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Carol from New Zealand asks “What do I do with the guilty feelings I get when I stop journaling?”

It might be easy to quip, “Just process those feelings in your next journal entry,” but often, the shame is accompanied by unrealistic hopes of “catching up,” and then we avoid journaling altogether.

Jayde Gilmore and I both relate to that nagging cycle of feelings. Over time, we’ve learned to recognize them as gentle reminders to come kindly back to our Self. We offer several suggestions to Carol and others who put tons of pressure on themselves to write more. This seems to be one of the paradoxes of journal-writing, and perhaps any worthwhile habit — pushing yourself to do a little more than what’s convenient, while knowing how to be kind to yourself when you slow down.

Fuel the Discussion: Do you feel guilty when you’ve stopped writing for awhile? How long is too long to go without writing? What do you tell yourself when you’ve stopped the habit? Post your responses at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

You may email your own journaling question to be featured on a future episode of JournalTalk. Or, pick up the telephone and leave a voicemail with your question at 1-805-751-6280 (only normal toll charges may apply). When your question is featured, we will send you a thank-you gift for sharing your voice! (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #26, April 7, 2015)

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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