Journaling… good and bad?

I read an article this week in Psychology Today that discussed the good and bad of journaling.

Intriguing.

I never thought of journaling as having a bad side.

I've always found it to be quite helpful.

But the article made some good points and I thought I'd share them because I know hundreds of coaches who use journaling as part of the coaching they do with clients.

The article makes the case that there is a right way and a wrong way to journal.

For example, if we do it wrong, journaling has the potential to make us...

• passively observe life instead of living in the moment
• focus on blame rather than solutions
• get swept up in negativity
• become self-obsessed

Interesting.

I can see how some people could go down that road.

However, as coaches, I don't think we are in danger of this ourselves because most of us have a high degree of emotional intelligence. We're most likely going to use journaling as a tool for self-development.

Yet, many coaches will work with people where this could be a problem.

The good news is that the same article shares a ton of helpful advice and some solid questions you can use with clients if journaling is part of your coaching.

Here's the link to the article, if you're interested:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anger-in-the-age-entitlement/201309/the-good-and-the-bad-journaling

Here's to positive and effective journaling!

With love & joy,
Selena