The Power of the Written Word
Journaling. It is supposed to be great. To be honest, I was never inspired to try it. Partly because I did not see myself as the journaling “type.” Partly because I was paranoid about someone picking up my journal and reading my most private thoughts. Partly because I had never found myself drawn to writing for pleasure.
And yes, I appreciate the irony of this last statement as I now write a weekly newsletter and thoroughly enjoy it!
Never Say Never
But I should know to never say never. Sometimes it is a matter of timing and how something is presented. And this is what happened to me with journaling. A little over a year ago I heard someone say everyone needs a balance between input and output. He used journaling as an example of output.
I had never thought about the need to balance input and output. And I was intrigued as for the first time in a long time, I did not have an obvious mechanism for output. I wasn’t working at the time, I did not have any extensive hobbies (yet!), and no other creative outlets. Little did I know how fortunate I had been that my job which I had left 11 months prior had offered so many opportunities for output!
I have always been an input junkie. I love to read, learn new things, and ask questions. And with my new free time I was in heavy input mode taking classes, reading, meditating. I was also grappling with midlife questions like, “What am I going to do next?” “What are my goals?” “What do I care about?” “How do I think about my relationship with my dad now my mother has passed?”
A light went off, my life was missing output.
At the same time, I heard someone else talking about setting personal challenges. His approach was to set a challenge for himself and commit to it for at least 100 days. He believes a few weeks, or a month are not long enough. Anyone can do something for a month, but you do not see the real impact or benefits until you have done something for at least 100 days.
I thought to myself, “Game on!”
The 100 Day Challenge
I decided I would journal every day for 100 days. I’m always up for a challenge and I needed some output in my life. Plus, I figured 100 days was enough time to experience some of the benefits of journaling and see if there was a place for it in my life.
I bought a beautiful notebook, the cover graced by Gustav Klimt’s, The Kiss. I found a pen I liked and set both by my bed. I decided to write at night before going to sleep as a conclusion to my day. My mornings were already busy with gratitude, meditation, and kids. And I discovered sitting with my thoughts in the quiet, in the glow of my bedside light, I could truly “hear” myself think.
What I found over the next 100 days was journaling is as powerful as is claimed. It provided a means of output that balanced all the input. I had a place to process my thoughts and feelings without judgement. I reveled in the space and time to find the right word to express my thoughts and feelings. And it was calming like meditation.
It also was a place to note and reflect on life’s challenges and to pause and celebrate the little and big successes in my life. I needed the latter as I typically do not pause. I tend to move quickly on to the next task or challenge with only a passing thought to what was just accomplished. The negative of this is I often feel like I am chasing something illusive. Journaling helps me be more present.
Journaling helps me sleep better. Transferring unresolved thoughts or feelings to a sheet of paper helps me go to bed with a clean mind. Sometimes in the process of writing these get resolved and sometimes not. But at the very least these thoughts and feelings are not lost while I am sleeping nor are they tumbling around in my dreams. The result, a more peaceful slumber, not invaded by the demons of my day.
I do not give myself direction when I journal other than I must write something. Having said that, occasionally my nightly entry brings up a random thought which I note and might explore the following night. And on the few nights I do not feel like writing, I make myself open my journal and I write, “I don’t feel like writing tonight, but I am committed to journaling every day.” And that is the entry for the day!
I started my challenge in November 2020 and I am still going strong 9 months later!
Another Perspective
Given the positive impact journaling has had on my life, I reached out to a friend, Kim Marcellino, to get her perspective on writing. Kim is an interdisciplinary artist completing her MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in Narrative Medicine. She was kind enough to share below some insights on the power of writing.
Kim believes journaling is a powerful way to process an idea, a feeling or affirmation into fruition and/or resolution. Her experience with writing is it is a generative, somatic (a feeling relating to the body) action that allows the mind to relax. And when our minds are relaxed, we are better thinkers and creators.
And journaling is good for your health! There is research being done on the importance of relaxation for our health and the role writing can play in this process. We all need to be paying daily attention to reducing stress and cultivating wellness in our lives, beyond the relaxation we find on a vacation. Kim says journaling is a great way to relax and it is free and can be done almost anytime, anywhere.
One of the best aspects of a personal journaling practice is it allows for anonymity. We all have aspects of our lives that we are afraid to share. Maybe it is a dream you have always wanted to pursue, or an experience you are embarrassed about, or something so taboo you have never had the courage to vocalize it - whatever it is - we all have something.
In our western culture, where the sharing of our personal lives on social media has become a focus of concern for mental health experts - having a private space is more important than ever! Journaling can be a private, safe space for exploring and releasing without judgement. But if a physical journal is too terrifying, try the Day One journal app, where you can safely tuck your most private thoughts behind a password.
If you find it difficult to get started, she suggests using a prompt and recommends The 3 a.m Epiphany by Brian Kiteley. She likes prompts as they are fun and get you out of your head. She has found once the pen is flowing, you will be surprised what gets brought up. She also likes reading to stimulate a journaling practice. If there is a poem or a line in a novel that inspires you, take advantage of that feeling and use a few words from the book or poem as a prompt.
Her pro tip? Always carry a pen or pencil - you can always find something to write on if you are resourceful. Some of her best moments have been in her car writing on the back of a grocery bag while her son was napping or on a long bus ride. She says she has lots of stories captured on the back of envelopes!
Parting Thought
Find yourself a beautiful notebook and a pen and give journaling a try. Use it to chronicle your adventures through midlife.
Kim is currently writing her memoir, Live Free or Die, which takes place in New Hampshire and is a story of hope, resilience, and reconciliation. The other cool thing about her is she lives on a boat. You can connect with Kim at kimmarcellino@gmail.com Facebook Instagram LinkedIn.
See you next week…
