I do this in depth at different times of my life. I kept a detailed journal whilst preparing for, whilst on my vision quest and for the month afterwards. I’ve also done it as I started new relationships as it helped deal with the feelings of insecurity that ran through my head. Interestingly when I met J I never felt the need to journal. I felt secure with him from first meeting him and we have been together over 7 months now.
I’m back into journaling again now and wanted to share some details in case this is something that could be helpful for you too.
I journal to get the myriad of thoughts out of my head. It helps when I have an issue or feel sad about something, so that’s when I use it for self-care. It can be useful when it becomes part of your daily routine – to write about how you are feeling, or hopes and dreams for the future. The good thing about journaling is that it is for your eyes only. You don’t have to worry about grammar and form, just get stuff out of your head.
When to write
For me, it works best when I write in the morning, but I will add to it at any time during the day when I’m working through emotions related to a relationship issue, which could be family or a love interest.
For other people they prefer to do this as part of their bedtime routine and nice to do this in your journal rather than scrolling through social media in the run up to bedtime.
Where to write
If it is first thing in the morning, or before bed it’s likely to be at home. I’ve had my best thoughts, and eureka moments when I’m out in nature. I keep a notebook in my bag and a couple of pens and will sit down looking at the trees sway and listen to the wind. This can give me inspiration. You may prefer more stimulation from a coffee shop – remember when we used to go to them!
It can be more than words
When out in nature I may pick up a leaf and add it to my journal and I do like to use different colour pens. If you enjoy, you could draw, or stick in images out of magazines. It may not be all your own words. It can be good to find quotes and add them in if they inspire or soothe you.
Give yourself prompts
I got thinking of this as I prepare for interviews for my doctoral studies. Asking people broad open questions to see what they have to say. Things like
- Looking back to my childhood a strong memory is
- As a child I wish someone had told me
- An important person I met
- A lesson l learned from my school years
- Dreams I had and abandoned
And then to ask similar questions as you move into adult hood, mid life etc.
If you find this helpful I’d love to know what you think, please use the comments section
Image by CharuTyagi from Pixabay