Strong & Vital, Pt. X - Illuminating Your Path with the Practice of Journaling

For many of us, particularly in the midst of a demanding career and personal life transitions, gaining clarity on "what's next" feels more crucial than ever.  What if a simple, accessible practice could illuminate your path forward, helping you process information, pinpoint desires, and map out your next steps with confidence?

Today, we'll explore how a powerful tool that can help you sort through the whirlwind of thoughts, feelings, and decisions that come with navigating life’s rich complexities and exciting possibilities: journaling.

The essence of journaling is an intentional way of focusing your attention, leading to greater awareness, insight  and inner harmony.  It’s not about merely recording the events of the day; it’s a dynamic practice of active introspection, reflection, and discovery.

If you’re thinking, “Writing isn’t my strong suit,” or “I don’t have the time to write,” let me assure you, if you can write an email or send a text, you have the ability to journal.  It’s a very flexible practice that you can continuously shape to fit your needs.

You have many options, such as narrative writing, a bulleted list, sketches, pictures, or even your phone to record voice notes or videos.  If you prefer a portable or virtual option, online journals with multimedia capabilities are available.

Whatever method you choose, consider your writing practice as a protected space where you can identify where your inner and outer worlds are not congruent, explore new areas of interest, and dive deep in fearless conversations with yourself.

The practice of journaling is more than recording daily events.  It’s more expansive and feels like discovery.  It encompasses larger themes such as personal relationships, professional matters, work/life balance, major life changes, and envisioning the next life phase – a place where significant life experiences can be pondered, explored and processed.

And the benefits are numerous. In my book, The Athena Principles, I wrote about studies showing that journaling can positively impact mental well-being, the immune system and overall happiness.  Dr. Pennebaker's often-cited research on Expressive Writing, where the writer connects with underlying emotion, highlights its power for healing.  He found that holding back thoughts and feelings can place people at risk for various diseases.  Over time, regular writing practice can lead to less stress and better sleep.

Beyond wellness, there’s a creative freedom in capturing what’s important to you in any manner you choose.  My journals are filled with clippings, lists, questions, half-fleshed out ideas, vignettes, song lyrics, poems, pictures, doodles, intentions and prose.

Flipping through these old journals is like walking a trail through my inner life over the years – my journey toward wholehearted living, finding meaning and purpose and making an impact.

Think of your journal as a safe space to dare, to dream, and to envision big steps in privacy before taking action.  Like any lasting, nurturing relationship, with some tending and care, it flourishes and deepens.

Before I get practical and share how to keep a journal or reinvigorate your practice, I’d like to share a story.

I secretly wanted to be a writer since I was a kid, but it wasn’t until I began working in Manhattan after college that the urge resurfaced.  One morning, during a commute on the 1 train, I saw a young man writing in a worn leather journal.  He was casually dressed, with unkempt black hair and a scruffy beard.  As the train neared his stop, he finished his entry, closed the almost full journal and wrapped the long leather string around it several times before stuffing it in his pack.

I was entranced.  I never saw him again, but I longed to hold a well-worn journal brimming with my own thoughts.  At the time, in my mid-20s, working in a corporate environment, I felt myself begin to wither in a drab cubicle.

During my lunch hour, I walked over to a music store a bought a small, spiral-bound notebook.  Its pages were full of music staffs, designed to hold the penciled notes of aspiring composers.  It wasn’t practical for the writing I wanted to do, but I liked the feel of it.  I returned to work with a take-out lunch and a rekindled dream to be a writer.

The office was quiet. I opened the notebook and picked up my pen to start my new career, but my mind was blank.  I had no idea how to begin.  I glanced up at my shelf and saw a dictionary.  A plan was launched – to find all the words that hummed to me, write them in my notebook, and then rearrange them into a story.  I opened the dictionary to “A” and got to work.

For days I jotted microscopic words into my covert notebook when my colleagues were occupied by work-related projects.  I never made it out of the “A’s,” but I still have that notebook.  In fact, I have shelves full of notebooks now dating back three plus decades – all thanks to that young writer on 1 train who sparked something for me and set me on a lifelong love affair with scribbling in notebooks. 

I share this story because, especially for the beginners or those who have been blocked or discouraged from writing in some way, this is an exercise that gets better with practice.  What once was a deep longing is now the most natural thing in the world for me, carrying my notebook wherever I go.

It takes time to build writing muscle by consistently picking up a pen, just like it takes time to build physical muscle by consistently lifting weights.  Very little is needed to build writing muscle – just a pen, a notebook and an unwavering willingness to tell the truth – your truth.

So what do you need to get started? I suggest keeping it simple with a basic notebook and pen.  And how do you journal?  I only have two rules: date the entry and write by hand (although you may choose to type).  That’s it – open the notebook, date the page and go!  Free write.  Give no thought to neatness or grammar; just keep going.

I know that’s easier said than done.  Here are three ways to get started:

1. Prompts:  Begin with something you sense or an emotion you feel.  For example, "I woke to the sound of…," or "I dreamt that..."  It’s helpful to keep a list of memory prompts in the back of your notebook.  For example, listening to records as a kid, daily commutes to NYC, my grandmother’s hands covered in flour, first cross-country road trip.

   You can also search for lists of general prompts online, like "I remember."  Write that phrase, then what comes to mind.  If you stop, write "I remember" again and begin with another memory.

   Get creative with your prompts.  They can be an object, a dream, a photo, a memory, a poem, a sensory detail, a quote, a passage from a book, something in nature, a snippet of conversation, a question, a wish, an avoidance, gratitude, a decision, a fear, a goal, or an intention.  You can also make simple lists: a bucket list, places to visit, things to do, people to meet.

