Want to Clear Your Head? Start a Journal
When I was a girl, I tried to keep a diary. Later, when my boys were born, I tried documenting their early years, and mine as a new mother. But, then, I lost interest, or got too busy or just gave up. Committing to a daily session with my journal or diary seemed like such an insurmountable task when the boys were running me ragged.
Then, a couple of years ago, while I was at an annual girl’s craft retreat, the hostess (Tina) tuned me into journaling. She had several journals she was keeping and it intrigued me that she would have more than one, and that they would each have their own purpose. I asked her about it and then I decided to give it a try. Again.
Write, but don’t filter.
My conversation with Tina yielded one very important tip for journaling. Just write. Don’t filter, don’t think too hard, just write whatever comes to mind. Maybe it’s your grocery list, ideas for a vacation, a list of tasks you want to accomplish this week, a rant over something you heard or saw that annoyed you. If it’s in your head, get it out and on the paper. Trust me, you will feel SO MUCH BETTER once you do.
Persistence pays.
Armed with a fresh journal and a favorite pen, I discovered right away that when I opened my journal right away in the morning and just wrote whatever came to mind, my head was so much clearer as I started my work day. On those days when I got up later than planned and didn’t have that time to purge my thoughts, I just wasn’t as focused. This is what fueled my tenacity and determination to make the time each day to write. I can’t claim that anything I wrote was earth shattering or even made sense, but it was definitely worth the time it took to write a page or two just to get it out of my head. I also can’t claim I wrote EVERY single day, but I did write most days and I’ve accumulated quite a stack of journals since then.
Let it go.
A friend asked me once what I planned to do with all of them and when I told her I had no real intention of keeping them, she was surprised. “Why would you take all that time writing and not plan on going back to read it all later?” The thing is, I really don’t need to go back and read them. The bulk of what I wrote was just a lot of extra stuff cluttering my mind and why would I want to invite all of that back in? I certainly don’t want to go back and read all my rants about things that annoyed me, and everything that was truly important has been handled. So, I can just let it go.
Ready to give it a try?
Grab a fresh journal or even a simple notebook and your favorite pen and just start writing. If you aren’t a morning writer, no worries. You can write anytime really. Make it part of your lunchtime break. It’s a great way to get your eyes off the screen if you sit in front of a computer all day and gives you a great reason to step away. Settle into a patch of grass in your garden or on your patio, or curl up in your favorite chair. Maybe evenings are better. If so, find a quiet and comfortable spot, put on your jammies and relax with your thoughts. Wherever or whenever you choose to write, I promise if you give it a try, you won’t be sorry. Let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear from you.
