Where to Begin?

On a daily basis my DMs get flooded with questions from teastained women all over the country/world about journaling-- from journaling veterans to those just purchasing their new journal with no idea how to fill out that first blank page..  The questions never get old and my joy never wanes in providing new, fresh answers for the individual or the occasion.  Nevertheless here is an aggregation of various questions and answers to the top questions I receive about keeping a journal. As supplementary resource, the responses are linked with various content from around the site.

If you're new to journaling (hey, welcome!), are returning after a long stretch away from your journal, or just want some refreshers, here are some solid starting points for you.

Three places to begin with your new journal:

1. Listen closely.  
Your life is alive.  
Journaling is feeling the pulse.  
It’s an act of historicizing.
Start journaling more often and paying attention to
what's being said around, to, and over you.
Become a detailed observer and look for life metaphors.  
Everything matters. 

Read some journaling "prompts" on how "Everything Matters” here.
Here are 6 things to journal for starters...

2. Remember.  
Your memory has so much treasure stored up.  
Take time to remember what you've been through,
what you've seen, and what you have endured.  
Write whatever comes to mind, no matter how inconvenient the timing.  

Read some ideas on when to journal here.

3. Narrate.  
You are first and foremost a narrator.  
Your journal is a narration of what is occurring all around you; 
the words you are speaking as you navigate your soulful journey.  
As you establish a rhythm with your journal, maintain your agency
as a narrator by using your words to speak life about your life
and archive yourself.  

You're welcomed to watch this video on life metaphors and imaginative journaling for some inspiration! 

Here are some reasons why I keep a journal,
and here's a manifesto I wrote about the
vehemence of documenting ourselves
and honoring our journals.

At the end of the day teastained women have endured enough erasure--
documenting yourself is an affront to this.  

However on a more personal level keeping a journal
is a way of being accountable to how you are taking up time.
You should keep a journal to catalogue everything that has kept you.

You can explore the Teastained Women blog to read interviews
with teastained women sharing their own reasons for keeping a journal. 

Here is a list of questions I ask myself while journaling.
You are welcomed to start here whenever you feel stumped in your journaling.  

But also:

You won't always feel like journaling and that is just fine.  It's OK to be quiet.
Your best inspiration comes from your silence, your distant regard for what's happening
and your soulful interrogation of what occurs around you.  Furthermore, the most important
component of journaling is your sentience, presence and participation in your life, your circumstances. 

Nothing should happen to you without your interacting with it.  
Your role is to learn the many textures of all that touches you,
and then write its biography as part of yours.  

Journey Soulfully.  More on what that means here.

Keep checking in on the journaling blog for more inspiration on
enhancing your journaling practice!
If you ever have questions about journaling please don't hesitate to ask me!  
DM me on Instagram or email me!