How do you keep well?
This is a question I am often asked.
How we decide to keep well is unique and individual to us.
My version of keeping well, will be completely different to yours and visa versa.
This is completely normal, as our keeping well routine is personal to us, and we all have different needs which need to meet.
I discovered journaling a few years ago. It is something I have done on and off, however in most recent years it is something I have carved out the time to do as often as I possibly can. I don’t know about you but I lost it, as I entered adulthood. I just thought at the time this is something only young me did. Silly me!
I don’t know about you, but I always find in going back my younger self is how I unlock more answers to my questions. We are full of wisdom and know what’s the best way to manage ourselves at that age. That is what I have found in my experience. Yet as we grow older outside influences and our egos grow and we lose a sense of ourselves and purpose from those outside influences. That’s if we let them!
As you may have seen in my recent post I have begun sharing journal prompts to inspire those of you who are new to journaling or those who may wish to explore this a little bit more.
I wanted to share with you how I journal. It can feel at times journaling is something that we have to do each day and is a prescribed exercise, however like with most things how you choose to journal is completely up to you.
Some people like to journal and reflect on their days events, others like to do little and often with some of us choosing to do it when we feel called to.
As with everything there is no wrong or right way and it really is down to you to build in your own routine on how you want to journal.
I have done a little research on the benefits of journaling to share with you here:-
The health benefits:-
Boosts you mood
Enhances your sense of well-being
Reduces symptoms of anxiety before an important event such as a test or job interview
Reduces intrusion and avoidance
Improves our working memory
(Baikie & Wilhelm 2005)
Supports our mental health with:-
Prioritising problems, fears and concerns
Tracking symptoms on how we might be feeling each day to support us to recognise triggers and learn ways in which we can control them better
Provides an opportunity for self-talk and identifying those negative thought patterns and head tapes we might have going on which no longer serve us
(University of Rochester Medical Centre – Journaling for Mental health)
I don’t know about you but the thought of being able to gain a little more control and awareness of yourself had me sold on the idea of journaling.
Things I have personally found with journaling are:-
Increased ability to process my thoughts and feelings to be able to work out problems on my own
When feeling overwhelmed and stressed I have an outlet. I can then break this down to rationalise and understand where the triggers might be and what is causing my stress
Discovered more about myself and writing my inner most thoughts, which I might not have necessarily said out loud. This has allowed me to reflect on those and act, where I might be lacking in something that I need.
I can read it back and gain a better understanding of myself. Reading it out loud has been powerful by me hearing in my own words outside of my own thought process. It has allowed me to gain further insight into how I might be feeling. This has allowed me to process my feelings and a space to reflect. This is really helpful, especially if you are a people pleaser. Hands up with me if this is you too.
These are just some of the ways I have found journaling to be beneficial.
Something else I like to do when journaling alongside using my journal prompts is choosing crystals to allow me to gain insight. I then look at their meaning to identify what I might be in need of to give me some sense of direction and more insight into my intuition.
I then write around what comes up with these and it helps me uncover more of what action I might need to take, where I may be out of balance and how I can get back on track to feeling lighter.
Crystals are these unique stones with energy that is attracted to ours, so when choosing a crystal it shows up how I am feeling, in doing this I can delve in to that a little deeper by using my journal prompts which are in alignment with the crystals meaning and healing properties.
My 3 simple steps to journaling are:-
Find a space to journal in which you feel able to concentrate and won’t get disturbed.
Make the time to journal and journal when you feel called to. If you can’t stick to a routine even just writing down thoughts and feelings on one prompt might help, if that is all the time you have. It doesn’t have to be a long process and you can modify it to suit in with your own needs. If you want to journal longer then do so, if its just a short burst then that is fine too. (p.s. if you have time to scroll through your phone in the morning or on your morning commute, or are aimlessly scrolling whilst watching the tv at the same time yes I have been guilty of them all – then you have time to journal too, it’s all about prioritisation)
Ask yourself a question or choose a crystal to prompt the journaling. This can assist with you uncovering more details about how you might be feeling and help uncover behaviours or habits you have which are holding you back
If you feel called to journal join me on Instagram where I will be uploading daily journal prompts to support you on your journaling journey.
Please share with me your own prompts and routines by tagging me in your posts @magicalandmessy
Stay tuned if you are interested in journaling with crystals. I am looking at designing journal prompts with crystal, so you too can journal with crystals and in alignment with your higher self.