I spent several years thinking to myself, “I really wish I could be the kind of person who journals every day.” I’m a writer, and writers write, and journaling seems to me to be the most fundamental type of writing. But for most of my life, I didn’t journal. Sometime around 2016, this came to a head. I was following this woman named
on Instagram. Tammi is many cool things, but she often self-identities as a sober, dignified, creative woman.Every day, like clockwork, Tammi would post an image on Instagram of what she called her “Daily Gratitudes.” It was a list of the things she was grateful for, and because Tammi is an artist, she often drew, collaged, or painted in her journal to display these gratitudes. Mixed in with these posts, Tammi would also share images of her art studio in Northern California, posts about returning to school later in life to earn her art degree, and her thoughts and feelings about sobriety.
There’s a saying in recovery circles: “I want what she has.” This is positive envy versus destructive jealousy. Noticing that internal ping that tells us we want to live like someone else can be a guidepost. They are, after all, a human being with human challenges, just like us. We can get curious about how they got what they have and adapt that to our own lives.
I wanted (and often still want) what Tammi has.
After sitting with that wanting for a while, several years ago, I started my own daily journaling morning practice. I started first by following Tammi’s lead, and making a simple daily gratitudes list each morning. Since then, because I have ADHD and thrive with a combination of structure and variety, I’ve switched up my morning journaling practice countless times. What’s remained the same is that I do it. Period. It has become second nature to me. I brush my teeth and eat breakfast every morning. I do my journaling every morning.
I wake up. I drink my water with electrolytes while the coffee is brewing. I open up the blinds, sit down with said coffee, and pull out my journal. At this point in the morning, I have not touched my phone. I repeat: at this point in the morning, I have not touched my phone. This is important, and while I don’t give advice, I do offer invitations. I really do believe that how we start our day sets the tone for the rest of the day. I do not want to set “phone” as the tone for my day.
Then, I write.
Currently, I’m using an A4 size daily diary that I’m obsessed with. It’s British. One dated page per day. Highly recommend.
Lately, I’m focusing on my own version of morning pages.
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