I have always loved to journal and like to think of my journals as Bridget Jones meets the Dalai Lama (I’m sure he would appreciate that compliment!).

I always kept a journal when I travelled for long periods, but my daily journaling started over a decade ago when I began to study Solution-Focused Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy.

Journaling isn’t so much about keeping a diary. Journaling is more about capturing your thoughts and what you are feeling down on paper.

I journal every day, and it’s the first thing I do in the morning. Even if I have to be up and out the door, I’ll wake up a bit earlier to allow me to capture the stream of consciousness that is my mind onto paper. This practice is described as ‘Morning Pages’ in the Artists Way.

For me, my journal is like my best friend. I tell my journal everything. What I’m feeling, what ideas I have, what’s lifting me up, what’s pulling me down, what I’ve learned, what’s inspired me, what experiences I’ve had – you name it, it all goes into my journal.

What Journaling Can Do for You

The beautiful thing about journaling is that there is no right way of doing it and no wrong way of doing it.

People sometimes tell me, ‘I don’t know what to write!’ I encourage them that this is normal. We spend so much time living in our heads and dancing around our thoughts that to actually start to assemble your thoughts and put them down on paper can take a little practice.

Some days you may only feel the need to write half a page. Other times, and especially when you get into the flow of it, you can find yourself writing page after page.

Personally, I have found that journaling provides the space to ask myself questions. When I am writing about what I am thinking and feeling, I am able to reflect on why that is the case. To challenge my thoughts and look for ways to reframe what I am feeling. I also find it a wonderful way to soothe myself, to write to myself as my own personal champion or best friend, encouraging me – like a sports coach cheering you on from the sidelines.

The Benefits of Regular Journaling

When you start to journal regularly, you will find that the mind becomes calmer. You are less likely to be at odds with your thoughts because you have captured them on paper and, as a result, have also helped to process some of the emotion that is attached to those thoughts.

When you have become comfortable with journaling, you will also see opportunities to work on emotional blocks. Most of the time, your emotional responses to situations are simply the result of old conditioned responses based on past experiences and limiting beliefs you still hold true. Journaling can help you to see this, to spot the themes and patterns by which you are running your life. Even creating this level of awareness is extremely liberating.

When you start to identify these emotional themes, you can, like me, use powerful techniques such as EFT Tapping to help you work through these.

When you let go of old stagnant emotions and emotional responses, you will begin to create a new inner emotional blueprint that empowers you to respond to situations from a different space – a space of calm and clarity, therefore enabling you to change how you behave.

Journaling for Beginners

The easiest way to begin journaling is to simply start!

Personally, I love to journal in a beautiful hardback notebook because I find it adds to the experience. I don’t recommend keeping a journal on your phone or laptop because the brain processes information differently when we write compared to when we type. The brain waves slow down more when you are writing with a pen and paper, and that’s what you need to help you process your thoughts and feelings in a much more effective way.

Don’t worry about getting this ‘right’. You don’t have to journal every day. You may find you start with the practice once a week and then build up from there.

I like to journal first thing in the morning with my coffee, but again, there’s no wrong or right time, just do what works for you. I may find myself journaling at the end of the day too if there is something I want to capture about the day.

So, get a notebook, take yourself off somewhere, and discover how journaling can help with anxiety, is good for the soul, and can change your life.

Please follow and like us:

Sara Maude

Sara Maude is an Edinburgh Hypnotherapist, Solution-Focused Psychotherapist, EFT Practitioner, Transformational Coach and International Wellbeing Trainer providing in-person and online sessions. Sara provides problem-free therapy which goes deep into the heart of the unconscious mind to create powerful lasting change.