I’ve been thinking about this space for awhile. I initially made the decision not to move my more active blog, LifeLines Journaling, into WordPress because I wanted to carve out a place that I could be more…me…in terms of those subjects I’m passionate about. I felt that LifeLines was about capturing and celebrating the moments and any negative feelings I might have, any of those moments that come up that I don’t celebate (and which we all have) needed a forum as well. But I have continued to struggle on posts here. Which brings me full circle to journaling basics. One of the topics I explore in my journals as well as with participants in my workshops revolves around editing our truth. How many times in a day are we not authentic ~ because of our perception of others’ responses, because of the setting, because we want to be liked, because we struggle with “no,” because we’ve lost who we were in a multitude of responsibilities.
As I process what will work for me here, what I’m comfortable writing and what may be holding me back, you can do the same with your journal writing with the following prompts:
Are you editing yourself in the course of a day? Is it necessary?
Who are you writing for?
When re-reading an entry, are there emotions and/or thoughts you had at the time that you didn’t put on the page?
When re-reading multiple entries over time, what’s missing? Are you writing about times of joy and laughter? Are you writing about intense pain? Are you allowing yourself to play in your journal? Are you being honest with yourself?
If you find that perhaps you are silencing a piece of your voice within your journal or in life, write about why that might be. For those daily interactions, look out how more authentic expression would play out ~ what would it look like? What benefits of authenticity might you and others around you experience? What is the worst that could happen if you were truly you? For your journal, explore how you can ensure your privacy both now and in the future for your journals (yes, I have a plan for my journals when I pass on). If fear of the emotion is holding you back, brainstorm lists of how you can treat yourself gently while looking at difficult topics. For those extremely sensitive subjects, consider enlisting the help of a counselor or therapist if needed.
