GustavoFring279

what do you actually write in a journal

https://lemmy.world/post/44631249

what do you actually write in a journal - Lemmy.World

Okay this is probably a dumb question but what do you actually write about? I sit down and my brain goes “well, today I went to work, came home, ate dinner” and that feels pointless to document. Like yeah, I know what I did today. I was there. I’ve tried prompts but they feel forced. “What are you grateful for?” I don’t know, running water? My cat? It feels performative. I’ve tried stream of consciousness but it turns into a grocery list in my head. How did you figure out what YOUR journaling looks like? Is there a wrong way to do this?

Mar 23 at 12:05pmWeb
Show threadSasu1d ago
I write in a journal to think. Anything that’s bothering me or that I can’t figure out or that I deeply care about. Especially useful if I keep going in circles mentally. What I write is rarely insightful as such, but the experience of having to put words to the thoughts and then seeing them on the page can help me get unstuck. All that said, sometimes it does feel performative, especially if I’m picking up the habit again after a while away. I’ve also discovered that writing is often not what I need (or not the only thing), in which case my time might better be spent doing something else. It’s cliché, but going for a walk or doing something else to move my body often does a better job of sweeping out the cobwebs than writing would have.
Show threadMastema1d ago
I’ve tried journaling a few times and always fail on this exact thing. None of my thoughts seem important enough to jot down and just describing my day feels very ego-centric. I think this is actually one of the realizations of mediation and awakening/enlightenment. Most, if not all, of what the mind does is irrelevant, and documenting it only gives credence to the irrelevance. To the extent that progress in meditation leads to the death of the ego, it sounds like you are on the right path.
Show threadfigmentEpithelium23h ago

Honestly, just your daily to-do list and the practice of just “wake up, work, home” is a decent start. You’re building that habit of journaling so it’s actually kind of fun to see your own progression.

Build from that though. Just start paying attention to stuff happening around you within that “wake up, work, home” day. Maybe you saw a cute animal and it made you pause for a moment, write that down. Maybe it was a particularly warm day and you liked the way the sun felt on your face, write that down. Maybe down the line, that nice warm sun on your face brought up an old memory, write that down.

Build on what you have instead of trying hard to write something profound. Journaling is a journey. It’s a tool for expression and self reflection if you so choose it to be. The more practice you get observing and writing, the more you have to work with in terms of expression and reflection.