“When you journal, you'll often find that you’ll feel a great sense of relief when you release your feelings and come to term with them”
1. CREATE A SACRED PLACE
Find a place that is quiet, inviting, and relaxing. You’re much more likely to get in “the zone” in a sacred area rather than in a noisy, cluttered, and stressful place. If your living room is poorly lit and you can hear the neighbour’s TV, go to another room. If your bedroom is the perfect place but it’s cluttered, make it inviting by cleaning it up. Here are some other fun ideas to creating your sacred place.
Remember journaling is your “me time” so treat it like it. This is your time to uncover and express your innermost thoughts. Once you find your sacred place, you can choose to play soft music, diffuse essential oils, turn on your salt lamp – do whatever you need to do to make it an enjoyable, relaxing activity that you look forward to.
2. FIND YOUR JOURNALING STYLE
Some people like using writing prompts, others like to free-write. Some people like writing paragraphs, some like writing lists. Some people like to write for hours, others only for 5 minutes. There are so many different ways to journal and the best part is that there are no rules.
To find what journaling style works best for you, you’ll have to experiment a little bit. If you’re just starting out, I always recommend starting with a guided journal with writing prompts. Pick one that stands out to you. I alternate as well, I go from journal prompts to free writing. Depends on my mood.
3. TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF
Let go of the assumptions and expectations you have towards journaling. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to journal. You don’t need to be a good writer, journal every day, or write for hours. Will your journal be messy? Yes. Will it make sense? Maybe. Forget about complete sentences, grammar, and punctuation rules. Remember your journal is for your eyes only.
Honestly, my handwriting in my journal looks like... a child's work. I’m not worried about it looking pretty, I just want to capture my thoughts as quickly as they flow. When I start to overthink it, I remind myself that it’s only a tool to help me reflect on my days on a deeper level and that I have the freedom to make it as simple as I want.
4. BE REAL WITH YOURSELF AND DON’T CENSOR
When you journal it feels therapeutic because it helps you digest and let go of the thoughts and emotions that you experience every day. If you censor yourself, you’re not letting yourself get the most out of it. The best thing you can do to start journaling is to write whatever comes to mind. Turn inwards and reflect on what’s really going on inside. When we feel self-conscious or critical of ourselves, we tend to shy away from those thoughts instead of running towards them.
No matter if you think your thoughts are embarrassing, disappointing, or shameful – let your words flow without second-guessing yourself. Greet your thoughts with compassion and understanding so you can become more in tune with yourself. You’ll often find that you’ll feel a great sense of relief when you release those feelings and come to term with them.
5. LOOK FOR REVELATIONS
Journaling brings us clarity and often helps us discover what we want more and less of in our lives. As I mentioned in this post, I often come out of journaling and find that I have an answer to how I want to move forward with my emotions. I find myself writing and I suddenly have a moment when I think, “Wow, that makes so much more sense.”
Maybe you figured out that your social anxiety comes from childhood experiences that you had forgotten about and now you know how you can better navigate those emotions when they arise.
Or maybe you realised that waking up earlier in mornings definitely has an impact on how you feel throughout the day and you want to start doing it more. Whether it’s big or small, writing out your thoughts brings you the clarity you need to make sense of who you are and who you want to be.
Go with the flow. Pay attention to the revelations when available, but remember that not every session will bring clarity. If you let it, journaling helps you gain a different perspective on life, the past, and your emotions.
6. BRING YOURSELF BACK TO YOUR WHY & ADJUST
Writing your thoughts out is meant to be a fun, stress-relief activity. If you start to find journaling annoying, frustrating, or useless, it’s time to go back to your why.
Why did you start journaling in the first place? How did you want to feel? Less stressed? Happier? More connected with yourself? Focus your energy on the good, the why, and the purpose.
If you’re still struggling, take a break from journaling and think about why you’re finding it difficult and unpleasant. Is it taking up too much time? Are you finding it hard to come up with something to write?
Reflect on what is causing the negative feelings and then make adjustments. Go back to #3 and take the pressure off yourself. Remind yourself that you can write for 5 minutes if you wish or that you can buy a guided journal with writing prompts to help you get the words flowing.
Make the adjustments necessary to bring yourself back to the joy of why you started journaling in the first place.
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