Can We all Just Journal Already? From Daily Writing to HEALing
From my own life experience, I can say that to journal daily (okay, near daily) is to live, grow, and learn how to love. To not journal, on the other hand, is to avoid and hide from my inner truth, which only promotes suffering, dirty pain.
A lighter version of that is this quote that my wise-ass self put in the front of one of my journals last year:
If you want growth, journal every day.
If you want to live in groundhog day, don’t.
I don’t know about you, but I HATE groundhog day so no thanks. I’m done with that vicious cycle of drama and stuckness. So I have to give so much credit to journaling as my path to get out of groundhog’s day.
I recommend writing to my students, coaching clients, and friends all the time. It’s my go to in each new conversation – Do you write? NO? Start. Now. This is for you that’s reading this, too. To inspire or encourage or give you steps or whatever you need to start writing.
The picture shows my journals for this year. 1,494 handwritten pages total across all these. That’s a lot of words but not really when you think it’s about 4 pages averaged per day. Easy, right?
Two years ago I started a specific, but simple process of journaling. Prior to that, I played with journaling but nothing serious, nothing regular, nothing reflective.
These last two points are the game changers.
Fun FACT: I keep each year in the same color and I aligned them with chakra meaning to connect thoughts to body (I’m working out of disassociation patterns of mine so every bit helps reconnect).
· 2018’s were green for the heart, because I had a lot of heartache and had built walls around my heart that needed my attention.
· 2019’s are blue, as you can see, for the throat – for clarity of VOICE. This was the year I heard and gave voice to my heart’s needs. This was the year I spoke out my TRUTH.
· 2020’s color? The world feels so expansive right now. I’m going with red for root – it’s the year to root down and grow out in my intensity of love for life. It’s the year I LIVE my truth! And it’s gonna be audacious, people!
But back to the writing…
Journal Process:
· Get a journal. I love this brand because it includes page numbers and a blank front index.
· Get pen. I love my pen - it’s a fountain pen and is smooth, rich, and luxurious. Yes, I know it’s a pen, but still. If you write everyday, indulge yourself.
· Find space in your day. 10-30 minutes.
· Put pen to paper. Don’t overthink. And let it go.
I free write every day, I aim for the morning after sleep where my brain resets sometimes. In my journaling: it’s all the to-do’s on my mind, it’s my dreams that I remember, it’s my frustrations, it’s my wise-ass thoughts like above.
Most importantly it’s my place to REST.
On the page, I leave all my stuff and then I can go on with my work.
This process was validated for me with The Artist’s Way’s concept of Morning Pages, where first thing upon waking up, you free write (no prompts) for 3 pages every day. That’s it.
When the journal is full, then the F-U-N begins. I know I will need a couple days with some good chunks of uninterrupted time, so schedule appropriately.
Reflection Process:
· Start reading from the beginning.
· Think about what each entry is about. What are the topics? Eventually, what are the patterns? What were the main feelings? Who was involved? What did it mean to you?
· Summarize it with a word or phase. Put those in the index. Be as detailed or broad as fits your style. The more you practice this, the easier it gets.
· Add page numbers to existing indexed items as it comes up again.
· Highlight, underline, add side notes to anything that resonates newly or loudly to you.
Since each journal spans about 2.5 months, I find that I am often working through specific topics and issues in a time period. Most of my journal indexes are not ALL over the place but concentrate in on what mattered most to me during that time. The index was intimidating at first, I’ll admit, even for a qualitative researcher like myself. Indexing matters because it is a written trail of reflection. When I see my patterns of stuckness written down, I want out of them. It prompts change and holds me accountable.
Why does this matter?
Three powerful words:
TRUTH
CHANGE
SPACIOUSNESS
To learn and know our inner landscape – our truth – is life giving because it is self-love. Without knowing our truth, we can’t make daily decisions in the moment in that truth. When we LIVE our truth, we shape our unknown/not-in-existence-yet future into what we want most rather than what we fear.
To use that awareness to change our behaviors and thoughts, rather than continuing to create more harm to ours and other’s well-being and happiness.
Spaciousness. It’s the sweet, slow, intentional exhale of peace and joy that starts deep within and radiates out to others. It comes from clearing out and letting go of all the shit that obscures truth and prevents desired change.
It matters because I believe our life’s work is to do OUR inner work. To heal ourselves. No one else can. That’s not their job. It’s ours and ours alone. And it has been the best, hardest, and most rewarding work I’ve ever done in my life thus far and has reverberated to everything else I do and everyone I know.
Be well and write often...
