I thought keeping a journal was a waste of time until my therapist had me try 5 minutes a day for 2 weeks
I always rolled my eyes at the idea of writing stuff down, felt like homework. But my therapist in Austin asked me to just do 5 minutes every night, no rules, and after 14 days I noticed I was way less cranky. The weird part is I didn't even write anything deep, mostly just dumb stuff like what I ate or a song I liked that day. Has anyone else tried this and actually stuck with it, or did you quit after a week like I almost did?
Kept waiting for that "deep" part to kick in too, but here's the thing, the dumb stuff IS the point. Writing down that you ate a turkey sandwich and heard a good song is what makes it stick. When I tried writing big heavy feelings every night I quit in 4 days because it felt like a chore. The tiny boring entries are what keep you coming back, kind of like how a doodle is easier than a painting. So your therapist was sneaky smart there, the no rules thing is doing way more work than you give it credit for.