Sometimes I have thoughts that swirl and swirl and swirl in my mind to the point of distraction. I need to get out so that I can process them, let go of them and rest or think clearly. And sometimes I have moments of inspiration with the most amazing creatives gems coming to me that I simply need to capture.
I recall when my first mentor / grief counsellor taught me about journalling. It began as a simple practice. Write a word or phrase. No pressure to write anything more. Gradually it grew to a sentence, then a paragraph, page, multiple pages. And sometimes I literally wrote the word f#ck and lots of variations of it on one or two pages and nothing more.
The practice of getting what is swirling around in my head out on paper is such a powerful cathartic practice. Being given permission for it not to look like anything in particular was so important to the process for me. To this day I give myself permission to write as much or as little as feels good…and ‘yell' obscenities into my journal at times too
These days I like to play with my thinking, my thoughts, my ideas and one of my favourite questions I like to ask myself is ‘what is that really about?’ I love responding the journaling prompts I’ve received from others or created for myself. And I love simply working through my thoughts when I notice myself going around in circles with something.
Journaling is a truly powerful and supportive practice however often there is a lot of pressure around it. Writing morning pages, how much you write, what you write about, what time of day you write. My alarm goes off at 4:30 a few mornings a week for work and I’ll be honest, there is no chance I’m getting up earlier to journal so I give myself permission to journal what works for me, when feels good.
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