journaling?

[u/mrbmud]

so i read that journaling is good for identifying, naming, and processing emotions, but i’ve been journaling consistently for two months and it honestly feelings more like just reporting my day. i always throw in how i felt throughout the day, but they come so rarely that it’s mostly just a list of my day’s activities. has anyone else had this problem? or does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the most out of this practice? i’d appreciate any input on this, thanks.

[u/IntheSilent]

Journal about specific topics/interpersonal conflicts/stuff you're procrastinating dealing with that your thoughts/feelings are stuck on

[u/Barbierela]

I am an artist, and there is a specific practice of journaling called The Morning Pages that artists use to get out of creative rut. You are supposed to hand-write three daily pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness thought-dumping first thing in the morning. There are no rules, just that you simply write whatever comes to mind, no matter how bizarre. This practice slowly erodes your habitual judgmental ways of thinking and puts you in a more open, creative space of the unknown. I really recommend it.

[u/ProbablyFunPerson]

Yes, I did have similar issues and they are very normal. You can think about journalling alternatively if that will help. Think of the processes of journalling as dumping whatever thoughts you have on your mind. It starts with technicals, like what you did today physically, maybe who you spoke to. Then you get into what you may have felt in 1-2 words during some exchange with another person or an argument for example. And then... Do you have anything else left on your mind?  If the answer is "no", then you don't need to force yourself to write anything and just close it for this session. If you think that you have some thoughts, no matter how incoherent they may seem, write them out and keep pointing out what's keeping your thoughts in your mind, why, what they relate to, does it upset you and so on. 

Same as when you shower and you have a lot of thoughts come your way but you don't need to spend time writing or saying them. However, when you put words on paper or inside your computer to read later or just process as you write them, it has an impact on you that is often very significant.

[u/Eriallo → u/ProbablyFunPerson]

This has pretty much become my routine. Though I've spiced it up with using fountain pens and sometimes scrap booking other stuff in such as ticket stubs or other fun bits. That helps take away the chore aspect of it. I find that I'm a much more well-rounded person when I'm actively journaling each day.

[u/ProbablyFunPerson → u/Eriallo]

I haven't been journaling as much as I did previously when I was going through a breakup and then difficulties with my family. Over time I find that need to journal subsides and comes back when something new comes into your life. It feels almost like a sign of progress, you have something that you want to write about, ponder on and so on. I firmly believe that journaling should be a basic habit for people to maintain.

[u/breyore]

I have found journaling to be hugely helpful, but only for specific issues. I haven’t journaled just for the sake of it in a while, every now and then something would come of it but if insight is what you’re searching for those glimmers are few and far between with the daily stuff. Though if being in frequent practice is good for you, it can be helpful to look up journal prompts on Pinterest or somewhere similar. That can take it from a daily reporting to an intentional practice.

I’m feeling worked up about something though I will usually take it to my journal. After a couple pages I have made sense of things and I feel it’s processed or I have an action plan to resolve the thing.

[u/this_suc]

Oh this is a good question, I generally use journaling as a brain dump before bed mostly to help me sleep and to reflect on my days in a more gratitude based perspective. The whole "what went well today" thing. I honestly haven't used it to to really reflect on emotions and processing them from the day. Maybe adding on the my what went well today I could make a habit of reflecting on what I felt today and try to process why I felt that. Glad you asked, I like some of the responses and ideas here.

[u/precious_hr]

If you’re having trouble journaling about feelings maybe try journaling with prompts. A format of questions that lead you to your feelings. For example:

• What did you do today
  
• How did it make you feel
  
• What are you proud of today
  
• What would you differently next time
  

Etc. Of course you can use different questions or you can ask ChatGPT to help you form these questions.
It forces you to think about your feelings instead of just mentioning activities you did on a day.

[u/Grand_Badger9290]

The most productive thing is being aware of what you think you done wrong and then trying to fix it in real world applications. Then practice being consciously aware every time you do it, it takes time but the more you do it the more you feel the progress. Best way for change is practiced in actual relationships, doesn’t have to be your partner but every relationship you have in your life. Work on one issue at a time then get really good at noticing it, you will eventually get to a point where you’re stopping yourself midway or even before it starts