2. Vignettes:  Sometimes I wake with a specific memory, a distinct feeling or a new idea I’d like to explore.  On those mornings, I’ll write a vignette.  Vignettes are “short, descriptive scenes that capture a single moment or a defining detail about a character, idea or element of a larger story.”  To try this, set a timer for ten minutes and write, focusing on describing the scene through your senses and the details with the most "heat."

3. Questions:  Another powerful technique is using questions as a starting point.  You can dialogue with questions, weigh pros and cons, examine beliefs or work through a different point of view.  For inspiration, try Jennie Lee’s book Spark Change: 108 Provocative Questions for Spiritual Evolution.

You can even use journaling to help in your professional life.  Here are five practical applications:

1. Enhanced Decision-Making:  Journaling can help you unpack complex choices, assess options, and access intuitive clarity beyond logical analysis.

2. Processing Workplace Complexities:  It can offer a confidential outlet for navigating difficult conversations, team dynamics, leadership challenges or organizational changes, leading to greater emotional regulation and resilience.

3. Reducing Overwhelm/Analysis Paralysis:  It can shift you from rumination to organized thought and actionable insights.

4. Strategic Reflection:  Your journal can be a "sounding board" for strategic thinking and planning.

5. Leadership Effectiveness:  Cultivating this deep self-awareness can directly translate into stronger, more authentic leadership.

Now that you have the basic components and applications of journaling, let’s help you find your unique journaling rhythm.  While making your practice your own is a deeply personal process, it doesn't have to be complicated.  Consider these questions to help design a practice that truly resonates with you:

• What type of journaling will you try first? (e.g., free writing, prompts, bullet points, business writing, art journaling, voice notes)

• What tools will you use? (e.g., a notebook and pen, dedicated app, a voice recorder)

• What time of day will you commit to, where and for how long? (e.g., 5 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at the end of the day, during a lunch break)

• How can you make journaling habitual? (e.g., linking it to an existing routine like your morning coffee or before bed)

• What would make it most enjoyable or inviting for you?

The last point I’ll make on how to get started is on consistency.  Many schools of thought exist, from writing every day to making a schedule or ritualizing special times.  You’ll need to determine what consistency means for you.

Consistency shows commitment that you’re placing importance on this activity.  By showing up consistently, you build trust with yourself, learning to work with your gut instinct and intuition, which, in turn, builds resilience.

Consistent practice also takes pressure off your writing sessions because you’ll be back so you can try again.  You can break larger questions or problems into smaller ones that are easy to address in shorter sessions, allowing solutions to develop over time.  You’ll see patterns, gain clarity and focus on the next actionable step.  And you can invite big dreams to unfold, because you’ve demonstrated your ability to tend the space you’re creating.  You’ll find the right rhythm with trial and error, and most importantly, create a practice that’s sustainable for you.

A mentor once called her journal her “life companion,” a phrase I love because it’s about getting to know yourself deeply, just as you would with your beloved.  Whenever you need to be heard, your notebook is there.  It travels well and is available 24/7 for whatever you choose to explore, create, purge, visualize, or dare to discover who you are and dream up who you want to be.

This brings me back to that young man I saw on the NYC subway so many years ago.  I sometimes wonder what would have happened if our paths hadn't serendipitously crossed that morning.  Seeing him write in that well-worn journal, page after page, ignited such a desire in me to be able to do the same.

On that day, I couldn't imagine having a room filled with notebooks of my own writing, as I do now. That young man had no idea of the impact he had, sparking a 30+ year love affair with writing in another human. He was just doing what writers do. What might happen when you write in your journal?

I once read a story about a mother who told her daughter she was leaving her all of her journals, but she couldn't read them until she was gone.  The woman died a week later.  The daughter was surprised her mother even kept journals, let alone that there were three shelves of them.

She reached for the first one, and it was blank.  The second was empty, too.  So was the third, and every journal that followed as she worked her way through the three shelves.  The rest of the book, When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams, is a reconciliation of this experience, exploring what it means to have a voice, what suppresses it, and what's left in the wake of its void.

About halfway through, I closed the book and felt intense gratitude for the dozens, maybe hundreds—I've never counted—of notebooks I've filled over the years, in a way I never appreciated before.  I've always had the impulse to write, but never paused to consider why.  And in that moment, I realized it didn't matter what happened to my notebooks—it was the act of writing, the process, the ritual of picking up a pen and expressing my unique view, if only to myself.  It has led me on a well-documented path of self-discovery and growth, and deepened my empathy when I work with students and clients. 

As you can see, cultivating a journaling practice is an active and dynamic journey into your inner world.  Think of it as consistently "putting in the reps," where each moment of quiet exploration sharpens your intuition and deepens your self-trust.

Over time, you'll begin to recognize the fruitful cycle of listening to your inner voice, acting on its guidance and witnessing positive outcomes.  Be open to the unexpected discoveries that await in the stillness – buried desires and abandoned passions may resurface, adding richness and new direction to your life.

Consider the vast landscape of journaling methods available.  Choose one that calls to you, design a sustainable routine and commit to the experiment of nurturing this space of self-discovery.

In doing so, you'll forge a deeper connection to your inner wisdom, a wellspring that will guide you through life's challenges, spark your creativity and illuminate a path toward greater purpose and authentic fulfillment.

Journal Reflections: What has been your relationship with journaling? How might this practice support you in this stage of your life? What’s the simplest way to get started today?

Links:    

• Free wellness plan PDF:  Action Plan Template

• YouTube:  The Athena Wellness Channel

• Work with Kathy:  Coaching Opportunities

• Email Kathy:  hello@athenawellness.com