Self

What’s the use in journaling is I don’t do it consistently? I don’t have time to journal. I don’t journal because I have no idea what to write about. I’m bored with my journaling … is this all there is to it?

As a Journaling Coach and 30-year veteran journaler, I hear these questions almost daily. If these comments sound like something you’d say, then, like many people, you may be laboring under one of these common misconceptions about journaling which prevent you from enjoying your writing fully:

Myth #1: I have to journal consistently to benefit from journaling.

What most people mean by this statement is that they believe they must journal daily to consider themselves a journaler at all. The problem with this notion is that it simply isn’t true. The fact is that many, perhaps even most journalers do not have time to journal daily. Keep in mind that there are no journaling police or laws about journaling, so the frequency with which you journal is entirely up to you. What frequency level best serves your needs?

Do experts have any recommendations as to how often to journal? Absolutely! Most suggest that journaling 2-3 times per week is optimal and certainly more than enough to boost self-awareness, reflection, and insight.

Myth #2: I have to journal for long periods at a sitting to get anything out of journaling.

Beginning journalers often mistakenly believe that journaling demands hours and hours of writing on any given day to benefit. Here again, experts suggest the opposite is true. Kathleen Adams, author of Journal to the Self recommends that journaling 15-20 minutes at a sitting is more than enough to produce stress reduction and insight. And best-selling author Julia Cameron designed her famous journaling exercise, Morning Pages, to last about 20 minutes in recognition of the value of short bursts of reflection woven into the fabric of your everyday life. The truth is that even 5 minutes of journaling, if done in a reflective way, can produce life-changing insights.

Myth #3: I have to know what to write about before I can benefit from journaling.

Most of students come to my journaling class believing that if the words don’t pour out of their pen and onto the page automatically, then something is wrong with them and they should not journal. Not at all! Rather, they, and you, may just need a little help when you write in the form of a journaling prompt.

A prompt is an exercise that jumpstarts writing by giving it focus and structure. The two most common types of prompts are free writing (writing about a particular subject or any series of subjects for any length of time) and timed writing (writing about a particular subject or any series of subjects for a set period of time). But prompts also come in a variety of additional types from dialogues and unsent letters to lists and sentence starters. The good news is that there are quite literally thousands of prompts available for free on the Internet and in journaling books.

Myth #4: Once I’ve written down my thoughts, I’ve journaled all there is to say.

Certainly journaling thoughts, beliefs, and opinions can be a powerful path to self-awareness. But most of us tend to over-identify with our thoughts to the degree that we forget that are more than the sum of all we think. You are more than a thinker of thoughts – you are also a feeler of feelings, and it is in helping you to explore the meaning and purpose of your emotions that journaling really shines.

There’s still more to journaling, though. You can also journal blessings, memories, dreams, goals, problems, ideas, brainstorms, and the myriad reactions to and reflections about all that you encounter in life. The bottom line is that if your journaling is stale, the problem lies in your habits and not in the tool itself.

Journaling is a powerfully therapeutic practice that can help you reduce stress, discover who you are, and tap the deep well of inner wisdom. By learning the truth about this reflective tool you, too, can overcome your misconceptions about journaling and begin or refresh a writing journey that will enrich your mind and heart throughout the rest of your life.

About the Author : Cheryl Lynch Simpson is a Journaling Coach and author of the Prompt-a-Day blog showcasing one free journaling prompt each day of the year. For free how-to audios on using the 8 most common prompt types, visit the Prompt-a-Day blog.