Journaling is no longer a magical or mystical activity of the spiritually awakened. Over the past decade, it has become a popular method of self-discovery, that even psychologists and life coaches are recommending it to their clients.
But all of us who are passionate about journaling and have been journaling for years, we have all gone through the same initial phase: the fear of a blank page.
I'm sure this sounds familiar: you googled journaling for beginners, you read dozens of blog posts on journaling, you gathered dozens of journaling prompts, you pinned dozens of journaling-related pins on Pinterest and felt very excited about your self-discovery through journaling.
... and you opened your notebook (either physical or digital) ...
... and you had all your journaling prompts in front of you ...
... but you kept staring at a blank page, unable to write a single line ...
... so you closed the journal, totally discouraged.
You concluded that journaling was not meant for you.
But what I didn't know, and what I learned many years later, not knowing what to write or where to begin, was neither resistance nor an inability, it was a lack of guidance and structure.
However, having a list of prompts in front of me was not guidance, it was a visual clutter.
Then I discovered the other school of thought, the so called “Just write whatever comes up” club. At first, it may appear like you are no longer controlled by the journaling prompts or you are not forced to answer someone else's questions. Then you scribble a line or two, totally out of any context, but then the question comes up "What does this even mean?". So you close your notebook again.
“Just write whatever comes up” doesn’t work for everyone and a blank page may feel overwhelming, even unsafe for some. Like gazing into the void.
Self-discovery and self-exploration cannot be done when there is too much freedom and that's why journaling often fails. In order to discover and explore something, especially one's own behavioral patterns, one still needs some sort of tools. Archeologists do not venture into the ruins equipped only with their bare hands and a good will. They Isolate the excavation area, set up boundary markers and guarding rails, they put their white gloves on, draw their little brushes out and slowly, patiently begin their exploration. Sometimes they just discover bones, other times they discover shiny, precious items. And all of that happens within a safe space.
Journaling is exactly like archeology.
Journaling still does require a solid framework and a structure, however not a type of structure that's controlling but a type of structure that provides safety. A safe structure for exploration and bringing into the light all of the suppressed thoughts and emotions.
Start with three calm and gentle steps, with no pressure to sound either profound or poetic:
1. Check-in (Where am I at this exact point in time?)
2. Safety net (What feels safe for me to explore at this point in time? Name one thing.)
3. Closure (How do I exit without feeling discouraged or restless?)
It's alike a 3-step reflection loop: you acknowledge your place in time, you uncover and examine one item, then you safely put it back and relax. Then you show up again after a while, uncover another item, and eventually, after many check-ins, you will discover many items and learn why they are all connected, and how they make patterns.
It's important to use the structure and framework that feels safe for you: it doesn't really matter whether your journal is a physical notebook or a digital space. The key is to show up, repeat those three steps, close the reflection loop safely and relax.
Remember, it's vital that the structure serves you, not the other way around.
Until next time, safe journaling.
Lena
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