On Journaling

 

Dr Chatterjee recommends journaling. In fact, he suggests buying his journal!

(https://drchatterjee.com/# Podcast #413 How to make 2024 your best year: 3 questions to ask yourself each day).

But nevertheless:

Journaling need not take long. You could do it each morning over a cuppa. Or more irregularly. You only need a few minutes.

A ritual can help us. Try attaching journaling to another habit. And to have a visual cue. And get rid of any friction. Put your journal and pen near your mug, kettle and morning coffee.

Journaling might not be that different from prayer and reflection. But it is helpful to write something down to crystalise it. Writing on paper may be better than typing. It may help you to have a journal (or pen and paper) which you like and look forward to using.

You could journal in the form of prayer, “Father, thank you… sorry… please….”

Journaling can help you to stand outside your life and examine it. It can help you to break the loop of stress and anxiety. It is a way of having a conversation with yourself.

Start small and easy and repeat.   

Journaling can be a good way to make the day more intentional (less reactive or unconsidered). It can be a great way to help you to do other good stuff.  

Chatterjee suggests we ask ourselves three key questions everyday:

(1) “What’s the most important thing for me to do today?” Pick one and then do it. That day will seem like a win.

We can sometimes feel that we have many important things to do today. Which may be true. But it is helpful to choose one. Likely we can never do everything we feel we ought to do. But we can get on and do something meaningful or necessary.

(2) Journaling can also help to deliver us from the negativity of the news and social media. It is worth asking ourselves what we are deeply grateful for in our lives. What do we really appreciate? It is better to be positive rather than to look at lacks. Be specific. Try to focus more on people than things. Seek to connect with your emotions (to feel what you appreciate, engage the senses).

The more we practice these things, the better we will get at them.  

(3) We might ask ourselves: “What quality do I want to show the world today?” For example, if we seek to show patience, we might begin to notice what makes us impatient and how we can be patient. Imagine yourself being patient. Practice! Choose who you want to be.

In the evening, one might reflect on the day. One study found this could lead to a 25% increase in performance.

Possible evening questions are:

(1) What went well today? Again, this cultivates positivity and gratitude.

(2) What can I do differently tomorrow?

(3) What did I do for someone else today? One study found practicing kindness may have more effect on mental well-being than diet or exercise.

If we try something like this over seven days, we are likely to experience positive effects.  

On Christian journaling see: https://www.churchsociety.org/resource/s08e05-christian-journalling/