Writing/Journaling

Journaling for clarity, journaling to vent, journaling to process a situation, journaling to envision your future. There are so many uses. Similar to meditation, there is no wrong way to do it. How and what you write will change depending on where you are in your journey. It may be poetic or incomplete sentences with misspellings to get it all out as quick as you can. I repeat, there is no wrong way to do it!

Benefits of journaling go far beyond just putting words on paper. Journaling has shown to help depression, stress and anxiety. It can improve mood and sharpen your memory all while strengthening your ability to express deep emotions. What?!? All that from writing! Simply writing has its benefits but utilizing specific types of writing can enhance the experience exponentially. 

Personal note: Journalling was never something I did regularly (still isn’t if I’m honest) but it was one of the most vital pieces in helping me find my path. Here is a brief timeline of how my journaling has changed as well as some types of journaling to help you get started. 

Initially my journalling was full of frustrations and questions and requests for clarity to find what would make me happier. I should’ve been happy but wasn’t. I wrote what didn’t make me happy. What bothered me in my day to day. What I wanted to change. I wrote this for a long time then added a second journal (you can use the same one but I preferred to have this separate). My second journal was my idea journal. I used it to write and brainstorm career ideas. I vouched this journal would only hold positive thoughts. I continued using my original journal to express any feelings I felt until the content started to shift. It went from what doesn’t feel like me to, I understand what doesn’t feel like me to how can I change it? Then it changed to I understand better what type of life I want to live and this is the vision of my most true self, career, family, and person…all of it. Enter manifestation journaling. Envisioning the life I want to live, allowing myself to connect with the energy level I want to match (see manifestation for more on this). Through the process (which I’ll remind you is still ongoing) there are times when each journalling type still pops up. I also utilized bullet journaling at times as well as gratitude journaling. I repeat there’s no wrong, right or best way to journal. Follow your instincts or if you aren’t sure just pick up a piece of paper and pen and start writing. 

Types of Journaling: 

Writing Journal: No fancy instruction, just write your heart out. Whatever comes to mind, whatever feels like going on to the paper, no judgements, no holding back. Just write. 

Bullet Journal: If you enjoy lists you may enjoy bullet journaling. Bullet journaling is just that, writing out your thoughts or ideas in bullet points. You can even get creative and color code your bullets based on type or feeling. 

Dream Journal: Everyone dreams but we don’t always remember them. Dream journaling is done right when you wake up. You write as many details about your dream as possible. This should be done as soon as you walk up as we often forget details as we get up and start moving. Try to remember the vivid details. Connecting deeper with our dreams is a way of connecting further with our subconscious and spirit. It can also be fun to look up the meaning of your dreams. They can often correlate with what you’re working through. 

Art Journal: Don’t feel comfortable writing or struggle finding words? Try an art journal. draw what you feel or how your emotions would look if you could see them. Bring in color. Draw the colors of what you feel. 

Gratitude Journal: A gratitude journal is used to write all the things you are grateful for. There is always something to be grateful for and even in our darkest hours we need to hold on to that. There’s science behind the power of positive thinking. The more positive we stay, the higher our energy frequency will be, the more we connect and align with what we truly want in life.

30 day journal challenge

I challenge you to write every day for 30 days. That hour after you put the kids to bed and scroll social media or that first 15 minutes you wake up, or the time you're waiting for your work computer to turn on, pick up a piece of paper and pen and write something. It doesn't have to be long, or fancy or even in a special book, just take action and see how you transform over the 30 days.  Whatever comes to mind write it down. Let it all out. The only rule is end on a positive note. Write all the good, bad and ugly until you feel you've said it all then before signing off, say something positive. Something you’re grateful for or looking forward to. Hold on to the fact that no matter what you’re going through or struggling with there is always something to be grateful for. a

After writing for 30 days see how your journaling has progressed. Have you learned anything new about yourself? Do you see a trend in what you write about? Is there something you want to explore further? If so keep writing with the focus on that topic. Can you dive deeper in to those feelings, emotions or struggles? You’re on your way to learning more about yourself deep down to the core, Congratulations!