Journal your way to calm….

Planning the journaling session for our upcoming retreat reminds me of the diary I had as a kid. Man I loved spending time writing and drawing and sellotaping stuff in that thing.

My diary these days is not a pretty little thing with a delicate lock and key….it’s a large bound black art book that kicks around my bedside with a coffee cup stain on the cover and inspirational clippings spilling from it. Like a trusted friend though my journal waits reliably to accept my next expressive deluge. Poor thing.

I’m yarning on about my diary and journal because I reckon there are health benefits to be experienced from expressive writing or journaling. I say this with such gusto because my journal brings me great joy and some focus to my life and maybe it could do the same for you?

Journaling can help us to organise and structure our lives and of course make meaning of our experiences…I also read that expressive writing has been shown to lower stress levels as well as reduce anxiety by bringing internal anxieties outside ourselves, releasing the stress of them. Picture having a heartfelt chat with a trusty pal over a glass of rosè.

After a hectic day managing my life-load, my journal often graciously takes on that list of things I ‘must' get done tomorrow as I lie in bed picking through the days events. Less thoughts swirling around is my preference before bed!

Clearing the mind is how the body naturally prepares for sleep so you are supporting this natural process with a written mind dump. I’ll be straight with you….those things sometimes still get forgotten the next day but at least they are out of my head at bed time.

As part of a bedtime routine I highly recommend this practise to clear away racing thoughts and calm the mind. There are actual studies showing improvements in sleep after expressive writing episodes. Opening up by Writing it down is a great read about this very topic by Pennebaker & Smyth.

Breathe in peace and breathe out the rest…let those racey racey thoughts go…….

Scribing a wee entry about something I found beautiful that day or goals, dreams or even just exploring my reaction to an event, interaction, relationship…..these are all forms of expression that help us to pause and be more mindful of our behaviours.

Our head and heart have so much going on sometimes right? Let me tell youuuu…this week my emotions were off the charts for a bunch of reasons and even just flicking through the dog-eared scrap book I call my journal helped to keep me going and inspired - wee reminders of how to look after myself, recipes and goals I have.

Expressive writing enables us to get to know ourselves better which in turn helps us to create purpose and personal growth. Curiosity about why you behave the way you do means you can become aware of what serves you in your life and of course what doesn’t. Its a way to put YOU back in the driver’s seat of your own life.

Oh and you don’t have to have written in this way before, you may even feel that writing isn’t your thing….but give it a go, you might be surprised how healing it feels or what clarity it can bring you digging down and getting to know yourself a bit better.

Writing down what you are grateful for each day is a good way to start and can bring some positivity to the way you feel. There are loads of journal prompts on-line to give you ideas but why don’t you give these a go….

“make a list of 5 things that make you smile"

“consider the main areas of your life (health, friends&family, personal growth, work, home environment, fun, finances) and score them out of 5. 1 = little or no time, energy or attention and 5 being lots of time, energy or attention. Then score them where you would actually like them to be. What changes can you make to get there?”

And don’t forget to jot down some lovely quotes you might see or hear. They might be just what you need to read one day.

B x