8 things I did that made journaling feel actually helpful.

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00:37 Put in less work

01:30 Thoughtful commentary does not a useful journal make

03:27 Instead of using journaling prompts

04:07 BW Mode

05:25 Venting isn't the answer

06:05 Drop the rules

07:19 Don't reopen ur wounds

09:27 Lock it down🔗 *You think this video just fell out of a coconut tree? It exists in the context... ⇢*

Most of this video is just... years of experience with journaling (with a lot of giving up on journaling, trying again, noticing what worked and noticing what didn't. But there are always sooo many smart people that have influenced me along the way. In this video, that includes:

🔗 Judd Brewer talks a lot about the "emotional juice" of memories in the context of anxiety - I looove that wording and using it a few times in this video.

🔗 The idea of "dropping a question into your mind like you're dropping a pebble into a pond" is from a book with a one-word title - unfortunately I can't remember the name of it! If it comes to me I will add here.

🔗 "Sentence starters" is something I got into after reading "Unlocking The Emotional Brain" - this book is... amazing, life-changing lol and has nothing to do with journaling at all, but also has everything to do with journaling for me: https://amzn.to/4z3Ib7S

🔗 The idea of memories holding emotional juice was also something that came from using "imagery rescripting", more on that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2qPNirHniQ

🔗 The research on venting "Don't ignore your negative emotions, but don't dwell on them": https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happy-together/202309/do-you-vent-because-you-think-its-good-for-you-think-again