All too often in my journaling workshops, I hear concerns from people who wish to start a journaling practice, but encounter so many obstacles that they can’t begin to create a journaling habit, even though the will is there. With as many tugs that pull on our proverbial sleeves these days, it’s no wonder it’s hard to get going, much less try to go deeper than writing about what you ate for lunch or the portion of cloud cover in the skies that day.
And yet, go deeper we must.
That is why I started to pay attention to what my journal clients who were writing in successful and satisfying ways, and also paid attention to my own practice of many years (well over 30!) and realized that as much as we want that perfect, still moment that invites us to lounge in a overstuffed chair for hours of uninterrupted reflection, and be able to dive deep into the memoirs we want to investigate, those moments are fleeting, louder than we’d like, and sometimes, completely unrealistic.
The Write Yourself In method takes into account the fact that you may only have 5 minutes - which is absolutely enough to keep a practice going with some consistency! The WYI method takes into account you may be in your car, waiting for a train to pass, your child to be released from school, or even taking a breath to collect yourself before headed into work. Not only will you be prepared to write, you can access the depths (if you wish) more quickly, and we care about that because the edges… the depths…is where the good stuff is. The point at which you are taking a deep breath and writing the words you never thought you’d write, or describing the future moment you have always wanted to have, you can trust that the boundaries of your journal practice are safe,you know where you want to go in your writing, and you can commit fully to the time you have allotted.
The few moments it takes to center yourself with the 4 simple steps of this method, can mean the difference between writing in your journal: “Had oatmeal for breakfast again.” and “I don’t want to feel like this anymore. Something has to change.” And change it will. Let your journal be your guide.
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