I’m a big fan of stream of consciousness journaling. It’s a private, confidential and uninhibited space I create for myself to delve into my creative nature. I’ve been doing it for more than 20 years. I use it to explore my thoughts and feelings without the constraints of structure or judgment. Even in my blog posts.

Stream of consciousness writing helps me to slip into a state of flow in the present moment. Once I’m in this heightened sense of awareness, I can feel the stress and tension leave my body as I let go of any pent-up emotions. It’s a sense of relief to put my thoughts onto the paper.

When I’m in this frame of open-ended thinking, the fluid nature of stream of consciousness writing allows me to explore ideas and gain insights. Mind you, these insights are not always useful, so they need to be analysed before I act on them. But when I take a problem into my journaling space, it gives me access to potential solutions.

And when I write about how I’m feeling, it increases my ability to process my own emotions. Not only that. I’ve realised over the years, that stream of consciousness journaling has increased my capacity to process the emotions of others. I feel less drained and overwhelmed than I did before this method of journaling became a habit. Maybe it’s due to the nonjudgmental nature of stream of consciousness journaling. Stream of consciousness journaling seems to train the brain to listen, accept and note whatever thoughts and emotions occur without judgement. I have more empathy, but it costs me less energy than it did before.

Stream of consciousness journaling is a tool I use to navigate and make sense of emotions. It contributes to my emotional well-being and the wellbeing of others. The unstructured format of stream of consciousness journaling is cathartic because it facilitates emotional release. It seems to process the junk mail in my head, clearing the way for a state of flow.

Joel Pearson, in his Future Minds newsletter article, Neuro Hacks for Learning, (November 9, 2023) suggests that one approach “is to first get into flow by doing something you know (that) gets you in flow fast…Then make the switch over to doing the less exciting or more challenging task. The data suggests that once we are in the state of flow, it can carry over to a different activity.”

The act of putting my thoughts into words improves my mood and puts me into a space of flow, so it’s a good way to start the day.