How to Search Your Journal by Keyword or Tag

Who this is for: Users who have accumulated enough journal entries to want to find specific ones — by theme, situation, or tag — rather than scrolling through the full list.

Nolan is a licensed social worker who journals regularly about vicarious trauma, client sessions, and professional self-doubt. After several months of entries, he uses search to find previous compassionate responses he's written in similar moments — as a reminder that he's been here before and found his way through.

Steps

1. Open the app and navigate to the Journal tab. Your full entry list is visible in reverse chronological order.

2. Locate the search field. At the top of the journal list, there is a search field. Tap it to activate the keyboard and start typing.

3. Search by keyword. Type a word or phrase that appears in the self-critical thought, the compassionate response, or any guided prompt answer. For example, typing "client" will surface entries where you wrote about clients, client sessions, or client-related situations. Results appear as you type.

4. Alternatively, search by tag. If you tagged your entries consistently (e.g., "vicarious-trauma," "work," "self-doubt"), you can type the tag name directly into the search field. Tagged entries will surface even if the keyword doesn't appear in the entry text itself.

5. Review the filtered results. The journal list updates to show only entries that match your search. Each result shows the entry preview, date, and tags. Scroll to browse matching entries.

6. Tap an entry to read it in full. Open any result to read the complete journal entry: the original self-critical thought, your compassionate response, the guided prompt answers (if used), the emotional intensity rating, and tags.

7. Clear the search to return to full list. Tap the X in the search field or clear the text to return to your complete journal history.

Expected Outcome

The journal search returns entries matching your keyword or tag. You can find previous responses to recurring themes without scrolling through hundreds of entries. The filtered list is accurate and responsive.

Notes

• Search is local. Journal search runs on your device — it's fast and does not require an internet connection.
• Tags are worth the effort. If you've been adding tags consistently, search by tag is the most powerful way to group related entries. Nolan tags entries "vicarious-trauma" and "client-session" — searching either term surfaces a focused set of relevant entries.
• Keyword search is fuzzy. The search matches partial words and common variations. Searching "self-crit" will match "self-critical" and "self-criticism."
• Plus subscribers: Search works across all synced entries, including those written on other devices. The full journal history is searchable regardless of where entries were created.
• Building a pattern view. Searching for a recurring theme over time and reading the emotional intensity ratings of each matching entry can surface patterns that the Progress tab's numerical charts don't show — the specific situations that trigger your inner critic most consistently.