Journaling as a beautiful personal growth process!
Journaling as a beautiful personal growth process!
Why journaling you might ask? Its only writing stuff down. And yet from my own journaling experience and from supporting my clients with theirs I have grown to understand and appreciate that it is so much more than that. If you can settle into a routine of journaling it truly does lighten your mental load, enable you to gain deeper clarity of your own processes and helps you to relieve stress and find forward movement in your life like nothing else.
First and foremost it is an invaluable tool to clear out mental clutter. Getting your thoughts out of your head and down on paper is like a a clearing out process for your brain. Instead of having all our thoughts running around in our heads in a jumbled up mix. Journaling gives us the opportunity to filter out our thoughts, identify key issues and concerns we are currently trying to process and give them some form and structure through the written word. This process creates additional mental space, because once we write our thoughts down, that thought is taken out of our head and creates that needed additional mental space. One way to help with this clearing out of mental clutter through journaling is to take some time to journal around your current most pressing thoughts.
To start that mental decluttering through journaling ask yourself the following question: what are the key thoughts, worries or concerns I have going around in my head currently? Choose up to 3. Identify what these are and then journal on each of these for 3-5 mins.
Journaling also helps you gain a deeper clarity of your own mental processes. Through the process of a regular journaling practice you will begin to see patterns to your thinking, regular emotional states that come up for you, and perspective that you hold. You can gain deeper clarity on your own process by asking yourself a range of self-reflective questions and then journaling your responses.
To start that process of developing more clarity of your own mental processes ask yourself the following questions: What do I know my strengths to be? What do I know some of my areas for improvement to be? What thinking patterns and behaviours support me currently? What thinking patterns tend to get in the way of me progressing currently? What feelings did I feel today and why? What feelings would I like to let go of today and why? The key here is to be openly honest with yourself. Then by writing your thoughts and perspectives down it makes things much more concrete and actionable. They are no longer just thoughts floating around in your head anymore. But by journaling them you are putting them into a shape and form on paper and actively taking a closer look at yourself. It also creates a clear focus for you in terms of what actionable steps you can take to facilitate personal change.
An essential element of the process of journaling is also the manner in which you engage with it. With journaling its important to remember that it is an exploratory and curiosity exercise. It is not a time to judge your thoughts or be critical of your thoughts. Journaling is about fully accepting your thoughts and feelings for what they are as you put them on paper. Its about offering yourself compassion and curiosity as you express yourself within your journaling process. Journaling is in itself is a journey to allow yourself to have a space and place where you can freely explore all aspects of yourself, to tap into your imagination, express your wishes and dreams and to start to pave your way forward in a more empowered self aware way.
Using journaling to find forward movement in your life can be a really empowering process. Again giving yourself time and space to self-reflect and then put on paper what forward movement is important for you is a powerful strategy that gives you a line in the sand to start from. Ask yourself some of these self-reflective questions as part of this journaling process. What is important to me on a daily basis? Why do I do what I do? What aspect of my life would l like to improve? How would I like my life to be different or better? How do I feel currently about my life? What can I commit to doing to help me strive towards that best version of myself? What does that best version of myself look like? These self supporting and curiosity questions nurture that personal growth mindset that in itself helps propel you forward in your life. Because after all we human begins have an innate capacity for growth and expansion. It is essential to give that some breathing space. This enables us to grow and expand on our own terms.
So if you would like to start your own journaling process and practice here is a summary of the journaling prompts I have mentioned in this article:
· What do I know my strengths to be?
· What do I know some of my areas for improvement to be?
· Which of my thinking patterns and behaviours support me currently?
· What thinking patterns tend to get in the way of me progressing currently?
· What feelings did I feel today and why?
· What feelings would I like to let go of today and why?
· What is important to me on a daily basis?
· Why do I do what I do?
· What aspect of my life would l like to improve?
· How would I like my life to be different or better?
· How do I feel currently about my life?
· What can I commit to doing to help me strive towards that best version of myself?
· What does that best version of myself look like?
Also remember journaling is a very personal process, it is a form of self-love and self-expression. Your journaling process is done through a curious and exploratory state of mind. Journaling is done from a place of acceptance and non-judgement. Its about allowing yourself to step into the possibilities of your own personal growth and expansion. And accepting that your own personal growth and expansion can be anything you want it to be.
Additional links and articles around the benefits and practice of Journaling:
1. The mental health benefits of journaling
2. New year, new day: the mental health benefits of journaling
3. The health benefits of journaling
4. Ten good reasons to keep a journal
Using journaling as a process to navigate your way to a better level of wellbeing would be a positive step forward. If you would like to integrate the practice of journaling into your self-care or wellbeing process and would like a starting point for this why not explore my range of hard copy self-reflective wellbeing journals here. Or my printable e-journals here. And finally if you have any questions around your wellbeing or how to build and improve your own wellbeing get in touch with me at ml@mldevitt.com, it would be great to hear from you.
Until next time
