Journaling has always been a way for me to get my own thoughts out of my head. I noticed that my subconscious mind was attacking me at times. It is supposed to keep us “safe” but sometimes safe isn’t what is best for us. Because of this, I really had to start working on my mindset to be able to no longer play small and step out of the “safe” zone. This meant doing the inner work. 

Inner work can be difficult for many people due to traumas they might have dealt with. Childhood trauma does impact how you are today no matter what we might want to tell ourselves. We develop certain coping mechanisms to get through life as if it doesn’t bother us. We become stuck in specific habits that keep us where we are since the risk is not “safe”. 

All of our passions are outside of our comfort zone. 

Our subconscious mind creates our comfort zone. This is why when we want to up level, we have to leave the old us behind. Your conscious mind has to start training your subconscious mind to not be so loud. There are so many ways to do this: therapy, meditation, affirmations, etc. but the best tool for me is journaling. 

With journaling, there is no right or wrong way to do this. But if you are someone like me who needs a little bit of guidance or a template to go by, here are a few different ways to journal:

  1. Brain Dump
    Brain Dumps are great to do when you have a ton of things on your mind but you don’t want to forget. It also helps to quiet your mind if you are someone who has their mind constantly racing. Brain dumps help me sleep because then I’m not constantly thinking about things while needing to sleep. It will all be there in my journal to deal with in the morning. 
  2. Gratitude journaling
    Journaling about the things that you are grateful for really makes you appreciate the little things in life. There is so much in our lives that we take for granted every day from the home we live in, to the food and water that we are able to consume every day. Living the lifestyles that we live every day can be a privilege if you choose to look at it in a positive light instead of worrying about the things that you don’t have. I do a list of 10 things that I’m grateful for every morning during my morning routine. Even if you are just grateful for waking up, that’s always a start. Thank the Universe out loud for this!
  3. Free Writing
    Free Writing is something I do every day. Depending on the day 1-2x a day. This way of journaling is great because when you tap into your higher self and connect the words will flow. Before I start writing, I take a moment to breathe, place my hand over my heart, and say aloud “Spirit, I allow you to come into my space and speak through me. Please let me know what it is that I need to know today.” The downloads I get from Spirit never disappoint. 
  4. Journal Prompts
    Journal prompts are by far one of the easier ways to do journaling because someone else has given you the prompts. You just have to answer the questions or elaborate on the statement they provided. You can find many different journal prompt templates all over the internet. Pinterest is a really great place to find journal prompts. You can easily search for the different types of prompts you want. They have so many: manifestation, light work, shadow work, etc. I have created 20 light & shadow work prompts that you can use in order to get started on your journaling self-exploration journey. They are in the link here. 

Journaling is a practice. Once you make it a part of your routine, you will want to do this practice every day. It doesn’t have to take long. 10-15 minutes is the max. Just taking some time out for yourself every day is worth it. 

You are worth it!