{"id":15820,"date":"2018-08-31T20:19:50","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T20:19:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bliss-flow.com\/?p=15820"},"modified":"2019-08-23T23:19:51","modified_gmt":"2019-08-23T23:19:51","slug":"journaling-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bliss-flow.com\/journaling-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Journaling 101"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When I started exploring journaling as a personal growth tool, I was struck with memories of my younger self writing about my crushes, the problems of the day or my deepest darkest secrets at the ripe age of thirteen. But with the explosion of the personal development and emotional intelligence industries, journaling has evolved to be one of the best self-awareness tool out there.<\/p>\n
Simply put, journaling is a tool of emotional exploration, a form of free self-expression. It\u2019s a safe space to explore difficult feelings and situations in a healthy and creative way. It is taking time to write (best done with old fashion pen and paper) about our thoughts, feelings, emotions and sensations.<\/p>\n
It has been said that writing is the window to our soul – no wonder it can seem so hard at times!<\/p>\n
Journal can help you de-stress, eat healthier, boost self confidence and help you to come up with creative solutions to problems. When you express your feelings through written expression, you are taking steps to work through your problems rather than avoiding them. It can be uncomfortable and BEAUTIFUL at the same time! Building a impactful journaling practice (and yes it\u2019s another practice) takes patience and consistency, but the mental, emotional, and spiritual payoff far outweigh the effort. It helps you build your emotional muscles to deal with life\u2019s difficulties and uncertainties.<\/p>\n
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If you\u2019re still a little skeptical or hesitant to dive into a regular journaling practice, it might help to take a look at some of the (many) benefits. Aside for helping our general wellbeing and promoting creative thinking, journaling:<\/p>\n
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Like mindfulness, journaling by definition is a rather simple concept. You pick up a pen and you start to write. If it\u2019s so easy, then why do so many beautiful journals (yeah we are obsessed with buying them too) sit with empty pages in them? It\u2019s because we tend to overcomplicate the act of putting our thoughts on paper.<\/p>\n
Building a practice can be as easy as committing to writing for a certain amount of time, say 10 minutes a day, or to filling at least one page of your pretty journal every single morning as your first get out of bed, or it can be committing to writing whatever it is in your mind\/heart on that given day.<\/p>\n
To make it a little easier, we\u2019ve outlined four types of journaling you can incorporate into your practice.<\/p>\n
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Keeping a gratitude journal has been shown to increase our happiness levels. The basic practice is straightforward, simply write 3-5 things you are grateful for within a given timeframe. Some people will do this daily, writing a single sentence of what they are most grateful for within the past day – ranging from the mundane to the sublime to the timeless. But, it is more beneficial to include a gratitude practice in the rotation of other types of journaling you are doing.<\/p>\n
A few tips on getting the most out of your gratitude journal:<\/p>\n
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Based on the popular process introduced by Julia Cameron<\/a><\/strong>, morning pages involves capturing your stream of consciousness. You simply write (by hand) three pages of whatever comes to your mind done first thing in the morning. There is no WRONG way to do morning pages. They can be about anything and everything that crosses your mind.<\/p>\n Morning pages have been known to be thought-provoking, provide clarity, and help you prioritize your day. The best tip to remember is not to overthink it, simply fill 3 pages each and every morning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Using journal prompts can be great for those who get stuck with not knowing what to write about when it comes time to sit down and journal. You can ask yourself easy or tough questions, I recommend stretching yourself beyond the surface \u2018how was my day\u2019 type of questions and really get creative juices flowing. Write about your biggest dreams, your daily activities, what scares you, the decisions you have made, the encounters you\u2019ve had. Use your journal to unlock the door to your deepest desires, true callings, and biggest beliefs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Marble + Gold Notebook (get it here<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The classic Moleskine Classic Notebook (get it here<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Five Minute Journal (get it here<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Practice You: A Journal by Elena Brower\u00a0 (get it here<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Zen as F*ck: A Journal for Practicing the Mindful Art of Not Giving a Sh*t\u00a0 (get it here<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n3. Prompted or Activity-based Journaling<\/h4>\n
Our top journal pics<\/span><\/h3>\n