Life Coaches Blog

Whenever I get a real bad case of overwhelm, feeling like I need an outlet, or something good happens that I know I want to remember for years, I like to write it out in my journal.

I’ve kept paper and pen journals for years and I’ve found the art of writing as self-expression very therapeutic . Also nostalgic as I read back on all the good things that happened in my life I had forgotten about, and even funny reading about the problems I used to think were the end of the world but turned out to be just another one of those things after all.

If you haven’t already, I’d invite you to start one and give it a shot. There are a few keys I’ve found over the years that help make the writing session a more fruitful one.

1) Get a bound journal. Get a blank notebook that you can write in easily. Preferably not one where the pages will fall out, and not loose pieces of paper. The reason being you want to keep these thoughts in one central place where you can find them easily and not lose them.

2) Block out uninterrupted time to write. Switch off the PC, hang up the phone, switch your mobile to silent, lock the door. You don’t want anything to interrupt your train of thought.

3) Just write. During a writing session, simply write whatever comes to mind, without censoring yourself or thinking anything through too much. You can pause for a few seconds, but don’t stop, go off and do something else and come back. Just write and keep writing.

4) Ignore the critical voice. If any critical voices come into your head telling you how silly certain things are or how wrong it is to write this way, or anything like that, either ignore them or tell them to go away. All you need to do is to keep on expressing yourself in a steady stream. Remember that in a personal journal you’re not writing for anyone else but yourself.

The key idea here is to get whatever’s in your head out and onto the paper you’re writing on. When you get into flow this way you’ll be surprised at some of the thoughts that come out of your head into your pen.

5) Your most personal journal stays offline. I encourage you not to use an online blog for your personal journal. I’ve found that no matter how differently you might feel about it consciously, unconsciously a part of you is always aware that a blog is on the public domain, even if no-one ever comes to visit, or you’re writing under a pen-name or you think no-one can find it. And you’re more likely to censor your writing and thus your thoughts because of that.

The trick is to have a secure, private space where you know you can write anything and everything you want, and when you know that consciously and unconsciously, your mind is more willing to let go and express itself freely.

After you finish writing, be prepared to have gained new insight and clarity into the stuff you wrote about! That’s the magic of taking jumbled thoughts in your mind and ordering them into a form outside of your head. Being able to see those thoughts is sometimes all it takes to be able to take a step back and reassess.

For those of you who keep a paper and pen journal, this shouldn’t be anything new. If you haven’t yet, the upcoming weekend would be a good time to reflect and review. Test it out!