Journaling is one of the main self-inquiry tools utilized in this course. We will use a few different methods for maximum impact. This isn’t about rehashing your day. This is journaling to heal, discover, envision, and make true your deepest dreams.
Journaling helps you:
- Re-live events you experienced in a safe environment
- Clarify your thoughts and feelings
- Enhance your self-awareness
- Reduce stress and clear your mind
- Resolve disagreements with others
- See opportunities and solve problems more effectively
- Harness your creativity
- Detect sneaky, unhealthy patterns in your thoughts and behaviors
- Put things in perspective
- Identify and accept your emotions
- Track your progress
- Empower new belief systems
- Manifest your dreams
Key Methods of Journalling:
Automatic Writing: Once you start – Don’t stop! Don’t worry about spelling. Don’t worry about your handwriting or your grammar, or if it’s publishable or if it’s kind or fair. Just-keep-putting-pen-to-paper for however long you have committed to. If you have nothing to write just write, ” I can’t think of anything to write” over and over until some other impulse comes. This is about getting our perfectionist or judgemental control freak out of the way and allowing something to emerge from the subconscious that may hold a gift of deep wisdom for us.
W.R.I.T.E Journaling:
- W – What do you want to write about. Give the topic a name and put it as the title.
- R – Reflect – Take a moment to breathe, pause, meditate, come into the moment and think about the topic you have identified.
- I – Investigate – identify your thoughts and feelings through your writing. Don’t stop, just keep going without editing yourself, worrying about spelling,
- T – Time yourself – this will help you stay focused, as well as ensure you get back to other projects as needed. Set an alarm.
- E – Exit – Take a moment to pause when you have finished, breathe, and acknowledge yourself in some way for engaging with the process! Read briefly what you have written and take a moment to reflect on it. What is your takeaway> Can you sum it up in one or two sentences, for example, “As I read this, I notice…”. If you have any action items or steps you would like to take next, write them down now
Future Self Journaling – Focused on owning your desires, holding your vision, and creating the life you deeply desire by journaling in an empowering way. It inspires your self-belief and activates joyous emotional states. Designed to align you with grace and tune you into gratitude. Let’s try this now:
ASSIGNMENT #7: Shifting Toxic Habits
- Choose 1 of the self-sabotaging habits you identified previously and write it out. Example: I want to stop drinking more than one glass of red wine daily.
- Write affirmations that will help you achieve this. Don’t get stuck in your head just let these flow naturally. Example: “I am content and sated after one glass of red wine. I love watching myself put the bottle away after one glass. I drink in moderation. I enjoy trying new flavors of tea that I know boost my health. I delight waking up feeling energized.” Aim to write what you want to experience rather than focus on the negatives you want to avoid experiencing.
- Write how you will practice these new behaviors in daily life: Example: “I will practice observing my impulses to reach for more alcohol and instead I will tune into the feelings that I may wish to avoid. I will use the emotional release tools to support me .”
- Create a daily affirmation that includes these parts. Example: I drink alcohol in moderation. Today I will focus on shifting my pattern of habitually overdrinking. I am grateful for: the opportunity to become a different version of myself, my friends, today’s beautiful sunrise…The person I am becoming will experience more: radiant health, self-belief, joy. I have an opportunity to be my future self today when I: pause after finishing 1 glass of red wine and decide to drink tea. When I think about who I am becoming I feel: excited, proud, energized.
- Repeat writing out this affirmation on the same habit daily as creation journaling works through repetition to repattern the subconscious and shift our neuroplasticity.
- Share your affirmation paragraph here and read others’ on the group discussion thread.