Yes, yes, I know!
It’s another person chattering on about journaling and it’s benefits!
But bear with me.
Do you remember being young and having lots of spare time to do as you please? Yeah, your parents were ALWAYS telling you do stuff you didn’t want to do like helping with the chores and tidying your bedroom!
Now you’re an adult you realise you had loads of free time, the things you were asked to help with weren’t that bad really!
As a teenager, I’d lay on my bedroom floor of an evening, listening to music and out would come my diary. Forever Friends was a favourite brand I had!
The tales my diaries could tell! The love struck me, when friends were not my friends anymore, the next day we’re thick as thieves again! So, and so said this today. I hate X,Y,Z with a passion.
Boy, did I let it out! F-bombs, truth bombs and downright pissed off passages is what came out of me!
It helped. I can literally still feel the release now when I think back about those years of my life.
Some of my teen years I was in a psychiatric hospital. My writings are tragic, lonely, sad with a smattering of positivity and fancying the new boy who just arrived!
It helped me immensely to write it all done.
Some pages are scribbled on, some are drawings, some are ripped apart because I had no words for how I felt yet ripping and stabbing the page with a pen was its own kind of therapy.
That’s why I’m still super vocal about journaling. It helps. Period.
Want some ideas on how to get started? Here ya go then…
Grab a notebook and pen!
Well duh, yeah…
Just grab a cheap notebook, it doesn’t need to be a fancy ass, gold leafed expensive book from Paperchase! It can be from the 99p store for all your thoughts care!
Begin…
I really like to start my journals off with a little opening passage on the first page something along the lines of:
Dear Lizz,
Inside these covers resides your thoughts.
Strong and heavy the guide your course.
Speak your truth and find your way,
Let go of your past and relish TODAY!
Love,
Me xoxox
(I like to write the date in to and maybe some little drawings, if I feel drawn to)
Make a space
Then give yourself 10 minutes to just write about where you are, who you’re with, what you do day to day. Whether you’re a parent, a partner, single etc.
Just let the words flow out. This is known as a ‘Stream of Consciousness’
No worrying about grammar, nobody else is going to see this but you.
For those of you who are like me and get annoyed if you’ve made a mistake on the page. THIS is the prime time to take a deep breath and leave the screw up on the page. I know it’s super tempting to start a fresh page, but don’t! The more you start to see the beauty in your mistakes the better you will start applying that to your real life too!
Gratitude
Once you’ve written for 10 minutes, just jot on the end 3 things you are grateful for! Easy…. The fact your pen didn’t run out, the roof over your head, the family you have, the smell of freshly laundered bed sheets!
Lather, Rinse, Repeat
If you want to continue writing, then that’s fab! However, if that’s enough for one day, or somethings needing attention, then stop for now. Pop an alarm on your phone and schedule in a reminder to journal tomorrow. 10-20 minutes or even more if you can find the time (and you really should make it a priority…well actually it’s about making YOU a priority)
Here are a few ideas for things to think about as you journal:
*What’s the one thing you really wish you could do today if money and time were no object?
*What do you notice about the sky today? How does it make you feel?
*Rant- get something that’s bugging you off your chest! Just let it out!
*What’s your 10 favourite movies? And which is your all-time favourite?
*How about a Bucket List? Where and what do you really want to do in your lifetime?
* If there’s something disturbing you, it can help to write about it in the third person. What can you learn about yourself?
*Doodle pictures…. draw something from nature, an animal. A self-portrait. It doesn’t have to be a prize-winning piece, just let the creativity flow!
How much should you write?
There’s no right or wrong answer to this!
Some days you might write a sentence, other days you will find that the number of words flowing through you cover 3, 4 or even 5 pages! Your mind will open up and dump it all out as, and when necessary, as long as you give it the opportunity to.
You may just find that journaling is the cheapest form of therapy out there!
Be kind to yourself,
Love
P.s Do you partake in the joy of journaling? How has it helped you? Let me know in the comments! xoxo
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