Journaling Exercises for Getting Started

As you may remember from our last session, we discussed Susan Fee's journaling exercises that sh adapted from The Way of the Journal by Kathleen Adams (Sidran Press, 1998.) During her presentation, Fee discussed that there are different types of exercises based on each person's journaling goals. 

The first set of exercises she addressed are for getting started. These are ones where they are structured, contained exercises that are good for when you're feeling overwhelmed, want information quickly or have limited time to journal.

Sentence Stems
To begin with, she addresses what is called Sentence Stems. These are where you fill in the blank with one or two words, or a sentence. (The length of the sentence in terms of words is up to you. A simple sentence is approximately 5 to 8 words.) During our session we answered five of the sentence stems Fee provided during her presentation. Remember, the point of the exercise is to start simply. Only spend a few moments on each sentence stem. You can always come back later to expand on the stems, but for now, you want to merely get words down.

Also, you can use a sentence stem if you wish, in lieu of Fee's suggestion that you start and end each journal entry with three feelings words or answering the question "How do I feel right now?"

Below are some of the ideas Fee provided, but you can generate your own or a simple Google search will help you come up with more.

  • A word that describes me is...
  • When I think about writing a journal, I...
  • When I check inside, I find...
  • If my present mood was a color, it would be...
  • My Inner Critic says I'm...
  • I am a person who...
  • I am grateful for...
  • The best/worst part about my day is...
  • Right now I feel...
  • Right now I need...
  • The best thing I can do for myself is...
Five Minute Sprints/Timed exercise
Probably my least favorite of all the exercises we reviewed during our three session, the five minute sprints or timed exercise is where you simply write for five minutes (or any time you set for yourself) and then stop. Set a timer and write your time at the top of the page. You can write about anything, as long as you stop at five minutes (or again, whatever time you set for yourself. Once the timer goes off, review what you've written. You can always continue if you choose.

For someone just starting the journal for the first time, this exercise is a great way to start. Set the alarm to go off after three or five minutes, and as you get more comfortable with journaling, you can add additional time to the timer. You will be surprised if at first you start at just three minutes (such as we did during our third session) and within weeks or months you can write for an hour!

Lists and Structured Write
Although Fee includes them together, she explains each one separately.

Lists: Write your "to-do" lists as journal entries, making sure to date each one. Length and repetitiveness does not matter. Eventually, you may see patterns that give you insight. Fee recommends that when doing the lists, you try and list 7 to 10 items a day. It is important though to remember that at the end of the day, you review your "to-do" lists and find out what you did not do on it. After you identify those items, try and answer the following questions:
  • Why is it on the list?
  • Who had you/what made you put it on the list?
  • Why are you not doing it?
  • What will it take/make you give it up or remove it from your list?
Structured Write: Another timed exercise, allowing no more than 20 minutes and no less than 15 minutes to answer the following questions in order with one or two sentences each. Allow time at the end to review your answers and expand on any new awareness or insights.
  • I want to explore...
  • The first thing that comes to mind is...
  • Beneath the surface I find...
  • What feels uncomfortable about this is...
  • I would benefit from...
  • My next step is to...



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