How to Journal

Journaling is the practice of writing our thoughts onto paper for many different purposes, 3 of which we will discuss in this article. The history of journaling goes a long way back, some reports go back to the Han Dynasty. It’s considered a Zen process by some.

Regardless of where it comes from I have found it to be an excellent tool for clients to continue their healing journey at home. I find there are different ways of journaling and I would like to share some different types of journaling techniques that you can use for whatever purpose attracts you.

THE THREE TYPES OF JOURNALING No matter what type of journaling you are embarking on there are some important points to be aware of that will make your journaling more effective.

• Be truthful - no matter what, be totally truthful with what is on your mind. This is not a place to censor yourself or to limit what comes out. If there is no other place on earth where you can empty the contents of your mind and thoughts then make this a sacred space of no self-judgement and complete self honesty. This is a great practice to just observe how the mind wants to censor even our own private thoughts. Just observe how we are conditioned to accept certain thoughts and yet others are frightening, shameful and really uncomfortable.

• Privacy - a lot of people get deterred about the potential exposure of journaling because they are afraid someone will read what they had written. If anything this is an important stage of development in anyones life - how they set up their boundaries. If you don’t have a space that is safe in your home then this itself is something to work towards in your life. If you simply aren’t in a place in your life to trust other members of your house hold, perhaps consider tearing out the pages that are written in each session and destroying them? There is no reason to keep them really. I have journaled for years and its very rare that I will go back over something I have written in the past. In fact I will often go through a journal detox and just get rid of old notes that I have outgrown.

• Paper and Pen or Computer - I like the traditional feeling of pen on paper. There is something very comforting about being able to imagine the energy pouring down the arm through the pen and onto paper. To me it feels a little more connected and committed in some way to the process. I also love the feel of a new journal and a lovely pen that rolls elegantly across the paper. However typing on a computer is a great alternative if you don’t have the pen and paper available and you just need to get things off your chest. I suggest you try it and see what feels better for you. This is a completely personal practice that is all about you getting aware of your feelings and thoughts.
  

# 1 EMPTYING THE CHARGE OF BUILT UP EMOTIONS We have all experienced the very uncomfortable feeling of having a build up of negative emotional charge swirling around in our body. The mind can be a cluster of thoughts running wildly jumping from subject to subject. This can be a common space for some people and an uncomfortable phase for others. The very basic gift of journaling is being able to empty the charge and contents of a messy mind onto paper. The technique for this is to be in a quiet and private space. Allow yourself to feel and think of what is presenting in your mind and body and imagine the charge from these emotions moving from your head down your arm through your pen and onto the paper. Literally feel this negativity and charge leaving your body as you pour out the contents onto paper. If you are not sure how to start, then the best place is anywhere. Even if your first line is “I don’t know what to write” Just allow anything to hit the paper and you will find it will start to pour out in no time. How long do I write for? I would suggest until you feel empty. There may be tears and even exhaustion but keep going until you feel you are spent. If you do this regularly it’s much like taking out the emotional or psychic garbage, you can do it daily, weekly, twice a day or even just when you need to. Isn’t focusing of negative emotions bad for you? It totally depends what perspective you are taking with the observation. If you are feeding the negative emotions and not letting them go then that is not a beneficial process at all. If you are taking on the observer role and acknowledging what is there and also in the process of letting it go, then that is a very beneficial process. Having so much pent up charge in the body is not healthy and can lead to health issues. Having the intention of cleaning out your negative emotions goes a long way. Questions you can ask yourself to prompt this process;

• What is on my mind?

• What do I need?

• What would I like to let go of?
  

#2 SELF ENQUIRY This is perhaps a good process to do after you have emptied the charge from the body. You have a great tool here for going inwards and getting to know yourself. We are mostly a mystery to ourselves. A large part of us is actually in the unconscious realm. It doesn’t matter how much “work” we have done, the process of life is forever there to assist us in discovering more of who we are each day. Who we are becoming is part of the adventure of life and perhaps not quite the destination we may think it should be. A great technique for self enquiry is to start a conversation with your inner child. Imagine your inner child - allow the correct age to just intuitively appear. Then you can open up a dialogue with your inner child. Some questions to ask the inner child;

• What is the one thing you would want to say to this aspect of yourself?

• How are you feeling?

• What do you need?

• What message do you have for me?

You can write the question for your inner child with your right hand (regardless if you are right or left handed) and then write your inner Childs answers to you with your left hand. This technique engages different parts of the brain to access non logical and non linear responses. This can be a very enlightening and healing process. Some questions to ask yourself in self enquiry journaling -

• What are 3 things that I like about myself?

• What are my strengths?

• What obstacles am I seeing in my path to getting what I would like?

• What would I like to achieve today, this week, this year?

• What bought me joy this week?

• What upset me this week?

• What do you feel you have lost in your life?

• What do you regret?

• What can you forgive yourself for?

• What can’t you forgive yourself for?

• What makes you happy?

• What annoys you but you don’t want to change?

• How do you care for yourself?

Self enquiry is a tool to build a relationship with yourself, to get to know yourself, so play with different types of questions. Become curious about who you are inside.

#3 CREATING A NEW FUTURE We can also use journaling to build awareness of who we are becoming. Goal setting and vision boards are similar to this process. This is what we are opening up to experiencing with our future self. It helps us become aware of the behaviours in our present that may be blocking or causing resistance to having what we want. There are many techniques but one I enjoy is simply opening up a conversation with the future self we are admiring or feeling like they have what we want in our lives. A happy relationship. A fulfilling career. More loving connections. All the things that would bring a level of fulfilment and joy in ones life. Then you open up the communication with that aspect of self. Let’s just say it’s a happy relationship that you would like to achieve. There is an aspect of your future that has this. Locate that person in your imagination. Is that person a year away? 5 years away or even 10 years away? Then ask your future self some questions;

• What do I need to let go of to achieve what you have?

• What fears are stopping me from living this life now?

• Is there something I need to do that Im not doing in this moment?

• Is there some pattern from the past that blocks me having this?

• Write down what your future self is experiencing that you are not.

• Write down affirmations that align with this future desire eg I invite healthy loving relationships only into my life. This is something you can write in your journal creatively. You can paste pictures. Have fun with creating the vibe you want to achieve in your life.

Above all enjoy this process and I hope it brings you love, prosperity and healing. I encourage you to investigate more about journaling and find different and enlightening techniques to play and have fun with.

“Your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship you can have. From this comes the quality of all your relationships. The richness of your life has its roots right here.” — Vesna Pinter