Ep. 69 Journaling To Feel Better
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Listen on itunes by clicking here and picking ep. 69
We both love journaling and use it in so many ways. One of the most useful ways we’ve found to journal is to explore our thoughts to help us resolve problems in our lives and feel better. In this episode, we’re sharing:
How we each approach this kind of journaling
Why it can be so powerful
Why we sometimes avoid it
A simple process if you want to try out journaling to feel better
Three of our favorite tools to solve problems through journaling
Three examples of how to feel better about a problem using this method
Links Mentioned in this episode
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Recap of Episode
How can journaling help you solve your problems?
If you have a problem that you need to solve, you can use journaling to explore it and do work on your thoughts!
It can help you solve your problems, manage your emotions, and be kind of a form of therapy or a mental hygiene process.
It helps keep your brain clear so that you know WHY you’re feeling what you’re feeling and what you’re going to do about it.
Do you have a million thoughts running through your head? For some reason just writing them out on paper and seeing it there can really clear up your mental energy and that mental space so you can think more clearly.
Here Are Three Ways To Journal Your Problems
You can use this when you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, wanting to forgive, dealing with a hard trial like infertility, or just something little that’s bothering you.
1. Do a “Thought Download”
This is a way to explore the thoughts going on in your mind and take a look at them.
Just start writing EVERYTHING down that is currently holding you back. You can use an old notebook, scrap piece of paper or a word document you can easily delete if you’d like.
Answer questions like:
What am I afraid of?
What excuses am I using?
What am I worried about?
What is the voice in your head saying?
Why doesn’t it want to do this thing?
It’s okay to use this to complain or say the things you feel guilty for thinking.
You can always throw the pages away or delete the entry
Let the negative thoughts be seen and acknowledge that it’s what you’re thinking and feeling.
2. Question Your Thoughts (Using Byron Katie’s The Work)
Choose a particular thought that you don’t like or don’t want to believe anymore.
Ask if it’s really a true statement, if you can really know that it’s a true statement.
How do you react when you believe that thought?
Who would you be without this thought?
3. Accessing Your Future Self (See ep. 14 of The Progress Project)
Ask your “future self” some of these questions to get a better perspective.
What would my future self tell me to do in this situation?
Have the conversation as a back and forth with your future self.
What would be different if I had a bigger perspective or if I knew that everything was as it should be?
If journaling our thoughts can be so helpful then why do we avoid it?
Because it’s uncomfortable. It’s not necessarily fun to write down and face all the negative feelings that you’re having. You see them on paper and realize you have to do something about them now that you see the problem.
It’s never pleasant to see those negative things about yourself or the negative things in your head. But it’s definitely a relief to have the results from doing this kind of journaling.
I always feel this resistance and for me it’s my thinking that I don’t have time, but I really do.
When I take 5-10 minutes to just write I always have so much clarity and feel so much better. It solves all my problems for the day.
Like the episode? We’d love to hear!
Have you tried using journaling to work through some problems?
Just comment below or catch us on instagram @jointheprogessproject
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