If you’ve found yourself overwhelmed with how much you have on your mind, stream of onsciousness journaling can be a great way to release your thoughts. This type of journaling involves writing whatever comes to mind, whenever it comes to mind. Instead of filtering your thoughts and worrying about spelling, grammar, or typos, you’ll completely let go of your inhibitions when doing stream of consciousness writing.
This is a great journaling technique for people who are frequently stressed, have a lot on their mind, or need a creative spark. However, it can be difficult to truly let go and let your stream of consciousness take over when you’re used to thinking about everything carefully. It may take some practice to get used to writing in this way, but it can be very< beneficial. Here are five tips for using a stream of consciousness journal:
1. Give Yourself Plenty of Time
Half an hour to an hour is usually a good window of time for stream of consciousness writing. This should give you plenty of time to release your thoughts without tiring out. Plan ahead and set aside a specific time during your day for journaling, so that you won’t experience any interruptions.
2. Find a Good Writing Environment
It’s up to you whether you want to journal on a computer or on paper. Most people prefer stream of consciousness journaling on paper, though. Typing on a computer could restrict the format of your journal or interrupt the flow, but writing by hand helps you maintain a steady, meditative state of mind.
Try to write in an environment that’s quiet and comfortable. Some noise around you is okay, but loud or sudden noises may interrupt your thoughts. Some people like to play quiet instrumental music while they write, but others find this to be too distracting. It may take a few attempts at stream of consciousness journaling to find the best writing environment for you.
3. Choose a Topic
It isn’t necessary to choose a specific topic while journaling, but it can be a helpful way to focus your thoughts. Potential topics include recent invents in your life, something you’re worried or stressed about, and things or places you enjoy. However, if your< thoughts start to stray from your chosen topic, let them. Don’t worry about sticking to a particular topic if your mind is taking you somewhere else.
4. Ignore All the Grammar Rules
It might be hard to disregard grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation rules. These rules can slow you down or interrupt the flow of your thoughts, though. If you< make a grammar or spelling mistake, don’t go back to correct it. If you want to experiment with unique formatting or sentence structure, don’t stop yourself. Stream of consciousness journaling is a great way to get creative, and ignoring the conventional rules may be a part of that.
5. Don’t Judge What You Write
It’s okay if you look back on your journal and think it’s unfocused, confusing, or silly. Stream of consciousness journaling is often more about your process than about what you actually write. Instead of focusing on the content of your journal, focus on how you felt during and after writing. If journaling helped you clear up your thoughts, find a creative idea, or get rid of stress, it was successful.