Journaling can support wellbeing, but for some people it may reinforce rumination.

Constant self-documentation can keep attention focused on problems rather than experiences.

Unjournaling means choosing alternative ways to process emotions when writing no longer helps.

This post began while I was packing boxes to move to a new home.

As I emptied cupboards and shelves, I came across a stack of journals I had accumulated during my years in this house. Some were filled. Others contained only a few pages. Several were completely untouched.

There were gratitude journals, travel journals, notebooks bought during optimistic New Year sales, and beautifully bound journals purchased because I was convinced that this one would finally help me become a more reflective, organized, and insightful person.

As I stacked them together, one word came to mind: Unjournaling.

Not because journaling is bad. I have journaled on and off for years. Rather, I wondered whether we have become so focused on documenting our lives that we sometimes forget to live them.

The Business of Writing Ourselves Better

Journaling has evolved from a simple reflective practice into a thriving industry.

The U.S. stationery market alone was valued at nearly $60 billion in 2025 and is projected to continue growing over the next decade, driven in part by increased interest in journaling, planners, and self-improvement products (Market Data Forecast,........

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