Guided Journals I Used in 2021

52 Lists for Togetherness by Moorea Seal left me feeling lonelier and more alone than I imagined a journal ever could. I've done other 52 List Journals and enjoyed them for the most part. This one, however, really made me question my relationships as time and again I couldn't figure out which, if any, of my friends would be willing to participate in the sharing lists. I think it might work for some people, particularly if two or more people agreed to do it as a bonding exercise; however, to do it solo just didn't work for me at all.

The Life Organizer: A Woman's Guide to a Mindful Year by Jennifer Louden was kind of interesting but didn't really do much for me. The questions didn't give me a single "ah-ha" moment or make me dig deeper into my motivations. I did my entry every Sunday to set up for the week and then promptly forgot the whole thing. Sadly, it quickly became one more activity to check off my task list. All that said, I think for someone who is struggling to find mindful purpose in their life, it could be helpful. All that said, I did like the idea behind it, especially setting an intention for the week. So I have mixed feelings about this one. I think for some people, it could be life changing even though it wasn't for me.

Be Antiracist: A Journal for Awareness, Reflection and Action by Ibram X. Kendi is a great idea. I was so excited to start doing the work in the journal. I think I would call it workbook instead of a journal, but that could be semantics. Be Antiracist is filled with questions and prompts to encourage one to probe their inner thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, emotions, reactions, etc. in relationship to race. Some of the questions and prompts are interesting, but some are rather basic. Overall, I'm glad I did this journal, but I was also glad to finish it. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I think it could be very useful for some people, particularly those just starting on a journey to confront, address, and modify their attitudes and behaviors in relationship to race.

I Can't F*cking Adult Today: A Journal for the Days When You'd Rather Stay in Bed by Monica Sweeney was the second journal by Monica Sweeney I used. To be honest, I don't remember much about this journal, but I think that might be because I used it at a time when I was deeply grieving. Still, it felt like a touchpoint every morning. A few minutes when I could just used the prompts to guide my thoughts instead of my thoughts guiding me. The prompts are simple and straightforward and don't take long to perform each day.

Create Your Own Calm: A Journal for Quieting Anxiety by Meera Lee Patel sounded like just what I needed - a little calm. The prompts are easy and straightforward. This is a great little journal when you just want to touch base with yourself and want a prompt to get you started without needing to delve into things too deeply. I think it did make me feel a little calmer each day.

Self-Love Workbook for Women: Release Self-Doubt, Build Self-Compassion, and Embrace Who You Are by Megan Logan surprised me, bored me, and inspired me. This was an odd workbook for me. There were days when it excited me and really pushed me to think about how I treat myself. There were other days when I couldn't find a way to relate to the activities. Some of the activities inspired me to look at ways in which I could treat myself better and to address ways I've mistreated myself in the past. It exposed that in some ways I'd made more progress than I thought and in other ways less. Overall, I thought it was an interesting workbook though I still don't quite understand the point of a few of the exercises.

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