The Thing That Gets in the Way of Journaling
Greg Morris, in a blog post on journaling entitled Noticing, Not Performing:
Many people struggle to journal because they sit down to write and they simply don’t know what to say. They stare at the blank page, waiting for something deep and meaningful to come to them. They want to write something that sounds like it belongs in a journal, something introspective and profound. When that doesn’t come easily, they stop.
Greg’s words resonated strongly with me because this is an issue I’ve run into time and time again with my own journaling. I’ve had so many starts and stops over the years, and I really think the key to my sticking with it this time (four years running!) was a conscious decision to just let my journal be whatever I need it to be on that particular day.
There are days when I sit down to write and feel like I’m doing some real processing – growing, even. I love that feeling. But there are other days when I simply recount the events of the day. And then there are days when I need to vent. My journal is there for me then, too. It’s whatever I need it to be for me because it’s just that: for me.
If I only wrote in my journal when I had a deep insight to record, I’d have fallen off the habit long ago. I’m grateful that journaling can be what I need it to be on any given day. If you’re thinking about giving journaling a try, I highly recommend it. Don’t overthink it; just sit down with a notebook, app, or whatever tool works for you and write what’s on your mind. It really is such a beneficial practice.
As Greg says later in the post, “Noticing your life doesn’t require depth. It requires attention.” If you’re willing to do it, paying that attention is well worth it.
