Ready? Set? GO!
Your first four days of journaling prompts await you...
My darling, dearest, friends…
WELCOME to the September journaling challenge! AHH! It’s here!
I am beyond pumped to do this with you because a) I love journaling, 2) I love you, and exhibit c) journaling is a clinically proven, cost effective way to gain more control over our emotional lives, alleviate so many mental health issues, and give us a chance at owning and re-writing our own stories. That’s why I’m *thrilled* you’re taking on this challenge with me!
Note: all housekeeping is at the end of this email because it was boring! But if you’re new here and want more info on this challenge, I got you! Just click here.
Week One: You need a ritual, not a habit
NOTE: I am only giving you the first four prompts today because this email looked long AF and I didn’t want to overwhelm you or me!
I’ve spent the past three years reading every study or theory about journaling I could get my hands on. And the more I learn about how effective journaling is, the more I’ve wondered: why isn’t journaling the FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE for issues like anxiety, depression, grief, or even the simple (and frankly, courageous) act of being a human in 2023? Given that the National Institutes of Health has released study after study on the benefits of journaling, and the CDC recommends journaling for people with diabetes to relieve physical symptoms, why is there a stigma that journaling is reserved for teen-aged girls? And why is that even a diss?!
I think part of the reason journaling is not more widely discussed as a SUPER LEGIT, PROVEN, WIDELY ACCESSIBLE method to help ourselves is that no one can make a fortune off your journaling. What does it cost? A pen? Paper? Some super dope journaling prompts? Wink, wink. But you know what I mean! It’s not a pill, it’s not a treatment - there’s no co-pay for it. Your insurance can’t be billed. No, your being on a life-time of journaling won’t benefit a pharmaceutical company or anyone else other than you and your loved ones. The ones who SHOULD be benefiting in the first place.
I say this as someone who takes Wellbutrin for depression (what up my Wellbutrin peeps?!). So - I’m not knocking other methods for healing AT ALL, in fact, you do you, boo. I’m just saying: when we are in a rut, or in emotional distress, or when we are doing FANTASTIC and just want to savor our joy, why isn’t the simple act of noticing ourselves more widely promoted? Cus that’s what journaling is all about, noticing and getting to know ourselves better. Which is maybe one of the most important things you need to do in life.
BUT I’m kinda preaching to the choir because YOU ARE HERE TO JOURNAL! YOU GET IT. So let’s slay, together!
So we know journaling is good for us? But why do so many of us fail at establishing the habit or maintaining it?
The main reason journaling fails is that we set ourselves up for failure from the jump. There are SO MANY books by “experts” who claim they know the secret to building a lasting habit. But this is phooey (yes, just used phooey in my writing, please don’t tell my publisher) because there is no secret. Habits are hard to build. They take different amounts of time to establish (based on what the habit is) and especially on who the person is. There is no number of days that works for everyone universally. And starting with the habit is a sure fire way to frustrate yourself. Instead we need to look at the behavior that leads up to a habit. What we need are rituals: patterns of behavior that are so pleasurable and comforting that they don’t feel like we are doing chores. So this week, we are going to build what I call: The Journaling Ritual
Prompts for Week One: Build The Journaling Ritual
Monday Sept 4th:
Why do you want to journal?
What do you think journaling will help you achieve?
What discomfort or pain are you escaping?
“I’m not escaping anything,” you text me, a little self-righteously. Oh really, you’re not escaping ANYTHING? I think, as I roll my eyes. Cus I’m escaping about ten things right this moment as I stare at a sink of dirty dishes, the decorations for my sister’s up coming bachelorette where I still haven’t finalized our plans, and knowing I need to do some emotional work around my mom before I see her at my sister’s wedding for the first time in fifteen years. So…I think you are probably escaping SOMETHING.
At the end of your journal entry for this day, write on it’s own piece of paper, in big bold letters the reason you are journaling. You can return to this page over and over again to remind yourself of WHY THE F*CK YOU ARE EVEN DOING THIS!
Special Instructions for Supportability Groups:
I’ve been hammering you on this “why.” Present to your group the REAL, honest to LADYGOD reason you are journaling.
Day 2:
On a piece of paper create two columns (just put a line through the middle of the paper)
Label one column “Roadblocks” and label the other “Clear it Away”
Now ask yourself:
Why hasn’t journaling worked for me in the past?
What more do I want from my current journaling practice (if you have one) and why aren’t I getting it?
What gets in the way of me and my journal?
Write a list every single thing that gets in your way under the heading “Roadblock” So, for example, for me:
Roadblocks
Dating, sleeping over at someone else’s house, not having my journal or feeling weird about it, or wanting to snuggle for five more minutes
Staying up late
Staying up late and drinking (misery)
Being wishy-washy on what time I journal. It can’t be “when I have time” ‘cus that is never.
And on and on
Roadblocks are not inevitable if you see them! You CAN stay clear of that shi&!
Now, go back to your list of “Roadblocks” and next to each entry, in the “Clear It Away,” write the practical step you are going to take to help yourself
So from my list, for example:
Roadblock
“Dating, sleeping over at someone else’s house, not having my journal or feeling weird about it, or wanting to snuggle for five more minutes.”
Clear it Away
“I don’t want to lose all of my routines the second I’m in a relationship anymore. I am going to tell this new dude that I need twenty minutes to journal, even though, we’ve only been dating a month. It’s never too early to express a core need. I just need to be brave. ALSO: maybe this is an alarm bell that I need to sleep at my own place more often because I’m doing that thing where I retreat into another person.”
And on and on with my list of examples
Special Instructions for Supportability Groups:
Choose your stickiest Roadblock, scheduling for example, share it with the group, tell the group how you plan to overcome it.
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