The Quiet Discipline of Journaling

As a therapist, I’m routinely suggesting a journaling practice to my clients. Whether it's reflective journaling, free-association writing, Morning Pages for creativity, or using an app like Stoic, research has repeatedly demonstrated the benefits of journaling to aid our mental wellness.

And yet, I'm often surprised how difficult it is for many people to spend just 10 to 20 minutes a day journaling. And honestly, I struggle with it too. Journaling is one of those practices that many of us only fall back to during a crisis.

Some unfavorable event happens and suddenly we remember our journal. We open to a blank page, pour out our guts, get brutally honest with ourselves, reflect on recent events, work through irrational thoughts, reconnect with ourselves, and make future plans. For a specific period of time, when things feel urgent, we're devoted to the journaling process.

Then the crisis ends. And with it, our journaling practice.

But journaling isn't only for times when we're stressed out. It's not just a psychological emergency kit, although, it's very good at that too. Journaling is something to practice everyday. It's best used as an ongoing, quiet practice of self reflection.

Regular journaling during times in our lives when things are going well, when life is easy, helps prevent us from unraveling when the stress ramps up. Think of it as a preventative measure. It keeps tension from building into something bigger. I’ve witnessed this over and over again with people who embrace what I call the quiet discipline of daily journaling. The journal entries don’t have to be perfect and they don’t have to be long. They just have to be consistent.

My journaling practice is to plan my day with intention in the morning, reflect in the evening, and use journaling prompts throughout the day when something comes up. Not as a crisis-averting technique, but as a grounding one. For me it's akin to stretching. I don’t wait until I've pulled a muscle to start stretching, I stretch daily to keep the soreness and tightness at bay.

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How to think about journaling

Think of journaling as a mental and emotional stretch. A daily check-in to keep the emotional "soreness and tightness" from creeping in. It doesn’t require a massive commitment. Just five minutes in the morning, maybe another five minutes in the afternoon, and then five minutes in the evening.

With Stoic, journaling becomes a kind of structured companion. Instead of scrolling on Instagram, tap on Stoic. Open the Today screen and hit the “Reflect” button. Or go to the Library and scroll until you find a journaling prompt that resonates with you. One of the many things I love about Stoic is how it reflects back and offers different perspectives on my thoughts. It’s creates a subtle, but surprisingly helpful shift in my awareness. I’m no longer writing into a void and the bit of perspective I get from it helps clarify my thinking.

And all it takes is for you to decide to show up. You don't need to worry about showing up with perfect words or profound insights, just show up with whatever is going on in your life in the moment.

Because starting a quiet discipline of journaling only requires your honesty. Even if you open your journal and start by writing, “I don’t want to be doing this right now,” that’s enough. That sentence is the stretch you may need. And if you stay with it, if you keep writing, even for five minutes at a time, you’ll be surprised where it leads you.

And maybe that's why some people don't often think to journal because it doesn't really promise a spectacular finish or some dramatic ending. But what you gain over time is a better relationship with yourself. It's not about self mastery, it's about connecting to self.

I encourage you to make a promise to yourself to try journaling for 10-15 minutes a day. Try to stretch your mind out in your journal like you try to stretch your body when you're sore. Let the words flow out of your pen even if those thoughts feel awkward or incomplete. Let the practice of journaling be a place you can focus and find yourself, not only when there's a crisis, but also as a daily reflection.

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Try journaling challenge for 7 days

Let's try a little experiment, or rather a challenge, if you're up for it. Try journaling for 7 days. Just to see how it feels for you. See how it fits into your life. You can journal with pen and paper, or of course, you can journal inside Stoic. Stoic has many great suggestions for journaling prompts if you would like a little more guidance than just an open page. Again, seven days is all I ask.

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Start with this prompt

Take a few minutes to explore this question — and if it resonates, Jon has written five more prompts to help you turn journaling into a calm, consistent daily habit.

Read all six prompts here