The ins and outs of journaling

          Do you ever wonder what you should be doing next? Do you ever wonder is this it? Do you have those moments where you question yourSelf to the point of confusion? Do you spend a lot of time up in your head trying to figure things out? Ya, me too. My mind moves fast I move even faster. In a world where we absorb so much information each day how the heck are we suppose to know left from right? I used to be the queen of bypassing my life because I just wanted to keep moving and figure out my purpose, I wanted to get to the endpoint already. The moment we realize that journey is actually the destination is when we give ourSelves the opportunity to truly meet ourSelf. When I started journaling it came as a last resort to feel better. I had tried different ways to clear my thoughts to find ease and this was my last shot. At first, it felt weird almost like I was scared to give power to my words and emotions. I went through waves of not knowing if what I was writing was ‘right’. Some days I would write way longer than others, was that okay? I just didn’t know but for some reason, journaling kept sneaking back on in to my routine until it was a daily practice. 

        The first question I ask a client is, ‘do you have a relationship with yourSelf’. I receive looks of confusion, fast answers and sometimes nothing at all. The reason why I didn’t put pen to paper sooner than I did was that I didn’t know what my real thoughts and feelings were because I wasn’t taught how to honour them. This is why journaling is so important. Humans don’t make decisions from our heads. Not one of us. We make decisions from a place in our bodies but because we are trained from such a young age to value how we think we forget to tune into and give power to other aspects of ourSelves. This is where journaling comes in. Journaling is a mini sanctuary where you have the opportunity to re-introduce yourSelf to your inner world. An inner world that may have been denied as a child or scoffed at throughout your life. Your journal is a place where you can show up completely and authentically as yourSelf no matter the moment, emotion, scenario. This is where we learn self-acceptance and deep self-acceptance comes when we acknowledge all of our being including our shadow sides. Our shadow Self refers to the dark side of our personality. We all have this ‘dark side’ and refers to emotions like envy, rage, jealousy, etc. When we were little we’re told ‘we’re good’ when we are in positive emotion and ‘bad’ when we are in shadow emotion which leads us to dis-own those shadow parts of ourSelf. BUT when we do that, we shut off access to the positive side of that emotion leaving us feeling unexressed and scared to show up. This is the reason why a lot of us are actually afraid to get down and dirty with ourSelves. 

          Journaling is one of the first steps to shining light on all of you and really learning to trust yourSelf and all that you are. The second question I ask my clients is, ‘how is your inner dialogue with yourSelf’. I receive giggles, silence and again, sometimes nothing at all. I know from experience that our inner dialogue isn’t always the nicest but how do we expect to change it if we don’t spend time building a relationship with ourSelf. How do we do that, you guessed it… journaling! Journaling allows you the space to get what’s going on up in your head out and on paper. Sometimes this act alone is a huge relief and you will feel an energetic shift like a weight was lifted. Begin to chat with yourSelf like you were your own best friend, because that’s the goal isn’t it? In your journal you get to be your biggest cheerleader, ask yourSelf questions and truly let your freak flag fly. Journaling is a tool to begin to create positive inner dialogue with yourSelf. It’s a safe place for you to begin to explore parts of your Self you have disowned or are less in tuned with so that you can embody the full spectrum of your emotions without shame or guilt. And journaling is really just a consistent place where you can show up for yourSelf in all colours, hats, moments in your life. You can track habits, patterns in yourSelf, and being to learn to self-correct in those moments. Journalling is like a key to knowing the answers that you ask in your mind. Now how to begin?

          I remember how overwhelming I felt when I looked down at a blank page. My inner dialogue would go running in all directions wondering if I would write the right thing or if I had the right pen for colour coding my work. But the thing about journaling is there is no rules. Journaling is a tool for evolvement and that means your journals will experience different versions of yourSelf so my first tip would be to give yourSelf full permission to go no rules in your journal. Secondly, because there are no rules that means you could write in your journal a different way every day or the same way every day and that is completely up to you. Here are 5 different ways to journal to explore 

Brain Dump | this is exactly what it sounds like, you literally write everything down that is floating around in that big beautiful mind of yours to let it out - great in moments of overwhelm or at the end of the day Gratitude Journal | this style is quick and anchors you into the moment; you write a short or long list of what you are grateful for, expanding on each one in any way you’d like - great practice to start your day on a positive note or end of the day to go to bed or both Prompted | this is when you actually have a question or are given a question to reflect on - this style is great when you are looking to create something or work through something An Anchor In | this is almost like storytime; it’s great to do at the end of the month or week and journal around what you did that week or month - almost like a scrapbook to come back to Freestyle | writing to write; this is when you open your journal with no plan and you just let yourSelf flow - great for more experienced journalers 

          Journalling is not a one size fits all. It will take practice if it’s new to you but like anything practice makes progress. Journaling helps you create a vision for your life and helps you stay accountable to yourSelf. It creates more freedom because it gives power to your words, emotions and helps you become in tune with your intuition. Journaling supports your emotional well-being and also is a tool to give yourSelf internal validation rather than seeking from someplace external to you. This practice really gives you space to be you and learn your innate needs in this world. At the end of the day, we have ourSelves so what kind of relationship do you want to have with you? 

To be the first to get in on all my dirty little secrets, workshops, courses, new episodes and more Subscribe to the Tribe.

Feel At Home Workbook // FREE DOWNLOAD

The Iner Her Facebook Community // Feel at Home

The Iner Her Podcast // Show Notes