How Journal Writing Can Help You Gain Clarity

Are you feeling stuck? Or perhaps you’re contemplating a new creative project or a new creative direction?

During times of deliberation or when you’re facing a creative block, journal writing can help. It can be a powerful way to connect with your authentic self and your core beliefs. It can also help you see the many options that will lead you to a bigger vision.

Journal writing is a form of therapeutic writing. It’s the process of chronicling those many thoughts that are swirling around in your head - with no worries of being censored.

From our poetry to our music to our storytelling, writing what we see, think and feel has always had therapeutic value. Our entire history as humans comes from thousands of years of artists, writers and cave dwellers taking the time to record their perceptions of life at the time.

Through your journal, you can process your thoughts and hear the advice and encouragement of your wisest, most loving self. Writing slows down your thoughts and allows you to think more clearly and to process with more clarity. It can also help you focus your mind with laser-like accuracy, enabling you to clearly hear the voice of your soul.

A popular journal for creative people is an “ideas journal” - a place where you can record all the brilliant ideas that come into your head. It’s a place for recording and examining your thoughts, feelings and desires that are related to a particular idea. And by journaling about them, you can explore any doubts, fears and confusion. Getting it all out on paper will help you gain insights, clarity and understanding.

Another popular journal for creative people is a “project journal.” Once you’ve made the decision to embark on a creative project or a creative path, you can chronicle your journey by documenting all the many thoughts and feelings that pop up along the way. It’s a great way to help you sort out any frustrations and keep you on track.

So if you’re stalling, pull out your journal and dump out the mental clutter. This simple process will help you pave the way toward clarity.

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Tina M. Games is the author of Journaling by the Moonlight: A Mother’s Path to Self-Discovery and its accompanying deck of 54 journaling prompt cards. As a certified creativity and life purpose coach, she is the Moonlight Muse for women who want to tap into the “full moon within” and claim their authentic self, both personally and professionally. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and their two children.