Journaling Tips: Processing Something Difficult
After an eventful weekend, I’m sharing a step-by-step guide for untangling messy thoughts.
Something scary happened over the weekend, hence the lack of words from me on here. I usually like to post on a Sunday, but it didn’t feel right to share something that just wasn’t congruous with where my head was at.
For that reason, today’s newsletter focuses on journaling. I hope that doesn’t seem like too much of a detour from travel content. After all, I did mention that my three passions were travel, wellbeing and writing. Stick with me…
When something significant happens in my life, my first port of call is usually to process it on paper. It always gives me a sense of relief.
Where do I think this ‘relief’ comes from? Re-reading my perspective on something, being able to look at it objectively, and then reframing the narrative in a way that will better serve me so that I can move past it.
So here’s what I did instead of writing my Sunday newsletter! It’s a step-by-step on journaling when you want to process something difficult:
Step 1:
Begin by writing down a thorough description of what happened. Try to write this almost as if you are the narrator of a book. Look at it from an unbiased perspective, and consider the situation or event from every angle. Describe the moments leading up to it, and also how it concluded.
Step 2:
Now go inward. Write down how it made you feel. Be as honest as possible, and think about the mood or mindset you were in just beforehand, how you felt during/throughout, and how you have felt since then. What are you feeling right now, as you recount it?
Step 3:
Look around. Who was there? What did they do and say? How did they react? And how did this all affect you and the overall outcome of the situation?
Step 4:
Your ideal scenario. What do you wish had happened instead? How would you have preferred things to go? And if you feel it is something that was simply unavoidable, is there anything you would have done differently? This one can be difficult to delve into, but consider emotions you might be feeling such as shame or regret.
Step 5:
Think about why you find it difficult to move forward. Identify any recurring negative thoughts you are having and consider the way in which they may be overwhelming you. What do you think are the stumbling blocks? Is there anything in your way that you need to tackle?
Step 6:
By now you should have a detailed view of the situation, your feelings about it, the involvement of other people, your expectations, and the hardest things about it all. So now, write down the steps you can take to move on. How can you find resolve? Is there anything you can learn from it? Consider anything positive that you can extract.
Reading this post without actively working through the steps probably makes it seem a lot more difficult than it is. But I promise, once you get started, it’ll just flow, whether you journal often or not!
I find this form of expressive writing particularly helpful when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Journaling gives you a chance to be completely honest with yourself, and if you never want to read over what you’ve written, you don’t have to. Burn it even. Just feel empowered by the fact that you’ve taken the time to reflect, process, increase your self-awareness, and find some clarity.
I’d love us to chat about this! If you have any questions about this process or any other thoughts on journaling, please share them in the comments below.
I was a consistent journaler when I was in high school, but moved away from it when I started spending too much time on a computer and discovered I had an easier time typing than writing by hand. In many ways, my blog became a journal, of sorts, only I can't be nearly as transparent here as I would be in an actual journal. I'm glad you're encourage people to keep up with that writing process. It's a good practice for so many reasons.