why i couldn't live without journaling

reasons i love stream of consciousness journaling and some quiet reflection prompts for you

When I first started this Substack, I thought I would be talking endlessly about journaling and encouraging more people to try it. It’s the basis of the name for this Substack. And I’ve been here for nearly a year and haven’t mentioned it once (except quite a few times on Notes, I can’t help myself). Instead of talking constantly about journaling, I’ve ended up turning my quiet reflections into essays which I’ve come to really love and won’t stop doing. But I’d really like to open the floor up to you a little more.

So today, I’m finally unleashing my love for journaling on you with why I love stream-of-consciousness journaling so much and a little helping hand if you want to get started too.

Firstly though, why do I love journaling so much?

Journaling, for me, is like opening a window inside my head. It’s like looking outside in September and seeing blue skies but you’re not entirely sure if the air is humid like August or crisp like October. You won’t know until you open the window and let the air fall into the room. Journaling is letting the air fall onto the page. It allows me to reach into the wind and find out what’s really going on out there. There may still be green leaves on the trees but perhaps that’s just an evergreen or those leaves are on the cusp of falling. Was I really angry at my friend for doing that one thing that annoyed me or am I actually upset about something deeper within myself, something that I’m not addressing that allows these things to keep happening to me?

Writing helps thoughts fall gently in line. It slows down the process of thinking to keep up with the limited pace of your hand. It has no choice but to slip down the narrow tube from your brain down to your fingertips. And as it falls in line, ready for the thin slide, I’ve found that it prioritises the most interesting thoughts or the perspectives you never even thought were up there in the first place.

I once wrote about how I was feeling annoyed at myself that I couldn’t just pick one book up, read it, and then move on to the next. Instead, I always had about six books on the go at once. But by writing out my thoughts, I realised this was nothing to be annoyed about. I was just a person who liked to read a lot. In fact, how fun is it that every time you may find me reading, it’s something different every time? I no longer feel bad about starting books when I’m halfway through another one or two.

After a session of journaling, I always feel so much lighter, like I’ve cleared the debris in my lungs and I can breathe a little deeper. Thoughts can sometimes find their way into other parts of your body, not just the mind, and sometimes it feels like they even carry physical weight, like I could step onto the scales after and see a noticeable difference. And I’m convinced that doing this on a regular basis has helped to keep my life in order.

Of course, there are some deeper topics that I work through by journaling but my journal is for my eyes only, and so should yours. Don’t write thinking that someone is going to read it one day. Make the decision before you start every session that absolutely no one is ever going to read this. Hide it away somewhere if you have to. You need one space in this world that is purely yours, especially while everyone is emphasising sharing every aspect of your life online nowadays. Make journaling your source of 100% privacy. There are a couple of people in my life I can whole-heartedly trust, but no one as much as my pen and paper.

There are a few different ways to journal—stream-of-consciousness, prompt-based, dream journaling, gratitude journaling—but my preferred method is definitely stream-of-consciousness journaling, which I know many people find the most challenging. What do I write! I have nothing to say! There is so much to say! Stream of consciousness is exactly what it sounds like, similar to a brain dump, you just write whatever comes to mind, even if it sounds absolutely ridiculous and insubstantial. It’s sort of like letting the tap run a bit before filling up your glass; get all the lukewarm thoughts out first and within no time you’ll start uncovering some really insightful thoughts and perspectives.

I’ve come up with a few prompts to get you started which should encourage a flow of writing. The key is to not think so much about what you’re writing, which is why I haven’t used any follow-up questions in my prompts. I find them distracting and restrictive. I’ll give you an example of where my mind would go (theoretically, this is a personal exercise after all!) when answering a prompt and then I’ll leave the rest up to you.

Example

Prompt: What’s a recurring thought or worry you’ve been having?

Me: (I think for a moment about what’s been worrying me and realise nothing is immediately coming to mind. So I write that down.) Nothing immediately comes to mind, although I feel like I’m an anxious person by nature, it’s more like a ton of little everyday things that are different seems to make me a little worried rather than one or two big things I keep thinking about. I think about my health but I wouldn’t say it was every day. (I’ll start to talk about the health things that worry me) I guess I think about my purpose a lot, if I’m doing what I should be doing. I start my day every day with a rough idea of what I want to get done and then if I don’t get around to doing some of them, I’ll feel like I’ve wasted a day, a day that would have brought me one step closer to my goals… (I might list those goals and through writing realise I don’t actually want to do some of them or I’m only reaching that goal for xyz reason etc. I may realise I’m putting too much pressure on myself and so on. I just keep yapping.)

Be detailed. Get into all of it. You’re not writing an essay, you don’t have to be concise or grammatically correct. Let those sentences go on for paragraphs and pages. No one else is going to read it or judge you. Let loose.

Prompts for you

• What’s a recurring thought or worry I’ve been having?

• What’s one thing I wish I would have said at the time?

• When was the last time I felt uncomfortable?

• “Unresolved”. What things come to mind when I read this word?

• What is something I have now that I really wished I had a year or two ago?

• When was the last time I took intentional time for myself?

• What is a lesson I’ve learned recently? (Note: If there aren’t any, why not? Are you struggling with being present? Explore that.)

• What has been draining my energy lately?

Phrases to help you push through to a stream of consciousness

• But what I really think/feel is…

• Is this completely true? Perhaps…

• What if there is more to it? What if… (After completing this sentence you may feel reaffirmed in your original thought, “Nah, that’s not it”, solidifying your opinion on the situation, finding clarity)

• If I really think about it though…

• Anyway…

• If that was me, I’d…

• It’s just funny because…

• But what I’m really thinking is…

• Maybe I…

my journals

Closing notes

I hope you find these helpful!

As you can tell from my bio, I love the moon, and I have been thinking of sending you reflection prompts that coincide with the moon phases. Let me know if this is something you’d like! My newsletter is all about reflections (of the quiet kind) and I’d love to open that up more and invite you to join me. If you enjoy my little joys and little sorrows series, I think you’ll love what I have in store.

Thank you for reading. I’ll see you later this week with some reflections on a trip to the Tate Modern art gallery <3