I love to write. Always have and likely always will. Before I became a counselor, I was a copywriter. I wrote ads for radio and for advertising agencies. While I loved the opportunity for creativity, the advertising world didn’t fit my personality well, and I turned to counseling; a way to use my love of psychology to help make a creative difference in people’s lives in a kinder and gentler way than “making a sale”. And who knows, maybe someday, when life takes on a slower pace for me, I’ll write a book. Or a book of poems. Or chronical my “life in the therapists chair”. Until then journaling and the occasional blog will have to suffice.
Writing, it seems to me, gives us a healthy distance and perspective from our thoughts and allows greater understanding and insight, while also allowing for emotional expression. I think writing in general, and journaling specifically, can be so therapeutic!
It’s with that perspective in mind that I wanted to make you aware of a new tool for personal growth. It’s a journaling tool I first heard about from one of my clients…I have such GREAT clients! 🙂 Often people feel like they just don’t have the time to journal. Or I will hear from clients about all the negative thoughts swirling around and around in their journals, without any resolutions or clarity ever emerging.
Enter the “5 minute Journal”. I have been using it for about two weeks now and really do feel the positive impact! I have no connection to this journal personally, professionally, or monetarily, I just want to share this very useful tool! We so desperately need as many “awake” “conscious” , “thinking” and “introspective” people as possible in this difficult time in our history.
Here’s why I like it, and why I wanted to share this resource with you:
- I love the format which is so very “do-able”…everyone’s got 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes at night right? (No more saying, I’d love to journal, but I just don’t have the time!)
- It provides a space for daily gratitude, which has been shown to be a key component of increasing daily contentment and happiness.
- It offers an opportunity to focus on small daily changes and goals for self-improvement and personal growth. Stopping negative habits, like procrastination, or beginning positive behaviors, like committing to a meditation practice, can be easier with a gentle daily reminder in our 5 minutes of journaling first thing in the morning.
- Then we get a chance to review how well we did at the end of the day; a time to be honest and objective and take responsibility for our choices and behaviors, as well to be understanding, compassionate and forgiving of ourselves.
- I like the encouragement to focus on and really connect with our feelings that emerge during the journaling process. Too often we go through entire days or weeks (or lifetimes?!) without being aware of any of our emotions at all! So, for 5 minutes each day we are encouraged to not only introspect cognitively, but also to identify and connect to our emotions. By imagining how we will feel after we have achieved our daily goal, and really connecting to that feeling, we are much more likely to accomplish our goal, and more likely to feel happy, satisfied and proud once we’ve achieved it!
- I like the fact that you have your own personal “record” of change, to review whenever it can be helpful; a journal full of reflection and observation about yourself, your life, your changes and your growth!
- Finally, I really like the feeling of empowerment that more “conscious” day-to-day living creates. Each day I take the time to complete the journal, I feel like my insight and awareness grows, along with my ability to take action…to grow and change in important and positive ways!
Here’s an article where you can learn more about the “5 Minute Journal”… https://www.intelligentchange.com/blogs/news/the-five-minute-journal-questions
Check it out and consider giving yourself 10 minutes a day to create more happiness in your life! Happy journaling!
