No rules
There are really no rules to journaling.
It is not the same as keeping a diary, or log of events.
I like to ask a question, then explore
my thoughts around the answer. I let my mind “wander” on paper. I am always surprised at what comes up.
There is also a “stream of consciousness”
journaling, where you simply write down random thoughts (that don’t necessarily have a question) and keep writing to
see where they go. Whatever is in your mind is fair game…your feelings, thoughts, projects, lists, frustrations, dreams,
goals, fleeting fancies.
Try different approaches
Some of the things you can do in a journal
are:
- Write down a prayer. Ask for specific inner help. Date it. (You’ll be amazed at how fast this prayer is answered!)
- List all the bad things that are happening at once. Then list the good things that exist right now at this very moment.
That helps you to stay grounded.
- Describe the environment you wish you had.
- List the qualities you want in another person for a relationship. Then keep track of how you can embody those qualities.
- Write down a problem, then make lists of solutions. Let the solutions get wild and off the wall. Don’t judge
them while you are making them up.
- Write about a relationship that is making you angry. Then identify the person in your past that the present person
reminds you of. What insights does that give you for resolving the conflict?
- Scribble with strong emotion if you want. Paste in pictures. Use colored markers.
Let go...scribble if you feel like it
One of my most treasured journals is from the healing process when I had bulimia 25 years ago. I made an agreement
with myself to journal while I ate. The journaling process helped me to experience and acknowledge my pain instead of going
unconscious when eating. The journal is in large, scribbles with spooky pictures pasted in reflecting how I felt. That journal
represents a major healing in my life, and the act of taking control. It documents my desicion to be powerful instead of powerless.
Great journaling questions
and techniques
One of the personal/spiritual growth
books that I especially enjoy is “Barefoot on Holy Ground: Twelve Lessons in Spiritual Craftmanship” by Gloria
Karpinski. The book is includes spiritual principals, life experiences around those principals, and journaling questions.
To learn more or to order it, click here.
Another great book for journaling is The
Artists Way, by Julie Cameron. When I wrote “The Womanly Art of Alligator Wrestling,” I would journal “morning
pages” as described in The Artists Way on the days I didn’t work in my book. To learn more or to order it, click
here.
Still another inspiration for me are books
by Sark. Her book,
“Succulent Wild Woman,” given to me on my 50th birthday, was the inspiration to write my own book.
Sark’s books are like “juicy, intimate” journals written to you, the reader, with
lots and lots of recommended reading. Sark is fun. To learn more or to order, click here.
