So many people are telling you to journal- but what does effective journaling look like? 

Here is how I teach journaling to my students and clients:

• Find a quiet space. Or use noise canceling headphones to block out the world for a while. 
• Get a notebook. I prefer to always use a notepad and paper to journal instead of a computer as the physical act of writing helps move the energy in ways that typing and dictation do not. Moving a pen or pencil across the paper helps process and move the energy out of the body. 
• Set a goal for each session. It can be a set topic, answering a prompt, a se amount of time to write continuously during, or a set number of pages.  
• Setting a timer is great when you are trying to discover a deeper truth or to brain storm.  This is not to limit the amount of time you are writing but rather to challenge you to dig deeper and write for longer. Sometimes we just scratch the surface of a topic, but writing continuously until the timer goes off challenges us to look a little deeper at the topic and you can discover some interesting things!

Here are a few types of journaling that we will cover: 

Happiness/ Gratitude  journal

Anger journal/ resentments 

Belief work/ Self identity 

Happiness/ Gratitude 

Often down at the end of the day. This one is simple but effective. 

It helps retrain your mind to look for the positive. Too often we focus on all the things that are going wrong and this helps us notice all the things that are working.

First step – decide how long you want to be in this practice – 30 days is a great start but you may want to challenge yourself to 60 or more. 

At the end of each day write down 3 things that you are grateful for OR that made you happy. 

After a week increase the number of things each day. Keep increasing each week until you reach the pre-set end of your practice. Best done for at least a month to really shift your perspective of the world. 

Anger/ Resentment 

This is the journal and burn method that is pretty widely used. The purpose is to release as much anger as possible so you can see the relationship or situation clearly. Sometimes there is just so much built up anger it is hard to start the healing.

Using a paper and pen or pencil – write a 10 page or more letter to the person you are angry with detailing all the reasons why you are angry. Nothing is too petty or too small for this exercise. No language is off limits, let yourself write the kinds of things you would never say aloud. Let all the anger flow down your arm, though the pen, and onto the page. 

When you have petered out after 10 or more pages, destroy the letter. I prefer to set it on fire. You can also tear it up and flush it. But fire is preferred when possible. Do not sent it to them ever. 

Repeat a few times. If it is an old wound – repeat as many times as you need. Each time you will find yourself writing about different things, some things only need to be written once. 

When you feel ready – move on to part 2. 

Anger part 2

This is the tricky bit. It can be hard to access the answer to this question when there is too much excess anger. So if you are completely blocked – go back to part one until you are ready. 

Set a timer and answer this one question: 

“What I am learning from staying angry at this person?” 

We are looking for positive lessons in this! Some find it helps to imagine you are looking at your life from outside or from an enlightened perspective. Keep the pen moving the whole time. 

The goal is to uncover the hidden benefit of the anger – to have an “ah ha!” moment of self realization of how the anger is actually helping you. Then you get to choose to release the anger and keep the lessons. 

If you react to this by saying “ I am learning NOTHING! This is BS” then you may want to repeat the journal and burn again until you are ready for part 2. 

Once you integrate the lessons, the need for the anger to protect you fades away. 

Beliefs/ Identity

One way to understand your subconscious is to look at the way you define different words. We have a perspective of what love is based on what we are taught as children, what we inherit, and what we have experienced in this lifetime. Oftentimes our definitions are skewed. The common example is believing something like “love will kill me” 

Use any word or concept you are having difficulty with.  Give yourself plenty of time to discover all the things hiding in your subconscious. 

Focus on one definition – lets start with the words love and answer these questions: 

1. How would my 5 year old self define love? 
2. What did my parents show me or teach me about love? 
3. What would my judgiest family member have to say about love (or about who I love)?
4. What has society told me about love? 
5. How do I feel about love now? 
6. How do I want to define love  going forward? 

The first 5 questions reveal the beliefs you inherited or absorbed from the collective consciousness, the last on is a chance for you to redefine it for yourself.

Method 2 – self identity 

Set a timer for at least 10 minutes. 

Answer any question on identity. Here are a few examples: 

Who am I outside of what I do for others? 

Who do I want to be inside my relationship? 

Who do others assume I am?

How do I want others to perceive me?