Narcissistic naval gazing or high performance power tool?

Don't be fooled, we are not talking about rumination here, a journaling whine of why life is not fair, we are talking here of purposeful self-reflection. Now that is truly the power tool we all need in today's world

In fact, far from being narcissistic naval gazing - countless studies prove that journaling is an extremely powerful way to boost our mental wellbeing, reduce depression and anxiety, and make us more content, productive and all-around happier with our lives

Boosting our ability to cope with intrusive and avoidant thoughts is one of the key benefits cited. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that students who wrote about their deepest thoughts and feelings (handwritten or digital) in the month leading up to a big exam had fewer depressive symptoms because they didn’t dwell as much on their intrusive thoughts. What’s more, a 2018 study from the National Library of Medicine found that adults who completed a 15-minute online journaling session three days a week for 12 weeks were less likely to ruminate on their anxious thoughts and better able to move past them

Improving working memory, sleep, increasing creativity, and reducing stress, are all sizeable benefits of journaling...

...according to a 2001 study in the journal of the American Psychological Association. This is the reason why you might be seeing the promotion of journaling creeping onto the agenda of Boards and priorities of Chief People Officers worldwide 

The question for us though, is if it's so helpful for anxiety and wellbeing, and if it's so helpful for increasing creativity and reducing stress, why on earth is it almost impossible for us to do?

Most people don't know where or how to start with journaling and find even the thought of 'journaling' so overwhelming we never bother giving it a go?

It feels too self indulgent spending time writing (whether handwritten or digitally). The naval gazing is a bit scary because once it's out there, once it's written down, its there for posterity - it can't be erased

That in and of itself is a reason for a lot of people to simply not start. If we think about it, when was the last time we kept a detailed record of things to remember over and above our to-do lists? For most people it was in those days where we had to learn, and by golly those days were hard work, arduous and not that pleasant. Hence, we are stuck in a restrictive unhelpful loop relating to learning and writing (handwritten or digitally) so journaling is not a positive activity we are drawn to

Add into this fact that the research posits that it only takes a small amount of time in any sitting to reap the rewards from journaling, and our mind is truly triggered - 'How can I possibly get my true thoughts and feelings down in a small amount of time, and glean something useful from them, that is simply preposterous!' It is hard for our mind, and therefore us, to compute and accept

Our next observation relates to the fact that most people crave certainty and most journaling - like life - is the art of drawing without an eraser

We are all familiar with the idea that if you don’t know where you are going every road will lead you nowhere. Recognising that life is a process, with hills and valleys, zig-zags and turns, hard starts and home straits, releases us to accept the adventure rather than fight against it. Life really is the art of drawing without an eraser. Most people haven't quite digested this concept and definitely aren't living it. We want certainty, we want it now, and before we start, preferably! Journaling, the type of journaling referenced in the research, isn't the type of thing we are used to doing when we write - as it has no certainty

In the research, journaling is about a stream of consciousness, noting (handwritten or digitally) our emotions over a given period of time, with no ultimate destination - no certainty. This act of journaling in and of itself helps us to reflect and build our emotional awareness, yet this is something pretty alien to most people. Most of us are not used to writing for no obvious reason or purpose, and when we look at a blank page our mind therefore nudges or even shouts, 'what is this for, what's the right thing to note or type, I don't even know where to start!'

We are not expecting this tremendous emotional burst and self-doubt top of this, other emotions start to bubble up, thick and fast, because we have opened the lid to our 'self-reflection Pandora's box'. The lid to this box is often tightly screwed down, sometimes with a padlock added, and has layers of dust gathered on it. That's why we start to feel overwhelmed with what to actually 'do' with self-reflection. It's much easier to bottle our emotions up, put the lid back on to our self-reflection Pandora's box, and yes, you're ahead of me, decry journaling as a waste of productive energy and simply narcissistic naval gazing! Sound familiar?

To be clear, self-reflection is fabulous and something we strongly encourage at Progressfull™...

