Journalling is a practice I return to again and again. I write this blog to invite you to join me on this path and I’m going to tell you all the unexpected benefits of journalling.
It’s free to do, easily accessible to me and it’s private. I’m an introvert at heart and love quiet time for introspection. I have journaled in some form or another almost every day for about…(*counts on fingers*)… 10 years now!
Why I Started Journalling
My journalling journey began in 2015, when honestly, I was in the pits. This was the year I discovered gratitude practice and I figured I had nothing to lose by trying it. Every day I diligently woke up and wrote what I was grateful for. In the beginning I was thinking ‘this is dumb!’ and I remember writing things like ‘I’m grateful for this pen and paper’ – I was scraping the barrel, which was a good reflection of where my head was at then.
However, I stuck with it and after a few weeks I really started to see a shift in my mental health. Life seemed brighter and I was seeing so much more positive in my world. As the saying says ‘energy flows where attention goes’. The more I focussed on what was good, the more I found what was good.
I watched this TED talk by Hayley Bartholomew years later and it’s a beautiful description of the process. More recently, I have come across the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza who talks about the science of gratitude also. It’s pretty cool! If you plan on starting with gratitude practices, I’d love to invite you to read this other article about how to move with caution through it.
Journalling Practices That Have Worked for Me
Anyway, since then, I’ve tried many journalling techniques beyond gratitude practice:
- Non-Dominant Hand Writing: this is an epic way to access your deep subconscious
- Morning Pages: a concept from Julia Cameron’s book, ‘The Artist’s Way’ where first thing every day you fill three sides of A4 with whatever comes out, in a stream of consciousness.
- Parts Journalling: a practice to feel your feelings, this I learnt from Richard C Schwartz in his book ‘No Bad Parts’
- Self-Compassion Practices: which you can check out by Dr. Kristen Neff.
- Manifestation Journalling: a practice where you energetically feel into your deepest desires and write them out, acknowledging and becoming the author of your own life
These are just a few examples.
I have recorded a free 6-Day Journalling for Self-Discovery Series with 6 daily videos explaining some of my favourite practices for you. I invite you to receive it for yourself by signing up here!
Two Powerful Benefits I Didn’t Expect
I said I’ve been journalling for a decade at this point, and these are the 2 unexpected benefits I have received from doing so:
1. Compassionate Discipline & Self-Trust
Firstly, I have developed compassionate discipline and deeper self-trust.
What do I mean?
There are days when I can’t be bothered to journal, of course there are. Or days when I believe I am ‘too busy’. But the thing is, I know it’s one daily practice that allows me to come home to myself. Time to turn my attention inward and give myself time to savour my wellness, process feelings, author my life – whatever I decide I need that day.
By sticking to it in a ‘routine’ way, something I do every day (any time, any place, on anything – it’s not so rigid), I am practicing compassionate discipline. This isn’t an activity I am doing from a space of lack or ‘not enoughness’, so it is not discipline in a way of inflicting pain, it is discipline in a way of devotion and self-love. It is compassionate.
Through this I have developed a deeper self-trust. That even when I don’t really want to do it, I do it anyway, because it says to myself ‘I care about you, enough to spend some time with you today, regardless of how I feel’. The bond with myself has strengthened no end. I like myself more because of it. I trust myself and my intuition more because of this practice.
2. A Deeper Sense of Self-Awareness
Secondly, I have raised my self-awareness.
The process of journalling, particularly a practice such as a stream of consciousness is incredible to help you realise…’I am not my thoughts’.
By writing things down, you are taking them out of your head and on to the page. You then read them on the page and all of a sudden, you are observing them, there is some physical distance between you and the thought. You understand, that I am the one who observes the thought, not the thought itself.
In life, of course there are times when we belief, fully and entirely, we are the thoughts in our heads, but journalling and creating that distance really supports to remember, this is not the case. It also gives an opportunity to practice self-compassion. For example, say you have journaled about your day, and have a read back through it…and you notice that in what you’ve written, there is something about you having ‘done something stupid’. By having this out of your mind and on the paper, you have a moment to pause and think ‘hang on a minute, do I really want to call myself stupid? Is this really how I choose to treat myself’?
Feeling Curious? Let’s Journal Together
Having written this blog, I’m actually starting to feel fanatical about journalling, so I’m going to embrace it! If anyone wants support on getting started and feel like you need some guidance, I really recommend my free 6 Day journalling for Self-Discovery Journey or feel free to drop me an e-mail via my contact form and I’d be so happy to chat!
