5 Journaling Jumpstarts

When keeping a personal journal, you may notice that the practice involves you in an intimate relationship, one you and your journal are building over time. Like all intimate relationships, there may be highs and lows in the interchanges. There may be times when the journaling flows easily, and other times when the flow seems to just dry up.

Have you been journaling for a while and find yourself thirsting for new ideas to write about? Do you sense there's more your soul wants to express, but you're not sure how to dig it up?

Here are some powerful ways to awaken buried thoughts and feelings, to find fresh new insights for your journaling joy.

1. Change of scenery
If you are a morning person, switch to writing “Night Notes” and see how that data dump before bedtime helps you sleep and dream better. If you’re a night owl, try writing first thing in the morning. Give it at least a week to see how it works for you.

2. Read, read, read
Arbitrarily open an old journal, today’s newspaper, or a book that's at hand. Or Google a question and see what the search returns. Choose a word, phrase or sentence from your reading, write it down and experience how that simple action attracts your muses’ attention.

3. Ta-da list
We’re used to feeling pressured by our to-do lists. Try reversing the process by creating a ta-da list, showing your accomplishments, successes, talents, and feel-good memories. Use one or two items from the list to jump start your next journaling session.

4. Carpe diem
Try micro journaling for a few days. Instead of (or in addition to) your regular journaling session, carry a small notebook or voice recorder with you wherever you go and make notes throughout the day, When you sit down for some serious journaling time, you can select one of these notes to prompt a longer entry.

5. Try a new ride
Journaling does not always have to involve writing. You can draw pictures, or make collages instead. This absolutely does not require artistic expertise. In the same way that you use writing to explore, you can use images to find out more about yourself.

Even if you journal regularly and feel as though you'll never run out of things to write about, it's not a bad idea to change things up now and again. A journal is for aid and comfort, but it can also be a highly effective change agent.

Maybe everything's perfect in your life, and you wouldn't change a thing. But more likely, you are always on the lookout for ways to improve your world. Using any of the above jumpstarts, or simply pulling from a nice long list of journaling prompts will bring you new discoveries and perspectives, and keep you moving in your quest for perpetual bliss.