JOURNALING

EMBRACE YOUR INNER SELF + CHANGE YOUR LIFE

this week is the start of gemini season. gemini is the sign of communication / writing / journaling / ideas / intellect / thoughts / knowledge. any writer + blogger should feel right at home these days.

mercury, the ruler of gemini, is preparing to go retrograde, meaning this isn’t the best time to move forward with any new projects. instead, we are encouraged to revisit our past + look into how our habits serve us. 

maybe a good time to go inward + journal ? 

whether you want to reduce stress /  create a better life for yourself  / attract amazingness, journaling can be a good place to start.

 

journaling can help you :

• slow down / look inward / reflect.
• clear your mind / get a distance from things / see things in perspective.
• create a relationship with your mind / enhance your awareness / get to know yourself better.
• take charge of your life, so you no longer live on autopilot or are easily persuaded by others. 
• increase positive thoughts + decrease negative ones.
• reflect on your thoughts + behaviour + change them if necessary. 
• solve problems.

we are so occupied with technology these days + everything has to happen at superspeed. when we journal, we should opt to write with pen + paper. this makes it easier to stay focused / to slow down / to reflect while writing. 

depending on what type of journaling (see examples below) you practice, it doesn’t have to take more than 10 minutes a day. you should truly see it as a way of indulging in self-care + let it take as long as it needs. if you try something for the first time, give it 21 days – that’s how long it takes to form a new habit. then reflect on how it has benefited you. 

 

DIFFERENT TYPES OF JOURNALING 

depending on where you are on your journey + what needs you have, one type of journaling might appeal to you more than another. just follow that instinct. maybe this list will encourage you to try something new, even if you’re already in a routine of journaling.
though keeping a routine is important when we want to create new habits, every now + then, we need to stop + reevaluate. we have most likely turned into a different person now (which is the whole point, to begin with) than when we started this practice. maybe it’s time to try something new ?

 

MORNING PAGES 

if you find yourself overwhelmed by your thoughts, it can be productive to write morning pages. this is basically a “brain dump” first thing in the morning. before you do anything else, pick up a pen + paper + write down whatever comes to mind. the goal is to fill 3 (A4) pages every single day. this is a way to clear your head first thing in the morning, which can have a calming effect + provide you with a greater perspective. but it also allows you to raise your self-awareness + get in touch with your subconscious. so you want to be honest with yourself while writing + not edit anything. the pages are for your eyes only, but if you are worried about anyone reading them, you can always dispose of them. 
writing morning pages is quite a time-consuming practice (one page could take 15 minutes), so make sure you make time for it. 

 

DREAM JOURNALING 

our subconscious / higher selves / spirit guides often communicate with us through our dreams. if we have difficulties remembering our dreams, we are not getting these messages. if we make it a habit to write down the fragments we do remember every morning; eventually, it will be easier to remember more dreams / fragments / symbols. it’s also important to note how the dream made you feel, not just what was happening in it. 

when you notice patterns occurring across your dreams, you want to interpret these according to your own life + memories. different symbols have different associations for all of us. if you don’t immediately know what a specific symbol means to you, you can try to set an intention or meditate on it. just think (or say out loud) “I wish to know what this symbol / dream means to me” will activate your intuition to give you answers.   

you can also proactively ask to get a message through your dreams. just set an intention before going to sleep. since we don’t always remember what we have dreamed, it may take some practice to get the message. just continue setting the same intention every evening until you do. how you feel when waking can indicate that it has arrived, or it could be the message in itself.

 

MINDFULNESS JOURNALING 

when we practise mindfulness, we aim to be aware of what is going on in the present moment (both internally + externally) + to accept it in a non-judgmental way. 

mindfulness journaling is a tool to help you do this. 

you can use a blank notebook + write whatever you feel like. you can observe what’s going on around you – what do you see / hear / smell / feel / taste ? or inside you – what are you thinking + how do these thoughts make you feel ? don’t judge your thoughts + what you experience. just accept what is there, then let it go. 

you could go for a walk or meditate before you start journaling. while walking, be aware of what’s going on around you – use all your senses to take it all in.

there are also lots of journals with writing prompts out there that can help you on the way.

 

MANIFESTING JOURNALING 

we all dream of something, whether it’s improving something we already have or attracting something completely new. 

according to the law of attraction, what we focus on, we will attract. this means writing our wishes down will enhance our ability to make them come true (especially if we also follow the other rules of manifesting). 

you can describe your day / life as your wish has already come true. if you want to attract more friends, describe how you are spending time with these friends. what qualities do they have that you love so
much ? focus on what you are grateful for + how you feel when you’re with them. 

you can also make your wishes into affirmations + say them out loud (do this several times a day). for instance, “my friends make me feel supported + loved“. 

 

GRATITUDE JOURNALING 

sometimes we get too occupied with what we don’t have + what is wrong with our lives. keeping a gratitude journal is a great way to shift our focus, to start seeing things from a more positive perspective. when we remind ourselves of all the great things, we already have our perspective shifts from lack to abundance. we immediately lift ourselves higher. 

spend some time every evening focusing on what was great about your day. try to be specific + focus on the smaller things – this actually makes us feel even more grateful. choose 3-5 things every evening + try to mention something new every day.

being thankful is also a great way to manifest anything into life. usually, we are grateful after we have received something. when we’re thankful upfront, we send a message to the universe that we have already received our wish, so the universe doesn’t have a choice in sending it to us. 

 

A NOTE 

if you feel tempted to keep one journal + dump everything in it, know that different emotions / thoughts / intentions vibrate at different frequencies. if you want to process your negative thinking (e.g. morning pages) in the same journal you use to manifest your dream life, that negative energy will affect your manifesting abilities. better to separate them, to keep different journals for different purposes.

however, if you, for instance, would like to attract more positivity into your life, you can always mix elements from several of these journals rather than keeping several journals. as long as they all evoke positive feelings in you, they will just enhance the purpose. for instance, start with being grateful for your day, then evaluate what you would like to improve / change about your (everyday) life + set intentions / wishes accordingly before making these wishes into affirmations that you will start using immediately.

 

JOURNAL PROMPTS 

you can get journals with journal prompts, or you can use an empty notebook. for the latter, check out my pinterest board for inspirational journal prompts. 

 

I’m curious to hear how you are already approaching journaling
(or how you intend to use it) –
what is your routine + what works best for you ?