How to Begin Your Journaling Journey by Eldonna Bouton
(excerpted from: Write Away: A Journal Writing Tool Kit, (c) 1999 Whole Heart Publications) I believe journaling is a way to access your inner thoughts and to find answers to lingering problems in your life. Through journaling, your hand reaches into the depths of the self and allows for free expression. Try it. Ask yourself a question. Now put your pen to the paper and begin writing. It doesn't matter what comes out. Eventually the answer will appear. And, most likely, a whole lot more questions! Another way to approach a problem is to ask a question by writing it with your dominant hand and then answering with the other hand. Look at what you've written. Looks like a five-year old wrote it, doesn't it? Exactly. Guess who had the answer all along? Five-year-old you! Think about how often you have been asked how you were and you automatically responded with "Fine." How many times were you really not fine, or worse, couldn't really say how you were really feeling? In a world where people are so busy they take their cell-phones to the beach on their "vacations" and the laptop into the bathroom, journaling can be the perfect way to take inventory of yourself and your feelings, resolve conflicts, make decisions and bring clarity to your life as well as to record your personal spiritual journey. Unlike the diary of the past, where you dutifully recorded the events of the day, your journal's purpose is to capture emotions between each moment. 1. The Tools The absolute most important advice I was ever given was to let my writing materials choose me, rather than the other way around. I use a spiral notebook. Some people prefer legal pads or loose-leaf binders. When you shop for supplies, feel the paper and note whether it calls to you. Hold the pen or pencil in your hand. Sample both on in-store displays. 2. The Place Experiment. A table near a window with a view of the sky or trees may be what you need. Some people write in their laps, sitting in a comfortable chair. Others prefer a desk, especially if you use a computer and don't have a laptop. Finding a consistent time to write will aid you considerably. Creating a comfortable time will not only help you to write, but doing so consistently will make writing easier and more "productive." Don't let a lack of time get in the way of your writing practice. Get up a few minutes early. Stay up a few minutes later. Hide in the bathroom if you have to. But make writing a priority, a ritual, a practice of self-care and nurturing. 3. The Method First, kick the editor, the parent, the critic and the teacher out of the room. Then take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes. What images come to you? Write about them. What feelings are closest to the surface? Record them. Write quickly, honestly, deeply and without hesitation. Don't worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar or penmanship. Keep the doors open to intuition and creativity. If you get stuck, write the last word you wrote over and over until another comes to you. 4. The Content No one can tell you what to write. However, the easiest way to know is to ask yourself, "Why do I want to write? What do I want to learn? What problems or conflicts would I like to resolve? The answers may not all come to you right away, but unfold layer by layer as you delve into yourself through reflection and openness to insight. Do not expect the Big Epiphany to stampede across the page. Rather, allow the tiny "aha!'s" to lead you into one discovery after another. Let your journal take you by the hand and lead you down the path to better understanding of yourself through the written word. Be brave. Be Curious. Wonder on the page. Just write.
