Journaling With Intention: What to Write When Venting Isn't Working
In the last post, I wrote about how using our journals for venting can backfire and keep us stuck in rumination, rather than helping us move forward. I shared some practical suggestions for constructive journaling at the end of the post, and this week, I want to share a few more journal practices that might be helpful. There have definitely been times in my life when I have started using my journal as a dumping ground for all the bad things in life, and I have found that after a while, this really isn’t helpful. What does help is having a few prompts and techniques in my back pocket so that when I recognise I’m slipping back into this pattern, I can make sure I’m using my writing to help me, rather than unintentionally keeping myself stuck.
Before we get to these techniques, I do want to address that using these prompts isn’t about pretending everything is fine or doing what I sometimes think of “performative” journaling and writing only things that could be shared in an Instagram post: palatable, safe, and not a true reflection of what’s actually happening in real life. Instead, it’s about making our journal work for us. As I mentioned last week, our journals are tools, and like all tools, it’s up to us to figure out how to use them effectively so we can move towards clarity and understanding.
Journaling prompts for self-reflection
As I mentioned last week, when we vent, we tend to focus on other people and what they have (or haven’t) done. What is often more helpful, and more confronting, is shifting that focus back to ourselves:
What is the story I’m telling myself about this?
What do I actually need right now?
What could I have done differently in this situation?
What is it about this situation that is so activating for me?
Did the way I showed up in this situation reflect my values and what is most important to me? If not, why not?
What would I do differently if I could relive this situation? Why?
What do I understand now about this situation that I didn’t before?
What has this situation taught me?
How have I grown as a result of this situation?
Journaling techniques for processing and resolution
Beyond individual prompts, there are also structured techniques that you can use and adapt to give your journaling a sense of forward momentum when you need it.
"What if" journaling — imagining different scenarios, futures, choices
Gratitude journaling done specifically (not just lists — why does this thing matter to you today?)
The 3-part structure: What happened / How I feel / What I want to do with this
The weekly review: Wins, challenges, one thing I'm carrying forward, one thing I'm releasing
The "letter to future me": Written to yourself 3 months or a year out
Like any tool, sometimes we need to adjust how we use our journals for them to be most helpful to us. And there might not be one “right” way that everyone finds the best way. One of the benefits (and potential challenges) of journaling is that it is a personal practice and what works for someone else might be different to what works for you. But when you approach your journaling with a specific intention—whether that’s reflection, creative expression, or a desire to process a situation or feeling—you are more likely to get what you want out of it. My invitation to you is to try a few suggestions from the list above and see what resonates for you :)
If you found this post helpful, you might also enjoy my books The Year of You: 365 Journal-Writing Prompts for Creative Self-Discovery and The Ultimate Guide to Journaling.