Self-Care: Journal Writing

The Essential Habit Everyone Should Practice Day After Day

Putting your thoughts on paper is not a simple task, but it has proved to be a very useful and significant exercise.Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Canva

How it all began

Today marks Day 253.

What started as a personal one-year experiment is now turning into a lifelong journey that I don’t want to miss a single day.

At first, I felt clueless about how to start, but when I started I quickly realized that this was the medicine I needed. I wrote what I felt, the negative thoughts I had, or just how the day or week was without thinking about grammar or logic — I just let the words flow.

Then I became more specific with my writing, I asked myself questions about myself, my spirituality, and my relationships. The questions I asked myself helped me to reflect on my actions, my values, and my purpose in life, and also to discover in which areas I would like to see improvement and what I can do to achieve it.

Today I see a tremendous change and improvement in how I think and what I allow to enter my mind. It helps me prioritize the important tasks, structure my thoughts, let go of toxic patterns, and welcome positive and healthy habits that influence my behavior and engagement in the world.

Gratitude

Since the beginning of the year, I have added a daily gratitude journal to my regular journal. Unlike the first journal, I write these notes on my mobile device. I start each sentence with: “I am grateful for…”. To start, you can think of specific events or gifts in your life that you are grateful for. What showing gratitude every day does is that you live more in the present and feel more content with what you have. Gratitude is the key to inner peace and a sense of serenity.

Goals

When you feel overwhelmed by negative and demotivating thoughts, it helps to stop for a few minutes and self-reflect. Think about what you are good at, what positive qualities and skills you have, and what skills you can learn. In this way, you develop your imagination. You realize you determine whether you want to ruminate on thoughts that disturb you or on those that give you a sense of peace. Self-reflection done with honesty can help you use the results of past mistakes and failures as an opportunity to improve.

Growth

Writing a journal allows you to get to know yourself better and focus on a specific area in your life that you want to work on. It helps you grow into a person with a healthy attitude and a positive perspective on life. Accepting your flaws, working on the things you can change, and realizing that there is room for you is what really brings out your authentic self.I am capable of living a blissful life.
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Self-Care: Journal Writing was originally published in ILLUMINATION on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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