The benefits of journaling are well documented, but one might be curious about how to journal in the first place. What do you write about? Is your journal supposed to be a simple recap of your day or an essay about your emotions? These seem like painfully obvious questions, but the answers can vary and figuring out what works for you will make your journaling more effective.
EXPLORE YOUR FEELINGS
Have you ever caught yourself having one of those out of nowhere, ‘please don’t talk to me, look at me, or touch me’, everything’s driving you crazy, bad mood sort of days – but you have no idea why?
I know when I’m feeling this way it’s easy to write it off as ‘waking up on the wrong side of the bed’ but I’ve found that when I take time to examine my feelings I can usually find there is a specific worry or problem that needs to be addressed, or I’m just bloody tired!
And trust me, in the long run this is much more productive than writing it off to some sort of bad mood monster. So instead of brushing it off, I use journaling to help me dig deeper and get to the root of the problem. Remember self-care takes self-awareness.
WRITING PROMPT: “How do I feel?” (And let your heart pour out.)
Be honest with yourself; I often start with is “I’m having a bad day, but I don’t know why” But from there I explore different ideas, let my feelings flow without filter or judgement, and write. I almost always find that with time I can narrow my negative feelings down to a specific cause (such as resentment, jealousy, self-doubt, or disappointment) and that awareness helps me to address the issue head on (or to simply accept what I cannot change.)
CLEAR YOUR MIND
I learned a few years ago that one of the greatest acts of self-care is enjoying a quiet mind; it’s such a luxurious feeling to stem the tide of to do lists, emails and ideas running through your head and to just STOP thinking. The silence is priceless.
One simple way to find this silence is to do a brain dump – open your journal to a blank page and let loose; write down everything that is on your mind until there is nothing left.
When I’m done writing I usually feel tired, but in that good, post-workout sort of way. I know that my thoughts/worries/to-do list are safe and sound, so I can just relax, let go, and enjoy the moment.
WRITE A GRATITUDE LIST
Practicing gratitude is an act of self-care because it shifts your mindset from one of scarcity to one of abundance. Instead of feeling stressed and worried about what you feel your life is lacking, you feel blessed and thankful for all that your life is made of.
A simple way to start practicing gratitude to write lists of everything that you’re thankful for in your journal. It’s a simple yet power way to ease your mind and lift your spirits. Just put a title what I am grateful for and go for it!
FORGIVE YOURSELF
I have a rather unfortunate habit of beating myself up when I make mistakes. I’m pretty sure that, sadly, I’m not the only one. Yes I am a recovering perfectionist & a Virgo lol.
When I make a mistake at work, or say something awkward around new friends, or make a regrettable impulse purchase, I dwell on it and my inner voice can sometimes be a nasty piece of work.
But I am getting better at being kind to myself and through journaling I’m learning to:
accept that I’m human and imperfect.
forgive myself.
Journaling works for me because it helps me remove myself from the situation and view it objectively. (Sometimes I even think of myself in the 3rd person, because let’s face it – for some reason we are so much more forgiving to others than we are to ourselves.) When I look from the outside in it helps me to accept what has happened, move on, and most importantly forgive myself.
INDULGE IN YOUR DREAMS
I think that sometimes it’s scary to indulge in big dreams. For example, I dreamed about starting a webpage for a really long time, but I was scared to tell anyone about it. I was afraid of looking silly and I had a lot of self-doubt. Who was I to talk about self-care really.
So instead I wrote about it. It was so therapeutic to explore my dreams and ideas in a safe place without fear of judgement and even better – with time, manifesting my dreams helped me grow the confidence I needed to launch the page. Who knew in 2019 I would run Workshops & Retreats!
WRITING PROMPT: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid …”
However , use your journal, my best advice is to pick it up and write. Don’t be afraid of getting those pretty white pages messy, just scribble whatever comes to mind (start with your grocery list, song lyrics, a rant against your neighbour – whatever.)
Journaling encourages self-awareness and once you understand your needs, you can start to take care of yourself. If you’re a creative person make it an artistic type journal, draw, stick in photos and quotes, whatever works for you .
Enjoy your writing beautiful souls
Nicki