Write it Out: 3 Journaling Techniques to Support Your Wellness Journey
“I believe there is power in words, power in exerting our existence, our experience, our lives through words”. – Jesmyn Ward
Our words and thoughts are powerful, especially when we find effective ways to express them. By starting your journal practice, you will notice a positive impact on your memory, emotional regulation, clarity, and self-esteem. Whether you use standard pen and paper, opt for a cute journal book, or utilize an app, start incorporating journaling into your everyday life. This mindfulness tool is a great way to support your wellness journey. Here are three key techniques.
Increasing Self-Reflection with a Diary
The dairy is the typical version of journaling with which you may be most familiar. When writing a diary, summarize your day or week, emphasizing your inner thoughts, reflecting on your emotions, and noting what you liked and disliked, as well as that one thing you noticed that others might not have. This is all about your perspective, your worldview. The importance of a diary is understanding yourself and self-regulating when needed. When you read your perspective back to yourself, you get a sense of how you honestly think. However, since this is your personal journal, you may tend to be biased. This is why pairing shadow work with your diary can help expand self-awareness.
Shadow work is a process rooted in psychoanalysis, coined by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. The shadow self, also known as the Jungian shadow, is the unconscious part of our mind that we often repress or hide, as it harbors our more profound, negative thoughts and ideals. When you practice shadow work, you are balancing or overcoming the shadow self and not allowing it to take over unconsciously or subconsciously once you are aware of it. This level of self-reflection can be achieved and recorded through diary journaling.
Building Self-love with Affirmations
Affirmations are positive phrases, sentences, or statements directed to yourself to build your confidence and self-perception. They aim to challenge negative self-talk and reduce these occurrences. Writing out these affirmations and then reciting them aloud allows you to have a record of things you want to believe, remember about yourself, or tell yourself. Because sometimes in life we forget who we are, or need to remind ourselves of the person we are trying to become. Remember, affirmations are personal, meaning they can be whatever you want them to be, so that they can be general, specific, situational, personal, professional, or whatever suits your needs.
For example, a new teacher may write these five aspirations to help with her confidence and career:
I am passionate about my work
I put my all into everything I do
I am empathetic and understanding
I learn from my mistakes
I give back to my community
Planning Your Future with the Goal, Plan, and Effect Method
Another powerful journal tool is goal setting. This goal is to use this as a productivity or manifestation tool. By writing down your goals, they become more real to you; similar to affirmations, you are now committing to this goal, setting in motion a new reality for yourself. Still, the goal alone is not enough; write down a plan to enact this goal. Consider the steps that will make your goal a more tangible reality. The final step is to write down what effect this goal will have on your life. Have fun with this last one; it doesn't have to be 100% real. It's okay to be a little delusional. You create the frequency of these entries as you determine how often you want to set new goals or reset old ones. The key is to use this journal method as a fun way to motivate yourself towards achieving your goals.
Example Goal, Plan, Effect Journal Entry:
Goal: I want to learn a foreign language
Plan: I will sign up for weekly tutor sessions, get a language learning app, and practice daily for an hour
Effect: I will be able to speak fluently with native speakers, and I will visit a country where the language is the primary language
Start Writing
Try these techniques and start your journaling practice. Remembering that it takes time to develop a habit, try to stay consistent, and allow time to notice changes. Get a journal to start or explore other resources.
