So you can enjoy your journalling journey without the pressure
Good morning everyone,
I hope you are all doing well and managing to stave off some of these nasty winter bugs that are going round. No such luck here but i’m hoping it all passes before the Christmas holidays! Today I wanted to share something important with you that came from a conversation I had with someone last week about journalling. I realised that there are a number of myths that people think about journalling which really can get in the way of having a positive relationship with your journal or even getting the ball rolling. So I wanted to share with you some of these misconceptions in the hope that it might just help you towards either starting your journalling journey, or enjoying it a bit more.
Myth #1: You Need to Write Every Day
Let’s start with this one – the notion that journalling requires a daily commitment. This is rubbish. Life is busy! It’s okay if your journal entries don’t follow a rigid schedule. The benefit lies in consistency over time, not necessarily daily consistency. So, let go of the guilt if your journalling isn’t a daily ritual. Or thinking that journalling is pointless if you don’t do it every day. Having it nearby to pick up when you want to or need to is the most important thing. I don’t journal every day. I journal when I need it.
Myth #2: You Always Need Something Profound to Write About
Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt the pressure to pen down profound thoughts every time you open your journal. 🙋‍♀️ Truth is, not every entry needs to be a literary masterpiece. Journalling is about capturing the everyday thoughts and feeling, the mundane, the ordinary. It’s in these moments that you often find the most profound insights about yourself.
Myth #3: Your Journal Must Be Neat and Organized
Mine is pretty messy to be honest! There’s no rule saying your entries must be neat or follow a specific structure. Embrace the messy, scribbled, and chaotic pages; they tell your story. Your journal is for you, not for anyone else’s critique, and especially not for your own negative critique.
Myth #4: Journalling is Only for Writers
You don’t need to be a wordsmith to journal. Your journal is your personal space; there are no grammar police lurking around (unless you yourself are one, and maybe you could try and let that go for the purposes of journalling!). Doodle, jot down lists, write in fragments, cross things out– whatever feels right for you. It’s the act of expression that matters, not the literary finesse.
Myth #5: Journalling Solves All Problems Instantly
As much as we’d love it to be true, journalling isn’t a magical fix for all of life’s challenges. It’s a tool, a companion on your journey. It’s often about the process, not having an immediate solution. Try and embrace this. I feel like journalling is an important part of my toolkit for being well. It’s not a silver bullet.
Myth #6: Journalling Takes Too Much Time
You don’t need to dedicate hours to journalling. It can be a five-minute escape or a longer reflective session – whatever fits into your routine. Remember, it’s about the quality of your reflections, not the quantity of time spent.
Myth #7: I need to be somewhere private to journal
If you’re sat in a café with your journal and are happy to get it out and do some writing then go for it! For some types of journalling that might feel more emotive then yes, having a private comfortable space really helps you to feel safe enough to get those thoughts and feelings out there. However, if you’re doing something a bit lighter like gratitude journalling or future self journalling (more on this in January 2024 ;-)) then it’s totally ok to be somewhere more public. it might be the only chance you get that day so don’t waste it!
Let’s throw these myths out the window and make journalling a welcoming and accessible practice for everyone. Your journal is a judgment-free zone, there is no right or wrong.
So, get your pen, open your journal and go for it. if you want some initial prompts to help get your remember remember you can access them for free here and some lovely gratitude prompts here.
I’d love to hear your thoughts or any questions in the comments section. Feel free to click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack.
Happy Journalling lovely people,
Hannah x
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