Dear Diary: Series Finale OR, I Think You Should Read These Books.
/This here's a-gonna be the final episode in my series on Productive Journaling! If you'd like to read the previous episode, click here!
I am a mad buyer of books. In particular, I have a somewhat foggy proclivity towards self-help books. I say 'foggy' because while I am honestly interested in self-improvement, I also have a low threshold for ridiculousness.
Most of the time, self-help books tend to spout a good deal of rainbows and shallow-rooted 'advice', but fail to deliver what I'm seeking: Real, actionable steps towards improving my relationship with my inner demons, or my time management skills, or my flavor of forgiveness for the past.
I buy self-help books thinking that perhaps this time I'll be given something life-changing; most of the time, I grow guiltily uninterested after a chapter or two.
Most of the time, too, I'm able to 'cure' my own despondency by petting my cat, going for a run, having a good cry, or drinking a cocktail and laughing with my husband.
(We are each so very full of our own most-needed medicine; we're just not very good at trusting ourselves. But that's a topic for another day.)
Over my many years of self-help book buying, I have stumbled across a few that have given me some actual tools - read: Things I do on my own, on a regular basis, when I'm feeling bad and want to feel better.
As a writer, these tools are even more appealing because they involve...writing! Journal writing, to be exact. (Which, in case you haven't been paying attention, is the theme of this whole series.)
Let me get to the point. Here are two books I would recommend to help you find some real, palpable self-help through a journal writing practice:
1. Writing the Mind Alive: The Proprioceptive Method for Finding Your Authentic Voice, by Linda Trichter Metcalf and Tobin Simon (who are both PhD peeps, so, like, they probably know something about which they preach).
Don't let the word 'proprioceptive' scare you; this method is really pretty straightforward, and it can also be pretty illuminating.
The driving force behind this journal writing method is the ‘proprioceptive question’ -- “What do I mean by___________?” (Fill in the blank with whatever you've just been journaling about.) As you write, you’re encouraged to regularly question your own thoughts.
There are other elements to the ritual, but I find this single question the most powerful one -- it encourages you to dig more deeply into your own thinking, in order to uncover new levels of feeling, thought, and clarity.
To learn more about proprioceptive writing, click here.
2. The Desire Map, by Danielle LaPorte (not a PhD, but it doesn't matter at all; she's a poet, a deep-thinker, and a beautiful example of how education doesn't matter one wit when you're an entrepreneur with vim and vigor and something good to share with the world.)
If you’re looking for specific journal prompts aimed at leading you towards greater self-knowledge, I highly recommend LaPorte.
This book has one central aim: Helping you identify, in a few carefully selected words, how you most want to feel in your life. Sounds a little flighty, but it’s actually a super powerful practice.
Once you’ve determined your ‘Core Desired Feelings’, as LaPorte puts it, you’ll be better able to create the kind of life you’d like -- on a daily basis.
As an example, I recall my own Core Desired Feelings whenever I’m teaching: When a student starts acting like a little you-know-what, I remind myself that I want to feel gentle in my life -- being quick-tempered and harsh always leaves me with long-lasting guilt. I don’t want to feel that way. I want to feel gentle.
Simply reminding myself of my Core Desired Feelings helps me act more calmly and patiently in tough situations.
To learn more about LaPorte’s method and to order her book, click here.
Thanks for reading!