How to Create a Music Journal for Deep Self-Reflection

Unlock Your Emotions and Discover Patterns with Music Journaling

25 August 2024

Have you ever listened to a song and felt an unexpected wave of emotion?

Music has a way of bringing out feelings we didn’t even realize we had. As a quiet, introverted soul, you might already feel deeply connected to music—but what if you could use it intentionally to understand yourself better?

That’s where a Music Journal comes in. It’s more than just writing down songs—it’s a tool to help you reflect, grow, and find meaning through music.

Want to ease into journaling with music? Grab A Quiet Jam, my free mini guide with 3 prompts and a gentle voice note. 👉 Yes, I’d love the guide

What is a Music Emotion Journal?

A music journal is a place where you capture your thoughts, feelings, and experiences that relate to the music you listen to.
It is an amazing way to reflect on what type of music influences your emotions and, hence your overall well-being.
Keeping such a journal is a unique way to uncover not only patterns in your listening habits,
but also gain insight into your emotional landscape as well as what experiences in life impact you and how.

Why a Music Journal?

Keeping a music journal is not just about jotting down what you are listening to with a vague ‘why’. It is:

A unique and safe way to capture your emotions that come up at specific moments or phases in your life; and
Allows you to reflect on them now and later.

Using such a journal is a game-changer for self-reflection, spotting patterns, and learning more about how you tick.

From my own experience, keeping a music journal has deepened my understanding of myself and how I show up in the world.

Since my teenage years, music has been my anchor that helped me untangle my emotions and help me navigate the world by making sense of myself first.

Writing down regularly to music or based on songs I have playing on repeat, I was (and still am!) able to see patterns and learn so much about myself in the process.

Why keep a Music Journal?

Enhance Emotional Awareness and Emotional Release

By capturing the feelings that music evokes in you:

You become more attuned to yourself;
You might discover that certain songs or artists bring out certain emotions in you, or
That situations or events in your life make you listen to specific songs or genres.

Track Mood Changes

As you journal, you’ll start noticing patterns in how music affects your mood. Certain songs might:

Help you relax during stressful times
Energize you when you’re feeling low
Bring up strong emotions tied to past experience

It really allows you to get to know yourself better and can provide greater insights, too!

Curate Personalised Playlists

The more you identify how you react and feel, and why you listen to specific songs or genres, the more you can:

Become clear in how you can use it to your advantage by setting up personalised playlists.
Use them to help you relax, destress, or pump you up.

Foster Creativity

Diving into why you listen to music can spark creativity and bring new insights and ideas. It can inspire you to become more creative and try out other things, such as painting, making your own music, or dancing more.

How to Start Your Music Journal

Choose your format

Don’t worry, you don’t need anything fancy. A simple notebook or a digital spreadsheet will do the trick. Some apps out there that are designed for journaling or music tracking can possibly be adjusted to fit for this purpose, too.

Create a template

To make your journaling easier, more fun, and more consistent, consider creating a template that includes the following sections:

Date: When did you listen to the song?
Song/Artist/Album: What did you listen to?
Emotional Response: How did the music make you feel? (e.g., happy, nostalgic, energised, calm)
Context: What were you doing while listening (e.g., working, relaxing, exercising)? Or what event took place to make you listen to this song?
Reflections: Any additional thoughts or insights about the music or your feelings. Anything that you feel is important, there is no right or wrong.

Bonus Tips

I know you’re busy, and keeping up with this consistently might be tough. Here are some tips to make it easier:

Be real: Write down whatever you feel; no filters are needed.
Short and sweet: Your entries don’t have to be long, a few sentences will do. Sometimes even a word or two.
Set reminders: A gentle nudge on your phone can remind you to make an entry. You can only do it if and when you are called to do so, or set regular time aside.
Reflect When You Can: Try to look back at your entries whenever you have a moment. It doesn’t have to be daily or even weekly, whenever you can.

A couple of songs to get you started

To help you kickstart your music journal journey, I have two song suggestions for you.

“Fix You” by Coldplay is a heartfelt song that resonates with themes of support and healing, perfect for deeper emotional journaling.
“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman is a storytelling classic that explores dreams and aspirations, prompting introspection.

Both songs will evoke some kind of emotion in you and hopefully help you fill in the first couple of rows (if you are using Excel) or pages of your journal.

Wrapping Up

Starting a music journal is a fun and insightful way to connect with your emotions and grow personally. As a busy, introverted music lover, this practice can really help you understand your emotional landscape and handle the daily grind better. So, why not give it a try? Grab that notebook or set up your spreadsheet and start your music journaling journey today!

Ready to Dive Deeper?

Download A Quiet Jam — my free mini journaling guide with 3 soulful prompts + a gentle voice note from me.

It’s a soft starting point to explore music and your emotions with more intention.

Yes, I’d love the free guide

P.S. Once you’ve tried it, I’d love to hear what song brought up the most for you. Let’s connect on IG or FB @livingonthebside