Yet if it is without the support and guardrails of the insights and guidance found with a great therapist or executive coach, then we are often left feeling burdened, vulnerable, even exposed, and frequently bemused by the whole thing - we need the eraser - it's too scary without it!

Our approach at Progressfull™ is based on offering the support, the guidance, the 'how-to's' from Jo's experience of working as an executive coach globally for over 20 years

We weave the tips, the insights, the guidance, throughout our online Upskills (our name for a course/masterclass) so the journaling feels easy, not scary at all. Journaling becomes purposeful, meaningful, helpful and powerful. Journaling is a big part of each Upskill yet, instead of it being naval gazing, looking obsessively at a blank white page, we combine the benefits of journaling with coaching prompts to support and guide progress. It therefore stops being scary and starts to become powerful in changing mind-sets, beliefs and behaviours

This type of journaling can then have a profound impact on our progress. Our mind becomes more pliable, more positive, and the pattern of progress has been created, we have reset the dial. We will have a new perception, a new perspective - that progress is possible in short bite-sized learning or reflection. The ARTT of progress™ is our approach that combines journaling and coaching. It hard-wires this pattern of progress into our mind and it is one of the things we are famous for amongst our followers and clients

It's practical, it's easy, and it can have a profoundly positive and powerful effect because it has all the benefits of a journaling practice with coaching prompts, yet as it only requires 10 minutes it is much more sustainable. It is how to make our minds a great place to be and how Progressfull™ can pretty much guarantee journaling will work

That is how we make journaling a treat, a revolution, a high performance power tool as it ensures people feel progress is happening

Because of our unique approach to purposeful self-reflection, in the last few months many people have asked us if we could provide an introduction or taster to our Upskills - so they can start the practice of purposeful self-reflection, and start journaling - the Progressfull™ way. So we have created a new offer called StARTTing Progress. In StARTTing Progres we have designed several Journals as taster treats

Each Journal is designed based on the insights highlighted above. Each Journal supports you in the self-reflection process, by coming alongside you 'as if' you had your own coach prompting your self-reflection. Each Journal has a bespoke design with unique and different approaches to connect and encourage purposeful self-reflection. Useful to know, this purposeful self-reflection and journaling only takes 10 minutes, so we literally Take 10 for the ARTT of progress™

You can take 10 minutes each morning, each evening, or each week, to ‘sort yourself out’ and ‘set yourself up’ so you feel energised, motivated and on track – no matter what life throws at you. Making progress in small bursts of time, 10 minutes daily or weekly, over 12 weeks, 6 months, or any time period of your choosing - that's the Progressfull™ way of journaling

The My Progressfull Pictures Journal is designed to be an introductory step to the world of journaling and self-reflection. It is a weekly Journal spanning a 6-month timeframe. We provide a weekly quote and picture topic for reflection, then encourage you to complete some purposeful self-reflection with prompts and support (cost £15)

The My Progressfull Principles Journal is designed to enable you to understand our transforming Progressfull™ Principles and practice using them in your daily life. There is a calming symmetry in the purposeful spontaneity embedded in the Journal’s ebb and flow … the joy of jumping in anywhere, reflecting on any Releasing or Restricting practice and your beliefs, behaviours and mind-sets, combined with the sure and safe guidance that prompts your purposeful self-reflection (cost £25)

The My Progressfull Lifestyle Journal is designed to give you a taster of the Progressfull™ lifestyle! It is a 12week Lifestyle Journal packed with sparky deep insights, inspiring ideas, and practical tips that prompt both reflection and action. Each week covers new insights, ideas and practical tips packaged in bite-sized chunks you can immediately use in your daily life (cost £25)

Each Journal will help you start to experience the real benefits, rewards and power of journaling. Each will help you to take steps forwards, in purposeful self-reflection – so you can start making your mind a great place to be

Why don't you treat yourself to the new high performance power tool, join the revolution and start journaling the Progressfull™ way

Discover more about our new StARTTing progress offer as well as our full offer here