Journaling is the physical action of writing and processing your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Journaling can be a safe tool to fully express oneself, primarily because only you know what you have written. The journal will not get mad at you for being honest about your feelings or thoughts. The act of writing encourages honesty and vulnerability. Being honest with yourself is scary, but it’s also rewarding because you are uncovering things about yourself that you may have never known. As the issues come up, and you start working through them, the mind/body/spirit start to experience various levels of healing. The vulnerability that is experienced is rooted in the honesty you are developing with yourself but it’s also being able to sit with your emotions and thoughts, acknowledge them, and understand them. As you come to a place of awakening your vulnerability, you start to learn more about who you thought you were and who you are becoming.

Journaling provides a sense of clarity about where you are in the present moment.

On the other hand, there can be blocks to journaling, such as not knowing where to start. Regardless of what the specific block is, you can use that as a starting point for your journal entry. Eventually, you will be able to figure out the purpose the block was serving in your life and what you have to do in order to work through it. For example, I went through a period where the desire to journal was significantly high but I had difficulty following through with the act of writing. My personal block was wanting my home to be clean before I could sit down to write. When I realized that this barrier always presented itself, I decided that I would sit in the mess that was created around me and journal. I wanted to feel the emotions connected to the experience. What I learned was that I avoided “sitting in my mess” and taking the time to actually process what was happening around me and where my thoughts were as they related to the issues that came up.

Have you tried journaling yet? If not, take a look at some of these journaling options.

Types of Journaling

Freestyle

Freestyle journaling is similar to timed journaling but the difference between the two is that one is timed and the other is not. This style allows the writer to write about any and everything that is going on in their lives.

Gratitude

Gratitude is an expression of appreciation for what one has, as opposed to what one thinks he/ she needs or wants. Practicing gratitude is a skill that is built over time. In order to practice this skill, you will need a journal. Identify a number of things you would like to write about within your day. For example, you can wait until the end of the day and reflect on what has taken place, thus find points of gratitude or things you are thankful for. At first, it may seem like a daunting task because the brain is programed to recognize the negative things that have taken place, but with practice, it will become easier to identify the things in your day that you were grateful for. Practicing gratitude helps with increasing more positive feelings towards self and others; it also allows you to reshape how you look at the things you have and let go of things that no longer services any purpose.

Timed Journal Entries

Journal entries that are timed can be helpful for those of us who as struggling with how much to write and “finding the time to write.” When using this practice of writing, it is important that you identify a set amount of time that will be undisturbed. If you are just starting out 5-10 minutes a day is long but short. As you start this practice, give yourself some grace especially if you have not engaged in a personal writing exercise since you were younger. The beauty of timed journaling is that you are writing whatever comes to mind and when the timer goes off, you stop writing.

Over the last few years, journaling has become a significant part of my healing journey, and I am hopeful that it can be part of yours too.