fits today? Choose one intuitively from your pens, pencils or markers. Put it on paper as a blot, line or shape (whatever feels right). Then write: what does this colour evoke? What does it say about my mood, energy or needs right now? This exercise helps you check in with yourself without analysing too much.
2. Working with colour themes
Colours can be linked to recurring themes in your life. For example:
Red: drive, boundaries, vitality
Orange: creativity, joy, inner child
Yellow: visibility, self-confidence, lightness
Green: calm, care, harmony
Blue: communication, stillness, depth
Purple: change, intuition, letting go
You might choose to always write about certain themes in the same colour. Over time, patterns begin to emerge. Perhaps you use blue often or yellow gradually takes up more space. That can reveal where your attention is going.
3. Colour as a mirror
On days when writing feels difficult, colour can help things flow again. A simple exercise: choose a colour without thinking. Write down three words that come to mind straight away. Then continue writing about what that colour represents for you in that moment. This often leads to insights you couldn’t have planned in advance.
4. Colour as an anchor for intentions
Colour can also strengthen an intention. For example:
- “I choose calm” written in light blue
- “I take my place” in strong red
- “I trust my path” in deep purple
The combination of colour and words reinforces the message. You might write the intention daily in the same colour or place it somewhere visible as a reminder.
A personal colour guide
Colours often have general meanings, but they don’t work the same way for everyone. It’s valuable to keep track of your own associations. Note what a colour means to you, how it feels and what it brings up. This gives your use of colour more depth and personal relevance.
Creative exercise: your week in colour
A playful way to gain insight into your mood, focus and needs over the course of a week.
What you need:
- A journal or sheet of paper
- Seven coloured pens, pencils or markers
- About fifteen minutes a day
How it works:
- At the start of the week, draw a rectangle divided into seven sections: one for each day.
- Each day, colour in one section with the colour that best represents your day. Writing isn’t necessary; a blot, line or shape is enough.
- After seven days, look back. Which colours appear most? Which days felt light or heavy? Do you notice transitions or patterns? Does a particular colour stand out?
Extension
If you feel like it, write a few sentences about the dominant colour of the week. What does it say about how you felt or what you needed? This exercise helps you pause and check in with yourself, without judgement. The colours make visible what you may not yet have been able to put into words. Colour helps you slow down and reconnect with yourself, without needing to explain everything. There are no rules. No right or wrong. Just attention expressed through lines, shapes and shades. Let colour be your language: grounded, creative and personal.