I am a journaling fiend right now – I can’t get enough! Today I wanted to share some of the benefits that I’ve found from having a regular writing practice, and hopefully you will be inspired to start journaling yourself.
I have always loved writing. As a child I would always be writing fictional stories (mostly involving horses and kidnapped princesses, because, y’know, you’re only 8 once…). I would always be reading too, and my imagination was definitely centred around the written word.
Call me old fashioned but I don’t tend to watch much on YouTube, as I prefer blogs over vlogs. I even prefer reading transcripts of podcasts over listening to them (weirdo)! That all said, over the last few years I didn’t really write very often, except for the odd blog post on here. And I’ve really missed it. Writing has always been a huge source of creativity for me, and I’m reclaiming it.
Whether you can relate to my literary ways, or whether you’re a bigger fan of watching video content, I am certain journaling will help you. You can apply any of the following advice to creating vlogs or voice recordings of the same topics.
How To Embrace Journaling
I really swear by Morning Pages (journaling as soon you wake up). When we are in this almost-lucid state of awakening, it can allow us to tap into our deeper levels of consciousness and really write from the heart. Get into a really nice headspace with a conducive environment – candles, chill music, a cuppa, in a space where you can embrace the peace and quiet for a few minutes. Even if that means getting up 10 minutes earlier than the kids!
Don’t worry if you find it hard going at first. For me, I never really knew what topics to write about when I started journaling. I remember when I started doing Morning Pages, I would literally write ‘I don’t know what to write about’ every day! It comes with time, practice and patience.
There doesn’t need to be a particular structure for you to start journaling. Simply write whatever seems to be on your mind at the time. I love free writing, and just expressing what’s going on for me in the moment. Even if it starts off in a negative way, by the end of the journal entry I have normally turned it into a positive!
Turn Inwards
Try to tap into your intuition before you start writing. I love to sit in stillness for a few moments/minutes before I start journaling. In fact, I find my most powerful journal entries come after a deep meditation session. I try to do a minimum of 10/10/10 every morning, ie 10 minutes each of yoga, meditation and journaling.
To tap into your intuition, sit in a comfortable position, with one hand on your heart, the other on your forehead. Sit and breath, and notice what is coming up for you – thoughts, emotions, stories beliefs …
Ask your highest self: what would you have me do? How can I serve?
Here are some prompts that may inspire you to get writing:
- What can I do to connect to my highest self today?
- How do I want to show up today?
- What do I want to achieve today?
- How do I want to feel today?
- What can I do to get me to experience this desired feeling?
- What do I feel drawn towards right now?
- What can I do to experience joy today?
- Who or what am I grateful for in this moment?
If you feel like you currently journal about what’s going on in your life at the moment and you want to get inspired, try visualising your future and writing about your life goals.
- What do you want your life to look like in 6 months? A year?
- How do you want to feel?
- What do you want to be doing?
- What do you want to be thinking about?
You are welcome to use these prompts to get you started, or simply free write. And if mornings aren’t your thing, do not worry! There are no rules, no right or wrongs when it comes to writing. Simply start journaling at a time that is right for you. It all comes down to exploration, so take your time to figure out a time and a place that suits you best.
Journaling Resources
Although so many friends and mentors have always preached the importance of journaling, I was always put off by the concept of writing by hand, as it just felt time consuming and awkward. So I decided to break the rules, and write from my laptop instead! I started out with Google Drive, and have SO many random entries and rambles in a folder on there. I’ve recently discovered this AMAZING iOS app called Day One, which is a serious game changer for digital journaling! It means I can now journal on the go with a lot more ease, and it can sync across devices.
On my first round of my Edinburgh-based UNITE: Live group coaching course, a lot of the women were raving about the 6 Minute Diary which is exactly what it says on the tin! Although I haven’t yet bought one personally, it sounds like a fantastic way to start journaling. It provides a lot of structure which is really helpful, and doesn’t require a big time commitment.
To start journaling … just start
My best advice to start journaling is just to start. You don’t need a fancy notebook or the best app. Journaling has helped me to discover so much about myself and my mindset, and to overcome so many limiting beliefs. I am clearer on my future goals and what I need to do to get there.
We all already have all the knowledge we need to do to achieve our ambitions and feel our best, and I definitely believe that journaling can help us access that deep wisdom.
Over to you! Do you already have a writing practice? Are you inspired to start journaling now? Let me know in the comments below 🙂
Tali xx
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