Ever Tried Journaling?

I’ve always had a journal; I can remember being a 12-year-old girl and writing my secrets and feelings down as I tried to navigate them. I still have a journal and I don’t use it as often as I used to, but it is a self-help tool that I come back to when I need it. For me, journaling allows me to reflect on a situation, and helps me get clear on my next steps. Sometimes I just use it to write out my feelings and I find that this helps me process things and often leaves me feeling like I’ve released some of the emotional burden onto the pages.

Writing can deepen our awareness of ourselves and our feelings, it might help us find meaning in things or gain new perspectives. Journaling can be a low-cost way improve our mental health by:

·       Bringing feelings to the surface

·       Helping us prepare for an upcoming event

·       Prioritize what is important

·       Helps us recognize things we are grateful for

·       Helps us get clear on our goals or intentions

Interested in trying journaling and don’t know where to start? Sometimes using a journal prompt can help get the writing juices flowing. Here are a few ideas to try out:

·       These 4 words describe me and why…

·       When I’m stressed I…

·       Something I’m curious about is…

·       My values are…

·       Something I learned about myself this week…

·       Something about me that I’ve never told anyone is…

·       When I’m sad I…

·       Something I’m grateful for…

·       Something that is hard for me that I want to try…

·       Something that makes me smile…

·       In 5 years, I’d like to…

·       A behaviour that I will not tolerate is…

·       My favorite memory from childhood is…

Happy writing and reflecting. As always, reach out if you'd like to connect,

Lisa