Writing for Wellness: Journaling for Personal Growth

Photo by Brad Neathery on Unsplash

I have been journaling for as long as I can remember; I started journalling when I was about 10 and the act of writing down how I felt resonated with me as I had always better at writing how I feel

I didn’t keep most of my earlier journals, but looking back, I wish I did. I keep them now though, and go back to them often as I feel they highlight:

• Things I knew but didn’t yet believe (especially about myself and my abilities
• Things I knew but didn’t know how to put into practice
• The traps I felt myself in and didn’t know how to get out of
• Mindset shifts (especially around self-compassion)

There are reasons I didn’t keep my old journals. I threw some out because they made me cringe (my teenage ones in particular), others because I thought they were too negative, and the rest because they contained memories and events that at the time, I didn’t want to remember.

Doodles in my current journal

I journal just about every day, I write the affirmations/keywords of the Oracle card I pull as well as my daily to-do list each morning. I write my gratitude list, and my wins for the day in the evening and I doodle and process my thoughts in my journal if anything comes up.

A page in my journal from an online therapy session

I also use my journal during therapy, because I have always been better at articulating my thoughts through writing, I find it helps if I take my journal into a session and read through anything that came up during the week while discussing thoughts and emotions that arose, any realizations I had, and what I needed to do to move on.

I also take notes about what was discussed. The photo above is from an online session I had with my therapist where the things we discussed a difficult situation I was going through at the time and what I needed to do to look after myself/bring myself out of the headspace I was in (yes, this was 4 and a half months ago and I’m only starting to put these things into practice, sometimes it takes time to pull yourself out of a slump lol).

A mixed media painting of a cartoon character with a hotdog for a mouth

Five Ways I Use My Journal

1. Self-Reflection and Awareness: I use my journal for self-reflection, which helps me gain an understanding of my thoughts, emotions, and personal growth.
2. Mindset Shifts and Positive Growth: I like to document my mindset shifts, especially around self-compassion, which allows me to celebrate positive changes and track my growth over time.
3. Goal Setting and Productivity: The inclusion of daily to-do lists and affirmations helps with goal setting, contributing to increased productivity and a sense of accomplishment.
4. Therapeutic Outlet: Using my journal in therapy sessions provides an effective platform for articulating my thoughts and emotions, facilitating the therapeutic process and self-exploration.
5. Stress Relief and Emotional Processing: Doodling and processing my thoughts in my journal offers a creative and therapeutic outlet, promoting stress relief and effective emotional processing.

My journaling practice has been therapeutic and transformative. It helps with self-discovery, mindset shifts, and achievements. My practice also enhances productivity and provides a safe place for stress relief. I want to learn about your journaling experiences and the questions you pose to yourself while journalling 📖✨

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