Sometimes, after weeks or months of diligently journalling, I sit down to start writing and find myself with absolutely nothing to say.
I scour the insides of my mind, cast around the depths of my body and come up empty. I dither around, checking and double checking that I’m not missing anything, but nope — nothing there.
I love these days.
There’s something so satisfying about feeling like you’ve done everything you can to know yourself, deal with your baggage, make active choices, and now there are, in the words of comedian James Acaster, no more jobs.
The feeling doesn’t last very long — inevitably the well of your life’s complexity starts to fill back up almost as soon as it’s emptied — but that moment of peace is to be treasured for as long as it lasts.
On the days where you feel like you’ve got nothing to write — you’ve dealt with everything, you’re ahead, you’ve made it — then for goodness’ sake, just enjoy it.
Don’t beat yourself over the head about the work never being done. That will make itself abundantly clear shortly. Instead, let yourself enjoy the fruits of your labour.
Journalling, writing about your life — the whole point is to gift yourself these delightful moments of weightlessness, these moments where you can simply be, simply enjoy.
There are many ways to make the most of these moments. Go outside and lie in the sunshine. Listen to a piece of music that takes you somewhere transcendent. I spent a good portion of the day reading, because it feels like such a reward for having done the work.
Writing — especially when you’re using it as a way to know and better yourself — can require a lot of energy. On the days it gives energy back to you, welcome it in with open arms.