Emotions


3 Steps for Writing Through Resistance to Release 6

WHENEVER YOU FEEL overwhelmed, find yourself doing things you really don’t want to do, or just otherwise feel that life isn’t going the way you want, you are experiencing some degree of resistance. You may tend to react by ignoring your feelings and pushing through the resistance in order to accomplish […]


6 Journaling Prompts to Conquer Your Inner Critic 3

ARE YOU SELF-CRITICAL? Get down on yourself for making mistakes or not meeting your own standards? If so, you’re definitely not alone. Many of us run a constant inner dialogue that sounds something like this: I can’t do anything right! Who would want to read anything I write? What an […]


hand - reaching for the light

10 Inspiring Journaling Prompts for Challenging Times 3

IN CHALLENGING TIMES, it is easy to get lost in the dark or negative aspects of what is going on around us and forget to look for the good—especially when newspapers and online media sensationalize the negative in order to take advantage of our natural, though morbid, sense of curiosity. […]


Writing Through Holiday Depression 3

FOR MANY PEOPLE, the holidays are a mix of joy and sorrow, gratitude and loss. On one hand are family and friends, and the warmth, caring, and love you share with them. On the other hand are family and friends, and the loss and pain associated with them. Maybe it’s just […]


7 Prompts for Writing About Guilt 5

Guilt isn’t always a rational thing, Clio realized. Guilt is a weight that will crush you whether you deserve it or not. ~ Maureen Johnson, Girl at Sea – Guilt is a feeling of blame or responsibility for having done something wrong. In its healthiest form, guilt is a moral compass that helps guide us […]


Journaling Prompts: About Making Mistakes 2

Mistake: an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong: coming here was a mistake | she made the mistake of thinking they were important.• something, esp. a word, figure, or fact, that is not correct; an inaccuracy: a couple of spelling mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone knows it. From spelling and grammar errors to life changing wrong decisions, if we’ve lived any length of time, we’ve […]


Remembering What Works 3

There are times when it is easier to focus on what’s not working in our lives than what does work. And, once the “not working” mindset has taken hold, it’s difficult not to live precariously from one challenge to the next in a downward emotional spiral. I have been reminded […]


5 Ways to Reduce Stress through Journaling 9

Stress is a normal, physical, chemical reaction to danger, to change, deadlines, and the unknown. Stress can motivate you to action and help you meet the challenges of everyday life. It is meant, biologically speaking, to help you in the short term. But in this age of over stimulus from […]


Writing Through Emotion: Resistance is Futile 10

  A few years ago, I was a devoted reader of Eckhart Tolle’s spiritual writings, such as The Power of Now and Stillness Speaks. I never thought Tolle was a particularly good writer, as far as writing goes, but his spiritual approach appealed to me. It still does, though I […]


A Week’s Worth of Journaling Prompts: Embarrasing Moments 2

Suddenly realizing you’re naked while at school or work is a nightmare almost everyone has experienced. What if it really happened? Imagine recess on a clear, spring day in northern California, children running and playing in a schoolyard, shouting, kicking balls, and swarming the play structures. There I was, five […]


5 Ways to Write Through Procrastination 10

When it’s time to write—whether you’re journaling or working on the next great American novel—do you procrastinate? Do you suddenly feel a burning need to fold laundry or phone that cousin you’ve been meaning to call? I confess, I’ve been procrastinating. It’s been two weeks since my last post, but […]