I was first introduced to journaling on my first trip to the
US to visit my Dad and my step Mom (whom I affectionately call Momma Bear). I
used to keep a diary as a teenager, but had forgotten what a wonderful way of
channelling emotions it can be! She bought me my first journal and it wasn't
long before I started to pour out all of my thoughts of the day into it.
Since then I have developed a love for notebooks and most of
them are full of thoughts, ideas and feelings, all the jumbled-up mess that my
head was at, in that given moment.
You can get your true feelings down on paper, feelings that
you may have buried deep. Writing about
something that is bothering you can lead to a deeper and more realistic view of
what feelings you are experiencing.
We can get caught up in our everyday lives, make ourselves
busy, putting our own feelings aside. We need to slow down for a while to let
our true feelings inside to surface.
When you want a better understanding of your own point of
view or what others may think of a situation, write it down. It's always good to know what others are
thinking, but journaling can allow us to slow down enough to start to try to
understand someone else’s point of view.
When I first started to journal, I would write about how my
day went, what made me smile, little snippets of my day that I enjoyed, that
inspired me so much that I wanted to write it down before I forgot it. Like
magical ‘mementos’ of inspiration.
Looking back at what you wrote makes you realise that your
life is much more interesting than you thought. When you are feeling down on
yourself this can be wonderful way to discover that your life is truly worth
living.
Before I started to journal, I thought I already knew what
my likes and dislikes were, who I was and where I was going in life. However,
the reality was that was just a belief I had of myself, of what I thought I
should be but not who I am. Journaling helped me to uncover dreams and goals
that I never imagined could be mine.
Writing about yourself makes you realise that there were so
many things that you really dislike doing and can help you to create the
boundaries that you need to implement in your life, to stand your ground and
learn to say 'No' when you need to.
Your journal tells your story, what makes you tick, what
lights up your very being, your soul. It is the blueprint, your take on the
world, your human experience. Something as simple as the name of a song you
were singing that day or a beautiful view you enjoyed can reflect how you are
feeling at the time.
This may be something you want to leave to a loved one to
help them when you pass. It could make a beautiful gift for them to connect
with how you saw your life, give them a completely different insight to who you
were or may even provide inspiration in their life when they most need it.
When your feelings are down on paper, out of your head and
your heart, you will see how situations in your life can influence your
feelings. That's when you can really get to work to process those
feelings. Listen to what you are feeling
when it is there in front of you, then write down what you learned about
yourself.
You can work through feelings like stress, anxiety, anger,
resentment, jealousy. Writing these
feelings on paper and releasing them from your heart and mind so that you can
work through them, can really help you to stay balanced. Don't worry about
grammar or spelling, don't censor your thoughts, just let it out!
Why bottle all up those feelings, when you can get them all down on paper and process them?
When you get to the why you feel the way you do about all that icky stuff, it gives you such a beautiful inner peace.
