Make journalling work for you…

Writing a journal is a great way of releasing the tensions of the day and also recognising the things you are grateful for and a record of achievements.

It is a very personal practice and how you endeavour to write it should be what works for you. I work with several clients who journal and many have different practices and I have also read extensively on the benefits.

How can you make it work for you, and ensure it gives you the outlet that you want it to fulfil. A good starting point is to think about when you will introduce it in your day.

When to write a journal:-

Start of the day

Review the day before by journalling the events that happened. Starting the new day with this practice ensures you have closed down any leftover thoughts or concerns from yesterday and you are ready to dive into the new day.

End of the day

Capture the events of the day in the same day, use the journal as a closing ceremony, write before you sleep or the last activity at your desk. This a good way to release any thoughts or feelings you are holding.

In the moment

Recording key events as they happen can also be a good way of understanding what just happened and how you feel about what did you learn? Writing or typing an entry does mean it leaves your head and gives you more space for other events. We can often block our neurological pathways by overthinking one incident.

Weekly record

Another practice is just to make one weekly entry and just focus on what you wish to decipher. What very specific thing happened? and how did it make you feel? and what can you learn? Instead of having several entries just focusing on the one thing that will really make a difference going forward.

What to put in the journal?

Journals were traditionally all about capturing life events and a record of your life. My first foray into the practice, read very much this way, eg. what I was eating and whether I had slept well. I found reading it back it was very dull and even the writing had become a bit of chore. If your journalling becomes lack lustre and not significant enough, revisit what you want it to give you.

I was keen to work out some emotions I was experiencing after grief, so thankfully my coach gave me an excellent tool of giving yourself a GAIL.

Gail is a Mnemonic and gives you a framework and shortcut to review what is happening.

Grateful – What are your grateful for that day or week?

Achieved – What are have you achieved and been proud of?

Improve – What could you have improved? Behaviours/Skills/Interactions….

Learn – What did you learn facts/about yourself/about others/or new knowledge…?

I found the GAIL gave me a vehicle for my emotions to understand there was so much to be grateful for and despite tough times you do still achieve, learn and a hunger to improve to be your best self. You can buy pure Gratitude journals which often have prompt questions to steer you through a path of emotions.

Another top tip is to just focus on one key moment/event and no need to fill the rest of the journal with just living activities. You are wanting to understand life moments, so what really happened and how did you feel and what will you learn.

Reviewing your Journals

I have not been very structured as to how I look at my journals and have introduced a recent habit of reading last years entries. This was a very bad time in my life and I am not sure what I am hoping to achieve by saying this time last year was really awful. It may make me feel grateful for now but I don’t think it is serving me constructively.

If your aim of journalling is to improve behaviours and habits then your review should be weekly. On a Friday look back at the week and decide what it is saying to you. Give yourself a weekly GAIL or again just ask what is it telling you? how does that make you feel? and what have you learnt.

Please do share your journalling stories bev@nuggetsoflearning.co.uk