The Incredible Secret Power of Journaling!
During the last several Blogs I have spent time examining and understanding (standing under) the myriad of ways/beliefs that bring us to a place of not valuing and loving self. In addition to knowing how it happened, I want you to know how incredibly important it is to change your current story, ( which is not true) and create a new story of belief in your lovability, worthiness, and value.
It is our birthright to be happy and fulfilled: to be able to take our rightful place in the world. I want with every fiber of my being to help you claim all that is yours… to love yourself enough to be willing to share your gifts and your light with the world. There is only one you and if you cannot love yourself enough to do so, your gifts will be lost to the world, as there is nobody just like you.
Last time my emphasis was on stopping and getting still. When I am told, “I don’t know what to do”. My answer at this point is to do nothing, just stop! I know this goes against all of the things we have been told in our “just do it” culture. Using the analogy of the plane that stops at the end of the runway before it takes off, intentionally surveying the terrain, I say stop and contemplate your life thus far.
Examine all the areas of your life, some are working, others, not so much? Be brutally honest with yourself. We all have some areas that we are not attending to that cause us repeated discouragement.
If you’re unhappy, discouraged, frenetically busy you realize that more of the same kind of effort can’t produce anything different. Changing entrenched habits without a plan is difficult or next to impossible. Can’t happen…your template is insufficient at this point.
The busier you are the more desperately you need to incorporate into your life some of the steps that have worked for many others, to stop what isn’t working and make space for the new.
Our culture does not value stopping, to review what is true for you at this moment…not how you’d like it to be. Therefore, you must intentionally seek what you need to know.
Read on…here is a key to access magical sources of your inner wisdom just waiting to be tapped and once tapped, never dries up. You may go to this place again and again to receive answers and solutions to life questions.
If you practice this energy, it will help you bridge from where you really are now, to where you want to be.
To access this key, the first thing is for you to stop the “doing”. Get still. Breathe deeply, slowly, whatever feels comfortable for your body, no forcing.
Contemplate your life as it is now. Where has it become stagnant? Where do you need healing? The risk you take to grow will bring you peace and rewards that others may deem magical.
So, what is this Talisman I’m going on about?
It is the Amazing Power of Journaling, or do you believe that Journaling is too simple to be a powerhouse of possibilities? I have helped thousands of Women over the years to make Journaling their ally, their therapist between sessions. Of course, one does not need to be in Psychotherapy to reap the multitude of benefits.
The power Journaling puts in your hands as a healing tool, simple, easy to access, and subsequently life-changing is incredible.
If you are willing to come out of denial to meet what is tripping, you up – Journal!
If you want to feel loveable and worthy of an incredible life – Journal!
If you’re ready to change the old story that you have been living and risk creating a new one – Journal!
If you want more Love, Health, Time, Money – Journal!
If you are ready to claim or reclaim more of your Feminine Power – Journal!
Something else about Journaling: When we take negative thoughts that have caused us to ruminate out of the vapors and put them in concrete form on paper, the unconscious releases the inner burden. It is as if the unconscious says aah! At last, she is going to attend it.
Another little-known gift of Journaling is that after we have written our old story and start to rewrite the story of the life we want, we have already started creating our new story. The written word has power to start the new process into a new reality/story. It is the beginning of Manifestation unless you start ruminating in a negative way and because old habits die hard you may do so. Catch yourself and stop it, no matter how many times you have to begin again.
Devote a Notebook/Journal for your experience.
Journaling does require a little time when you will not be disturbed by outside pressures. It does require a willingness to stop and be still, with curiosity.
Don’t get hung up on how to do the writing. Some people believe that in order to write they must have a special journal, a special time, write a certain number of pages, etc.; however no “specialness” is required, except having a spot that you will return to as you practice.
The purpose of journaling in this manner is to create a safe space for the unknown to come into our awareness.
Good spelling is not necessary; neither is crossing t’s or dotting the i’s. It is though important that you date each entry no matter how insignificant that you may consider it. Many small shifts garner courage for the big moves. Start with a stream of consciousness, or your story about what seems to be holding you back: asking your unconscious to reveal to you what is hidden; just write!!!
If you are feeling blocked… just write anything.
Don’t stop right now, prime the pump to relax, to loosen you up.
The importance of self-care tends to get bandied about, emphasizing the external, the massage, the greens, the movement etc.
My focus here is different; it is about inner self-care, the willingness to know oneself at a deep and profound level. Only by being willing to know oneself at this level can life become peaceful, joyful, happy and thus healthy. Inner self-care requires stopping external busyness in order to make space for a deep, potent, creative energy, and guidance to come forward.
I find Journaling to be more readily accepted and used by busy women, due to it being familiar, as many of us journaled as children. Of course, some do not feel safe putting their inner thoughts and feelings on paper. It may have been unsafe to do so when growing up. For those I’d like to encourage you to write even if you tear it up later. It’s the power of getting your thoughts on paper that will help you gain clarity. Of course, it is best if you date your entries and keep them for you to review later.
Some women have been known to create an altar in their home even in their closet to have a personal space away from busy family life. To create a little sanctuary, a quiet place for you, doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be the chair in a corner of your bedroom, a table with a beautiful picture or a plant. Wherever you choose just to make it yours to use for this reason and over time it will build healing energy. For instance, don’t do your bills or take phone calls here.
Journaling used in the way that I suggest is a powerful entry into what is hidden, into the unknown, into knowing oneself at the deepest level.
Writing by hand is strongly suggested as the hand is more connected to the unconscious than a computer. Whatever your preference, just write!!!
I ask you to devote 15 or 20 minutes a day to your inner self-care. Note that it is better to Journal a little every day rather than longer sessions a few times a week. Daily practice is more powerful and makes the Journal your ally. Every day creates new neurons in your brain, a new pattern within to expand your view of the world into a larger richer tapestry.
For those of you who may be joining us a little later and you would like to review the groundwork that helps all of this content to come together go to LauraBYoung.com to pick up the content that links all of this together.
My mission is that you get to know without a doubt how very loveable and valuable you truly are. The world is crying outside your window, but you must love yourself first!!!
Next time we’ll start with examining and how to change one of the many ways we continue to harm our sense of self. We’ll examine “The Dark Side of Being Too Nice.”
Happy Writing!