12/07/2021
I love making pictures with my thoughts!
Journaling has been something I’ve done since I was a little girl, except then I called them diaries.
Writing in my journal has become a huge part of my self-reflection and self-discovery journey. My journals are where my muffled, and sometimes overwhelming thoughts and emotions find a home. My journals have helped me process and move through some pretty heavy and overwhelming emotions, so that I could release them and feel more balanced, reaching a place of clarity and understanding.
Many people have shared with me that they do not think that they could write in a journal, that they wouldn’t even know where to start. I’ve been reflecting on my journaling process and thought I’d share it with you in case it sparks something within you as you navigate the idea of journaling.
1. I journal when I feel off about something. Sometimes I know exactly what it is and sometimes I only have a sense of what it is.
2. I often start by writing down what happened - perhaps it was an argument, an event, a small exchange. I’ll often write about it until I start to uncover what is really bothering me.
3. And then I go into all the emotions that have arisen in reaction to it - this almost always starts in the form of anger, swearing and justifying my thoughts/behaviour and then moves into what's really underneath, sadness, fear, regret, shame…etc.
4. I sometimes explore the different “parts of me”, I might write “part of me feels like that’s exactly what I deserve” or “part of me just wants to feel connected again”. Exploring these parts helps me unravel all the feelings that are true for me.
5. Sometimes this is it, the release of emotions is enough for me and I close my journal. Other times I’ll ask myself questions, for example “okay, so now what?” or simply “Why?” My aim is to unravel more self awareness, to learn something from these moments, to come away with a better understanding of what was going on for me.
This is the in depth version of my journaling process now; however, I can promise you that it did not start out this way. I filled many diaries with a simple list of what happened during my day, no emotions attached, perhaps this is where you may want to start too.
Do you keep a journal? If not, do you desire to? I’d love to join you in creating a personalized journaling practice if that interests you! Please feel free to send me a message and we can chat about what that might look like!
(Angela)
