Dress up your journaling

“Mommy, what are you going to be for Halloween?”Dressing up

“A teacher.”

Cue the music that chimes in when sarcasm is at one of my high points. In my head its Beethoven’s Fifth – no idea why.

Ayla giggled and said “you’re a teacher everyday mom.” And that was that.

I might not be super into dressing up myself, but I’ll make sure the kids get fun costumes.

I might not be into planning Halloween parties, but I’ll happily go to a friends Halloween shin-dig.

I may not be the most enthusiastic mom on my street when it comes to Halloween, but I make for it in how excited I get about dressing up my journal. That’s fun too, right?

A journal is a place where you can tell your story. Your journal is where you can dream about the future, ponder over what you could have done differently in the past, or problem solve and celebrate your current circumstances. Journals can include facts, intimate details, feelings and thoughts, and reflections.

But on Halloween night, when the costumes come out and we just might be pretending to be someone, or some thing, that we’re not, we can dress up our journal writing too. Try one of these for a Halloween journal entry.

Choose a life path you didn’t take. The job you declined. The city you didn’t move to. The one who got away. What would your life have been like if you had done something different? Play the same character, but make a different choice and write a story about it. Is there anything you regret that you might want to change?

Dress up a current situation in your life by writing about it from the perspective of a bystander. Maybe you could journal about an argument with your kids from the viewpoint of the family dog. Or describe a workplace drama as if you’re the office mail delivery person who catches only glimpses of what’s going on. What can you learn about your situation by changing the angle in which you view it?

Make it a point to use one word from another language in each sentence. During the writing process the voice you are putting on paper may take on its own accent and add some pizzazz to your journaling, just like dressing up your outfit with cool accessories. What language do you want to learn more about? You can Google the words you want to know and ask for the translation to Italian, Portuguese, Swahili, or whatever your heart desires.

What other disguises or costumes do you want to try in your journal? Use this Halloween to explore one or more aspects of your life with new eyes and see what you learn about yourself in the process. Have fun playing dress up!

Like this article? Please feel free to use it on your own blog or newsletter. I simply ask that you please include this blurb:
Sara Marchessault is a coach, writer, teacher, and mom who helps busy women use journaling to create more space in their life for being productive without feeling overwhelmed. To learn more about Sara and her work in the world, please visit joyfulbydesign.com or saramarchessault.com.

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