Wednesday, May 6, 2020

List Yourself

Do you ever have days when writing a journal entry just seems like too much work? Fortunately, there are alternative ways to write that don’t require much of a narrative. Although we usually think of using lists for things to do, grocery shopping, or packing a suitcase, there are many other ways to use lists. Consider the following prompts and examples since the start of the covid-19 quarantine:
  • What have you learned about yourself? (There are parts of isolation I actually like)
  • What have you noticed about your own creativity? (I seem to be feeling more creative than usual)

  • What creative solutions have you tried? (Working out in my living room using soup cans for weights)

  • What has made you teary or sad? (Talking on the phone to an elderly cousin when she said, “I may never see you again.”)

  • What have you enjoyed listening to, watching, or streaming? (I seem to be stuck on Australian television shows)

  • What has made you laugh out loud? (Same answer twice in a row---Australian television shows)

  • In what ways are you thinking differently about your future? (Definitely on-line teaching, more virtual clients)
Here are some suggestions for using the above prompts:
  • Responses to each of the prompts can be short or later developed into longer journal entries.

  • This is a very limited list. Make up your own prompts.

  • As always, there are no right or wrong ways to use these lists.
Please take very good care!




Susan Borkin, PhD is a psychotherapist, author, and speaker. A journal writing pioneer, she has specialized in the therapeutic use of writing since 1978.

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