A beginner’s guide to journaling (The Space Between style)

A Little Guide to Journaling

Journaling in The Space Between isn’t about keeping a perfect diary or writing pages every day. It’s simply about creating a little space between what’s happening and how you’re experiencing it.

There are no rules. Five minutes is enough. Five lines are enough. Sometimes five words are enough.

Try this:

Pause
Find somewhere relatively quiet. Put the phone down, take a breath and give yourself a few minutes where nothing needs your attention.

Notice
Ask yourself: What’s going on for me right now? Don’t look for the clever answer. Notice what comes up.

Write
Let the words come without editing them. You don't need good grammar, beautiful handwriting or profound insights. Nobody else needs to read this.

Get curious
If something keeps appearing, stay with it. Why does this matter to me? What am I feeling? What do I need? What am I avoiding? What would I like instead?

Leave without fixing
You don't need to finish with an action plan. Sometimes noticing something is enough. You can come back to it another day.

And remember:

You can’t get journaling wrong.

Some days you'll fill pages. Some days you'll write a sentence. Some days you'll stare at a blank page and realise you don't want to write at all.

That counts too.

The point isn't to produce something. It's to create enough space to hear yourself.

A space for reflection

You might be someone who spends a lot of time thinking, in fact you may be someone who’s mind is never still? How can you find the space and time to still your mind as a woman with a lot on her plate?

This is a space to pause. Here you will find questions for your busy mind; questions that direct your thinking in a more productive and thoughtful way than you might be used to. Here you will find journal prompts, questions to work through, things to ponder, coupled with an invitation to scribble or speak.

Some of you might work best jotting down a few words or a few ideas. If you have never tried it before, give it a go, I’ll guide you through the process of journaling. If sounding things out works better for you, grab your phone and find your voice recorder - you can speak your thoughts in to your phone, and if you are a doodler, use drawings to bring alive the thoughts in your head. Whatever way works best for you, give it a go!