Journal To Get Clarity In Life

One of the biggest problem people have nowadays, is they don't have clarity in life.

You go through life stumbling into things and trying to make them work. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't. As you move into adulthood, you start making decisions of your own. You leave the parents' nest and try to make something of yourself.

The decisions you make come with their worries and anxieties. You choose which major you take. You choose a life partner. You choose where to live.  And there are many other decisions you will make as you go through life. Some decisions are made for you by your parents, others you have to make by yourself.

Sometimes, you want someone who can counsel you. Sometimes, you feel overwhelmed with your thoughts and emotions and want to make sense of them. Sometimes, all you want is someone who can listen to you rant and be a patient friend.

Journaling is one way I have found that helps me with all the above. A blank piece of paper is like that patient friend who sits with you and says little. Yet at the end of the day, you feel light and content for having spent the time with her.

Into Journaling

If you have something to say, your friend (the blank page) is waiting patiently. If you have a problem to chew on, your friend is there to sort it out. If you have a decision to make, your friend is there to list out all the possibilities.

Oftentimes, I have been forced to make a decision and I can't make it through my mind. I need all the possibilities in front of me. I need a place where I can put all my thinking and see it from a birds-eye view. Journaling helps me do that.

There have been times when a strong emotion is bothering me and I can't figure out what to do about it. Journaling helps me put strong emotions on a piece of paper and look at it from a better perspective.

Many times, all you want to do is rant and talk about your day. You want to talk about how your girlfriend is making you mad or how your colleague is not cooperative with you. Just put the words to paper and you feel a relief for sharing it.

Journaling is a great way to make challenging decisions, sort through difficult emotions, and talk about your day like you would to a friend.

Morning Pages

There is a form of journaling called the Morning Pages where you write 3 pages first thing in the morning. There are no rules, all you have to do is write down whatever comes to mind.

Morning pages help to unpack whatever is going on in your mind. It helps clear away all the distracting thoughts. I have done morning pages and it does help you sort out the little notions going on in your brain.

Better to write them first thing in the morning and sort through them than keep them in your mind where they weigh you down while you work throughout the day.

How to Start Journaling

• Start small. Start with 5 minutes or 1 sentence and build your way up. You don’t run 5 kilometers the first time you go for a run. You run for 500 meters or 1 kilometer at max. Similarly, journaling for 30 minutes or an hour the first time will feel overwhelming.
• Make it seamless. Insert the habit into your daily routine so that it’s easy to do. You can do it first thing in the morning or right before you go to bed at night.
• Don’t overthink. Start writing whatever comes to mind. You are not aiming for flawless grammar here. Nor is comprehension important. You are trying to reflect on something you find interesting and important.
• Use prompts. If you don’t know what to write, use prompts. Google “journaling prompts”, and pick any 1 for the day and just write.
• Try both longhand and digital. People have their preferences of whether they want to write by hand or type it on a screen. Writing by hand makes you write the most important things. Typing it out is generally faster and you can process through a lot of information.

Journaling is a great way to get clarity in life. Start small and insert the writing habit into your daily routine. Prompts are a great way to start out with writing. Try both longhand and typing to find your preference.