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No Pressure Journaling is part of my morning routine. Why no pressure journaling? Because a few years back, I realized I was trying to journal the way I thought I SHOULD. I was forcing it to fit into a mold of what I thought journaling should look like. That kind of pressure made journaling feel daunting and intimidating, and ultimately, I would stop because it was too much.
I recently filled the pages of my journal. It took me over 18 months to finish out this one notebook. I didn’t put pressure on myself to do it every single day. Nor when I write do I try to fill a whole page. These are the things I used to feel like I needed to do. I had this idea of how journaling was supposed to go and those expectations were unrealistic for me, if I wanted to journal consistently.
Now I realize that this is MY JOURNAL, and it can be whatever I want it to be. Now in the morning, I might write down one Bible verse that inspires me. There are days where I am writing about what I am grateful for... maybe 3 or 4 things that I feel thankful for.
Having a gratitude journal is a beautiful thing to do, and it is important. I just don’t do it every single day. This is not a requirement for my no-pressure journaling.
Journaling is not just logging my deepest darkest thoughts and secrets. Sometimes I am sharing what's on my heart, what's worrying me, what I am scared of, how I am overwhelmed. It can be very therapeutic to get it all out on paper. But again, it's not something I feel I need to do every single day.
There are parts of my journal where I am just writing down my prayer requests or even whole prayers.
The point of me sharing this with you is journaling can look different every single day. There is no formula for it. It’s Ok if you miss a day, or skip a week. Who cares if you don’t fill a whole page of your thoughts on paper. Maybe all you have is just a bible verse to write down. It’s OK. Or maybe you can't think of thing to write down. It’s OK.
If you are not journaling because you feel pressure around it like I did, I hope that you will reconsider. Maybe now you can shift your thoughts around what your journal is supposed to look like and be like. Remove the rules you may have in your mind about it as I did.
I realize now that journaling can be so meaningful when you go back and read a year ago what you were experiencing. How cool to go back and see how that prayer was answered, or a problem was solved. That quote you loved 2 years ago… you still love it, but now it means something different for you.
I really want to encourage you to pick up a journal and start writing in it. Make it your own, make it obligation-free. It is YOUR JOURNAL
Let me hear from you about this topic. What are your thoughts about journaling? You can leave a comment here or find me on Facebook or here on Instagram
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Jessica
September 05, 2020
Thank you for this! I always felt the pressure to write something- anything down and I would beat my self up if I didn’t have anything to offer that day. If gives me relief knowing we are all in the same boat and that it shouldn’t be forced. Thank you! 😊