I made a discovery during my time in quarantine. While doing some well-needed spring cleaning, I came across a box of treasures from my childhood. Among them was a journal from my “tweens” (you know, that awkward phase where you’re not quite a teenager but no longer a kid?!). I turned the pages and re-lived the embarrassment, confusion and heartbreak.  My 10-year-old self didn’t want me to forget that on January 1st I went sledding. “It was fun, but I crashed into a tree and flew over a hill. It was ‘exiting’.” Bad spelling aside, this was the start of documenting many days during the cold months we lived in St. Louis, Missouri. It was that same year that I moved to sunny Southern California and my journal would soon be forgotten. 

Why Journal? 

Journaling is an incredibly powerful tool to help you grow both personally and professionally. Here are some ways you can use journaling as a tool during this time of quarantine… 

You can set and track progress towards your goals:  

Journaling through a project, business start-up or family milestones can help you monitor your progress and see how far you have come. You may have old journals sitting on your shelf now that give you a glimpse into the mind and heart of the person you once were. Tracking your growth will motivate you to keep taking the next right step, even when things are difficult. 

You can sort out thoughts and emotions: 

Anxiety can be paralyzing. Writing out thoughts can help us stop ruminating on problems and overwhelming our senses. Your journal serves as a roadmap to find the root of what is really troubling you, as you plumb the depths of your soul onto paper. Quarantine can be very isolating if your friends and family do not live close. Perhaps you haven’t had a chance to see a trusted friend or talk to a counselor during this time. Journaling can help you sort through and process what is happening in our hearts. It does not replace therapy, but it can be a starting point to work through intense emotions.

You can dream again: 

It is hard to look ahead and imagine the future in times of crisis. Journaling can help us get “unstuck” by allowing us to dream again. Think of the things you were dreaming about and working towards before the coronavirus temporarily put those things on hold. There may be new dreams and goals you want to set for yourself after this is all over. 

You can unleash your creative genius: 

Brainstorming and doing a rapid brain-dump of ideas onto paper can help unleash your creative energy. These ideas don’t have to be possible; they just have to be a product of your imagination.  You may find a side of yourself that you have never explored. Group ideas together and see if you find patterns. Those patterns can be clues to new a whole new path in your personal or professional life. 

You can find clarity: 

Use journaling as a tool to get clear on your next major decision, career move, relationship shift or tough conversation. It’s similar to asking a question and, as you continue to talk, you realize you have answered your own question. A journal entry back in 2010 helped me make a life-altering decision about a relationship. If I had not worked through all of the angles of the problem on paper first, I may have taken chosen differently or not had the peace I needed to feel confident about my decision. Trust me…Work it out on paper first! 

You can reflect: 

Apparently in January of 1994 (my first entry since the age of 10), my 13-year-old self wrote: “Today I had to go back to school Everything was just as I had left it.” At first, I laughed until I realized why I was writing those words. On January 17th, 1994 I survived a 6.7Mw earthquake in my home, just 3 miles from the Northridge epicenter in the San Fernando Valley in California. I remember vividly how violently the ground shook beneath me at 4:30am that day. This journal was a reflection of what happened when I returned to school. Looking back, I am grateful that my return to school was somewhat lack-luster, because this meant we were lucky to be alive and unharmed. 

Sometimes what you write in your journal becomes more than just words on a page. You get to remember the things you have been through and be grateful for how they shaped you into the person you are today. You can also make amends with regrets have and process things you “stuffed” down for a long time. 

Write on my friends!

Writing prompts to get your heart and mind moving:

  • Write a Letter: It can be to someone you love (your kids, husband or extended family). Maybe it’s to yourself (even your future or past self). Journaling through letter-writing can help you let out feelings of anger, fear and passion on paper. You find compassion for yourself and others as you pour out all that you feel onto paper and really work through the “tough stuff.” Side note: I do not recommend sending these letters, but they are a good starting place for getting the toxic emotions out!
  • Do a Year/Month in Review: What did I just learn during this past season? Reflection will help you see how far you have come.
  • Brainstorming: Come up with as many ideas as you can in 20 minutes. This can be ideas for a business, project or even personal matter. 
  • Vision Casting: What does your perfect day look like/feel like? Describe every detail from the room you wake up in… to the specific things you do that day.
  • Write a New Story: Write about your life as a story. Think of ways to incorporate the experiences that you loved the most and write them in vivid detail. You can capture memories that you may not remember you had. 
  • Reflect on What Makes You Unique: Discover what makes you come alive! Answer the prompt “I feel most like myself when…” 
  • Gratitude: Write down 3 things each evening that you were grateful for that day.

Journal/App Recommendations:

If you want to challenge yourself to MORE words… try challenging yourself to write 750 a day. 750 Words – Write every day.