Journaling as a personal practice...
February is typically a cold month in southern Ontario, so spending considerable time indoors is to be expected. This lends itself to certain activities, including reading and writing.
We've been hearing from several of you that journaling is an activity that many of you have taken up, returned to, or created more time for, during the pandemic. It certainly can be a salve to get our thoughts down on paper.
One of the other great things about journaling is that it is customizable and accommodates our personal preferences.
For some, journaling might mean doodling. Large sized notebooks with blank pages or lay-flat styles lend themselves well to sketching or adding little images and diagrams to our words.
Others prefer a more structured approach and have adopted the popular bullet journaling method. Dot grid formats are popular with these enthusiasts who can use the dots as guides when printing table of contents, calendars, and schedules since dots can be selectively joined to create lines.
There is always, also, the classic option of writing on lined paper. Perfect to air out thoughts, be they worries, ideas, conundrums or dreams. Lined paper also works well for anyone who follows the Morning Pages practice from Julia Cameron's popular book The Artist's Way.
It is for good reason that many therapists and performance coaches recommend journaling as a personal practice. Whether it is a means to work through life's challenges, learn more about yourself, work out what you want in life or clarify your goals, writing has many benefits.
It is a fair assumption that this month as you sit down to write in your journal, perhaps with a warm beverage in a cozy spot, there is a kindred spirit out there doing just the same thing...
