Journaling to Change

 

Happy September!

Fall --- a time of Change OR a time of warning?

As I’ve shared on here before I love to journal! And I believe journaling can be beneficial to everyone at different times of their life but especially when they are going through change, looking to make a change, or know a change must be made but aren’t how to go about it.

I discovered writing prompts years ago as a way to help clarify the confusion that often accompanies change. It can be so hard to know which direction to take in life.  I mean unless there is a flashing doughnut sign saying this way, I’m generally lost. The second is the advice often comes from my inner wise guide who speaks through the written word.

Hey, I'm here to tell you to take 3 steps forward, hang a hard left,
and walk until you see my brother. 

Often, I will find myself writing a scene – unplanned because I’m not a plotter – that mirror something going on in my life and the character has somehow figured it out!

Here are some tips when using journaling to help with change:

• Use free-writing to “clear the mud” from your mind, venting after you’ve had an argument, to see how you could have handled it different – how to change your mind set, or when you need clarity about which direction to take (and there is now flashing doughnut sign).

• Identify habitual patterns, asking for clarity on why certain unhealthy habits arise in you. Ask open ended questions like, “How am I getting in my own way?” or “Why do I keep getting into trouble?” and see what comes out. This is a great exercise but often we block the answer or refuse to allow ourselves to write the answer. I don’t want to know that I shouldn’t eat doughnuts.

• Ask specific questions when you have choices to make and are uncertain about a situation. You can use the journaling prompts below to get you started.

Remember at the beginning I said that journal prompts often helps me? Here are a few that I use at least once a month.

 

• What’s really bugging me right now...

• If I could say one thing to ___________ I would tell them…

• To be honest, I would rather...

• I really need to let go of...

• What does my inner critic say? Respond to it in dialogue.

• What's happening right now is...

• I know when I'm really happy because...

• If I knew I could not fail, I would...

• The last time I felt this way, I...

• What I wish I could change.

• What I need to accept is...

• How do I get in my own way?

And is Fall a time of change or a warning??? It's both. A warning of the change coming. Of the cold, snow, and endless days of gray. But it's a beautiful way to transition into it. Change doesn't always have to be ugly. This is key to remember when journaling, don't let yourself slip into the 'everything sucks' journaling!

Thanks for stopping by! See you next month.