Journaling as a life tool
All my life I wanted to keep a journal…. I saw some of my friends do it, I would see it in movies and TV and it just looked and sounded so cool to be able to have a record of your life! I got journals for Christmas for several years but they always just sat there. I tried several times throughout the years, even as I got into my 20’s to journal consistently but I was never able to get more than a few days down on paper. It was something I really wanted to do but just couldn’t get myself DOING IT!!
Until I started seeing journaling as a way to handle and process my feelings. It became a way to get all that was swirling around in my head, out of my brain and onto something I could see and feel. I didn’t worry about how it looked, if it was legible or if it made sense. I just used it to get all my feelings out – to word vomit all the feels – happy, sad, angry, frustrated, depressed – it all went onto paper. In the beginning I would set a timer for 5 minutes and just write. The life coaching program I was in (Self Coaching Scholars) called it a thought download and I loved that analogy. Sometimes I would write for longer than 5 minutes and sometimes I struggled to make it to the 5 minutes. But I would come back to it almost everyday and it became a kind of therapy. Just allowing everything to get out of the chaotic mess of my brain was so therapeutic.
Here are some tips that helped me pick up a journaling:
Pick out something you enjoy looking at and feeling: Try to find a pattern you love or a pen/pencil you like the feel of writing with. If you prefer using a computer/tablet try to start with pen and paper until you have the habit down. There is just something about having the tangible journal in your hand that can’t be replicated with typing. I always picked a color or pattern that I thought was pretty and pencils that had soft lead that made writing easy.
Put journaling with another habit that you already have in place: This is called habit stacking. I read about it in a book called Atomic Habits by James Clear. You put something you are trying to do with something you already do easily – like brushing your teeth or reading before bed. I put journaling with my morning meditation which I already did five days a week. I started out with it at bedtime before I would go to sleep but I couldn’t make it stick. There were so many times I would either forget or be too tired. Moving it to the morning, after my already established habit made it much easier to do.
Don’t try to make it pretty: Just write. It doesn’t have to make sense or be legible. It doesn’t have to have a plot or be a recap of your day or week. No one has to know what it says except you – no one has to read it or interpret it. It is just a way to get the chaos of your mind out of your brain and onto paper.
Set a timer: Start with 5 minutes and work your way up to more, if you want. I still usually only write for about 5 to 10 minutes. If you have a hard time thinking of what to write, thats okay! Stick with it and as time goes on it will get easier.
Pick a topic: Sometimes you will have a hard time figuring out what to write. Pick a topic that has been on your mind and just let loose! When I pick a topic sometimes I let it marinate for a couple of entries to really get it all out.
Use your entries to examine your mind: Use your journaling as a way to vent and release as much negative as you can. Then, go through your entry and find which thoughts aren’t serving you. You can circle those thoughts, cross them out or put a big red X through them. Eventually you can use this exercise to try to change your thoughts, but that is another topic for another time!
Make decisions: Sometimes you get stuck and can’t decide on something – use journaling as a way to get all your thoughts about the decision out for you to see and examine. Make lists, write a letter or just let your mind release all your fears and doubts about that decision.
Be creative: This can be a time to let your creative juices flow! I’ve done a couple of drawing exercises in my journal that I thought weren’t going to be helpful or were going to be silly, but they ended up being so fun and such a great and different way to let your feelings out.
There are no rules: Journaling can be whatever you need it to be! I use it to release negative emotions, help to make decisions, set goals and plan for my future. I do entries that are just crazy, illegible word vomit, letters to my future self, schedules for busy weeks coming up, and putting my goals out on paper for me to see and examine. I write about times lines and frustrations, fears and worries. I express whatever is in my head that I need to get out and see with my eyes to be able to make sense of it!!
I hope this has helped you in starting a journaling practice and sent some motivation your way! This has been one of my favorite tools in managing my feelings and managing my life! Happy journaling!!