With busy, demanding schedules it’s no wonder many of us exist in a state of constant stress + overwhelm. Today, I’d like to offer you an antidote — Journaling.
I’ve been journaling for a long time. In fact, here in LA I have my first journal dating back to December of 1999 (yes, I was stressed about the Y2K bug lol). But even as a pre-teen, I took to writing as a way of expressing my present thoughts, frustrations, anxieties, and wishes for the future. Though the stressors look different in our adult lives than they did for 11-year-old Danielle — the remedy remains the same. Getting things out an on paper is one of the simplest and most effective forms of self-care that exists.
What Is Journaling?
I like this definition by Raychelle C Lohmann, MS, LPC:
Journaling is a vehicle of emotional exploration, a way to channel difficult feelings into healthy and creative outcomes. It is a form of free self-expression that leads to exploration and personal growth. By writing down your thoughts and feelings, you are forced to slow down and pay attention to everything that is going on in your life. You have to listen rather than run away from your feelings.1
What Types Of Journaling Exist?
There are many styles of journaling — bullet, gratitude, free-form, dream, vision, etc. No style is better than another and I think trying different styles is helpful in the beginning. When it comes to journaling, consistency is always more important than style. No matter what form your writing takes, success here is measured by what you get out and how you feel after.
Personally, my journaling style for the past few years consists of a mix of morning pages and periods of self-inquiry. “Morning pages” describe a daily stream of consciousness journal technique a la Julia Cameron which helps you connect with your creativity. Self-inquiry is a process of asking questions and becoming curious about your true nature, desires, and motivations. I repeatedly ask myself simple questions and watch the answers evolve over time. I find that each year, or each time I revisit a question I’m able to go deeper.
Why Do You Journal?
Journaling helps to relieve my stress and anxiety. It provides a safe space to write my goals, wishes, aspirations, and inspirations. It allows me to connect the dots in my life and most of all, it helps me get in touch with my true, authentic self.
Journaling as a practice has helped me sit with my “I Don’t Know”. There are periods of growth + evolution in life when I don’t know what I want or have two competing interests. During those periods, a journaling practice helps keep me grounded and allows me to become re-inspired to create change in my life. Being present with our thoughts + emotions through journaling holds the power to pull us from our head to our heart.
Self-inquiry, in particular, proved invaluable in helping me uncover what I truly wanted. When I first began using this practice consistently in 2014, I started to see my life shift. I would use my self-inquiry questions as a guide to set 6 and 12 months goals for myself. Then armed with this newfound clarity, I begin asking for and seeking out opportunities that aligned with my life vision. I began to live more intentionally as I used my journaling practice to become an active participant in creating my life. As I accomplished my goals, I would always return to the very same self-inquiry questions to help me create a new vision. Taking the first step to simply write down my inner thoughts, goals, hopes, and ideas have helped them come true.
What’s Next?
I want you to see the magic of journaling for yourself. To get you going, Fierce Clarity is kicking off it’s “12 Days of Journaling” challenge on December 1st to make sure you take care of yourself this Holiday season. This practice has been so powerful in my life that it is a big component of the work we do at Fierce Reset retreats. Each guest always receives a journal and we dig deep into some self-inquiry work to start the process of inner transformation.
We’ve also created a Limited Edition journal and a journal companion eBook to help you along your journey. Embossed with the mantra “Ask. Believe. Receive.” (the three necessary steps in creating meaningful change), your new journal can serve as a great first step in creating the life you deserve. I’m so proud of this project and we’ll be donating a portion of proceeds to help victims of the California wildfires.
I hope you’ll join us on this journey in one way or another!
