I have a love/hate relationship with my diary — and I’m sure I’m not the only one. I’ve been keeping a diary since I was seventeen as a way to free the clutter from my brain and better understand yourself and others. In a way, I consider my diary as a friend that I can share my goal, fears, and sometimes seemingly empty thoughts without judgment. It helped me regain focus and regroup, and also brought a mirror up to my headspace, revealing what’s really going on in my brain. But a lot of times, I find journaling a tireless task that leads to no real answers. Plus, my diary keeps a guilty record of my deepest thoughts and feelings, sometimes written in sharp wits. No one needs to know who I fell in love with in 2003.
So despite my best efforts, I tried, and failed, keep a consistent daily writing routine over the years. I pressure myself to fill out a certain deep page every day, and instead, log patches here and there in between existing long stretches of unrecorded time. But the times when I don’t journal are also the times when I feel most estranged from myself. The time I am living is more than living. I’m not the kind of person who can handle my emotions in my head right away, and sometimes I have to get them out of me to understand how I really feel. Today, instead of seeing journaling as another obligation to self-improvement, I find it a necessary means to understand myself. Plus, in this act of slowing down and being present, I find that no thought or moment is too small to write down.
Regardless of which word lands on the page, journaling can reveal the ongoing dialogue between your past and present, leading to greater awareness.
Whether you keep a journal or not, the benefits are undeniable. Writing things down every day not only preserves memories to look back on, but also leads to inspiration, discover yourseft and connect stronger with ourselves and others. In spite of be present with yourself While it can be uncomfortable at times, journaling has been seen as a unique transformational ritual among them many successful people. But build this daily routine Start by letting go of your inner criticisms and expectations. When you get out of your own way, sometimes it helps to start with reminder to get the ball rolling.
Featured image of Kristen Kilpatrick.
The 40 reminders in this journal are topics you can explore every day in just a few minutes and help you discover a greater sense of self.
Gratitude
Reflexion
- Name the top three emotions you are feeling right now. What emotion do you want to feel today?
- What is one thing you would say to your teenage self if you could?
- What is your body craving right now?
- What are the 10 questions you wish you had answers to right now?
- What you know comes true today that you didn’t know a year ago?
- What are you afraid of right now?
- What is not working in your life right now?
- Write about someone you miss, what do you remember about them? How do they make you feel?
- Picture someone with whom you have had conflicts in the past and try to see their point of view. What do they feel at the time of your conflict? If it is available to you, how can you empathize with their experience?
- What areas of your life are causing you stress? What areas of your life are bringing you joy?
- What would you describe as your greatest life achievement to date?
- If someone were to describe your life story to you, what three events would you most want them to highlight?
Goal
- What would your ideal day be like? Where will you be, what will you do and with whom?
- Describe your perfect home. Where is it, what does it look like, and who do you share it with?
- When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grow up and why?
- If you couldn’t fail, what would you do now?
- If you had only one year left of your life, what would you do?
- In another life, who would you want to be? Write down this character, what they do for a living, their personality traits, etc.
- Reflect on your career and personal goals. Is there a similarity and consistency between these two? How do you keep these two areas of your life separate? How are they similar?
- If you could master one skill, what would it be?
Value
- What do you wish others knew about you?
- Who do you admire? What qualities do you love about them?
- Who are you jealous of and why?
- What distracts you from what really matters every day?
- If you decided right now that you had enough money and that you would always have it, what would you do with your life?
- When you envision yourself 10 years from now, what do you want to achieve and experience?
- How would you like to dedicate your talents and passions to the world? Who might be touched by you and how will it affect them?
- What role does love play in your life?
- What does friendship mean to you?
This post was originally published September 30, 2020 and has since been updated.
