Let's ditch the shame, shall we?
Keeping the judgement out of journaling
How’s your journaling going?
Each time I ask this, I know someone is going to squirm.
They’ll avoid looking me in the eyes,
Confident that I’ll be judging them for not journaling every day.
And each time they are surprised by my answer:
You journaled once this week? Well done!
You thought about journaling this week? Good on you!
You came here tonight to journal? I’m so glad you’re here!
Self-reflection is hard enough without beating ourselves up for falling short.
Seriously.
There is no rule that says you have to journal every day.
Sometimes we get this idea that to have a consistent journaling practice,
We have to have a daily journaling practice.
Even though no one told us so.
So many of us walk around with these high expectations for ourselves
And our journaling practice.
We seem to think not only can we journal every day,
But we’ll have deep, meaningful discoveries with every entry.
And when that happens,
When we feel like we’ve fallen short of these
Unrealistic, self-imposed expectations,
We wonder why we’re even bothering.
We’re embarrassed to pick up our journals after some time away
Guilty and ashamed that we couldn’t be consistent.
We find ourselves writing nothing of significance -
Comments about the birds outside the window
What we have to do today
Or what we ate for breakfast.
And we think it’s a waste of our time.
That this kind of a practice isn’t worth having, is it?
My friend, wherever you are, whatever you’re feeling about your journaling,
You are exactly where you need to be.
Give yourself some grace.
You get to decide what consistency means.
If you want to journal every day, awesome!
If you want to journal twice a week, awesome!
If you want to journal on weekdays, awesome!
If you want to journal on the weekends, awesome!
If you want to journal on the full and new moons, awesome!
You get to decide how long you journal.
If you want to journal for five minutes a day, awesome!
If you want to journal for ten minutes a day, awesome!
If you want to journal for twenty minutes a day, awesome!
Please do yourself a favor, though, and start small.
I talk with people all the time who get really excited about journaling.
And they decide they’re going to journal in the morning AND at night.
And the first time they miss a day, they decide they’re a failure.
So pick a time to journal.
Pick a frequency to journal.
Choose how long you want to journal.
And then maybe cut it down a bit.
It’s better to journal once a week for five minutes and be proud of yourself
Than it is to try to journal twice a day and beat yourself up for falling short.
You can always grow your practice when you’re ready.
So, how’s your journaling?
Wherever you’re at, I’m proud of you.
And I’m here to support you.
If your journaling feels a little sticky,
I invite you to book a quick call with me to get unstuck.
We’d love to journal with you!
Our Journaling for Growth Community is growing!
If you’re interested in using journaling as a way to grow in self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-love, this could be for you.
In July, we’re focusing on Celebration & Ritual - finding and bringing the magic to everyday life.
Join us on this adventure as we blend blend of solo reflection using curated journal prompts and magical group journaling sessions.
Learn more and register here. Have questions? Send me an email.
This week’s journal prompts:
Use these prompts as written or as inspiration to uncover what you need in your life this week. And know that I’m always here to support you and answer questions you have along the way!
How can you show yourself a little more compassion today?
How can you more fully embrace the idea that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be?
What shifts can you make to make your journaling practice a bit smoother?
Happy Journaling!
Amanda, you always say *exactly* the right thing. Thank you! ☺️