Ways to Use Your Journal for Self-Discovery

By: Lori Pederson L.M.S.W.

As a therapist, I often suggest to clients that they explore their feelings and thoughts by keeping a journal. Sometimes clients ask for a bit of direction with this process. Here are some journaling ideas if you’re not sure where to start:

• 1.  Write down what happened today and how you felt about it.
• 2.  Write a letter to a person you are angry with. Say everything you are feeling and wish you had the nerve to say.
• 3.  Draw a picture of the person you wrote the letter to in #2.
• 4.  Make a list of all the things you are grateful for. List all the big things, all the small things, and everything in between that you can think of.
• 5.  Circle the three most important things on the list you made in #4. Write a paragraph for each, expressing your appreciation to the person who had the most influence over it. If possible turn this into an actual letter and send it.
• 6.  Make a list of the things that you feel upset about right now. Write down as many as you can think of until you can’t think of any more. Then choose the top five.
• 7.  For each of the top five things you identified in #6, list 10 things you can do to gain control of the situation. Circle the top three from each list.
• 8.  Make a timeline that represents your life. Fill it in with the most significant events that have shaped you: your early years, your teen years, and each decade that has followed. Draw pictures or icons next to the most important events. Use crayons or markers if you wish.
• 9.  Write a few pages about your feelings about the timeline.
• 10.  Describe how your life would be different if                    had or had not happened.

• Here are some examples:

  • a.   If your parents had divorce
  • b.   If your parents had remained married
  • c.   If your parents had been married
  • d.   If your mother hadn’t passed away
  • e    If you hadn’t moved to         
  • f.    If you had gone to college
  • g.   If you hadn’t gone to college
  • h.   If you had gone to           College
  • i.    If you had never met             
  • j.    If you hadn’t broken up with