Start with an intention but then let it go

Whatever reasons you have for writing in your journal, you can get more out of the experience if you start with an Intention and then let it go. Determine what you hope to gain from journaling but don’t be concerned with the results. Write your intention down on the first page of your journal, if you like, but then place the goal in the back of your mind. Don’t worry about how you’re going to achieve it.

Try to tap into the power of the subconscious mind. Scientists do this when the work on a complex problem. The cure for Alzheimer’s is so huge that they cannot attack the problem in its entirety. They break it down into small, tiny subjects that they can work on. Gradually the small answers start to add up, and eventually something clicks. They have eureka moments when their minds seem to hand them a solution. The mind relegates a good deal of high-level, sophisticated thinking to what is called the adaptive unconscious, which does an excellent job of sizing up the world, assessing danger, or initiating action.

• Get comfy, relax. You may want to devise a ritual to help set the mood. Light a candle, make a cup of green tea, wear your favorite slippers. You may also want to go to a unique place away from work or home such as a library. Or if you write at home make one room look different with colored light bulbs or a special throw.
• Find a private spot. You may want to destroy or hide what you have written. It is enough to deal with your own emotional upheavals. You don’t need anyone else judging you or being offended by what you write.
• Date the entries.
• Write regularly. Each of you will define how often you need to write for yourselves. It doesn’t have to mean every day. Maybe you only want to write once a week. Maybe you want to write every day for four days, for at least 20 minutes, the way Dr. Pennebaker suggests, and then not come back to your journal until you feel the need to.
• Don’t edit as you go. Don’t overanalyze. Go with the flow. Whatever you write will be fine. Studies show that the education or writing ability made no difference in the therapeutic benefits of writing.