I am a strong advocate for journalling as it has helped me to learn about myself and better understand my responses and at times reactions to the outside world. Not to mention it saved a few relationships. One of the greatest benefits of journalling is its ability to provide a non-judgemental and neutral space to vent. Its also a safe place to talk things through and make sense of situations and events. Most importantly it’s a tool for reflection. The act of writing engages a different part of our brains and more of our heart. Lastly, if you make journalling part of a daily ritual, you get to witness the devolution of stored negative energy, creating space for more of what you want in your life.

I start by providing examples of the most common places people struggle when they think about or have tried journalling. You will also find suggestions and ideas to get past these stopping places and opportunities to explore for yourself where you might be blocked. I close off with questions I use as prompts when I get stuck or when I am avoiding a topic!

I’ve heard it before, “I look at a journal and my mind goes blank.” I don’t recall if I ever had that experience when it comes to journalling, but I do share this exact sentiment when I write major reports that I know will be published. I associate this blank state of mind to fear. Fear that I am not good enough, I don’t know what to say or how to say it in the right way. I want my work to be perfect and that means I already have unrealistic expectations. If you are one of the people who goes blank when you look or open a journal, you may want to check in on your expectations and ask yourself the following questions:

• Is there a right way to journal?

• Should the writing be pretty? Do you like your hand writing?

• Do you want your journals to be read by others after you pass? Are they your golden legacy?

• Are you a perfectionist? What does a perfect journal look like?

• Are you staying away from journalling because it might provide evidence you don’t write well?

• Do you have expectations about the process? About journalling?

I’ve learned to say who cares when it comes to my journals. They are private and one day I will burn all of them. My expectations of journalling have changed, I have more fun, and the bonus is, I know they are a powerful tool.

Another reason people enter the blank state is an experience where journals have been violated. I came up against this fear when it came to choosing where to store my journals. My first journal as a teenager was taken and read by one of my siblings, and then used for blackmail. I did a whole lot of extra chores! It was a short journey into the perils of journal writing and what I thought was a safe place to share my true feelings. Sometimes we need to stretch our comfort zone to butt up against old beliefs that get in our way of doing what we want. After I started journalling again, I realized my fears were unwarranted You may have to dig a bit to figure out what the fears are about. Try writing out your thoughts about all the things that scare you. What are you most afraid of? When I started journalling, I was most afraid of my own truths and what would come out in my journals.

I was introduced to journalling in 1994 when I participated in a book club for Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way. If you are at all interested in journalling, Cameron creates a structure over a thirteen week period with different topics every week and a daily journalling activity called morning pages. Starting with a structure supports building a habit. Doing it with others creates an accountability mechanism. Thirteen weeks feels too long. I suggest The Listening Path: The Creative Art of Attention by Julia Cameron. It introduces the same activities over a six week commitment focused on attention. I recently completed this one with my accountability partner, adapted to extend over twelve weeks. I used this latest process to dismantle all the ways in which I had changed the morning page activity and reverted to its original intent. After more than three decades of journalling, it was a period of unlearning that opened a floodgate of rich insights.

My daily journal entry often consists of events from the day before, sometimes my to do list creeps in there, I express gratitude, and select a card from one of my spiritual decks. I consider it my energy or message of the day. A journal is messy, chaotic, has no order, right or wrong way, and preferably is hand written. I know the activity is working for me when I write: I am all over the place. Morning pages are labeled as such because it is best to get your journal entry completed in the first 45 minutes of the day. It takes 45 minutes for your logic mind to turn on. I suggest you purchase a smaller journal to start until you find you fill more than three pages regularly.

I also learned a lot about writing from Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones book. I love Natalie’s humour and the book is loaded with tiny chapters that address all kinds of writer’s blocks. For all perfectionists, turning off the editor is a BIG challenge, and Goldberg provides valuable insight and exercises. My ability to turn off my editor has served me well. When I found these books, I had unrealistic ideals that my journals might someday miraculously become books and my words would enlighten the world. NOT! I wanted to learn to write for the fun of it and for the value it provides as a processing tool. I use five different pen colours and continuously rotate through them. I also time myself now to ensure I finish in that first 45 minutes. I can easily journal away half my day!

I mentioned in my intro that journalling can provide a non-judgemental and safe space to vent and make sense of situations, events, and experiences. I know some of you probably said easy for you to say. Much of the work behind journalling is about unlearning everything you think you know about journalling. To create a safe and non-judgemental space, what do you need to let go of? How do you turn off your judgement, criticism, and diminishing self-talk? The only person who can do that is you.

When I get stuck or know I am avoiding something, I use a variety of these prompts:

• What do I need to celebrate?

• What do I need to learn?

• What am I dreaming about right now?

• What do I want most in my life?

• What am I pretending not to know?

• What am I resisting?

I hold the vision you find your way to a journalling practice that works for you. I’ve grown in my compassion as I notice I am now less rigid in my routines and practices. There have been years where I did not journal for months. Enjoy and have fun!

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at lucie@life-changesconsulting.com