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?
3 comments:
Thanks for the tips, Lyncee. I've tried journaling several times over the years but end up stopping after a few days or maybe a few weeks. I do better talking it out in my head or with another person. As I live alone, I'm thankful I have several houseplants that seem to like the sound of my voice
Lyncee, what a great tool for us to try when facing change. This information is a detailed and specific roadmap to follow when journaling with intention. Thank you for sharing.
Lyncee, I liked your writing prompts for dealing with change and particularly when it is around other people in your life. Often when I'm faced with change it is an onslaught of feelings that but me in a tizzy, and asking those types of question you shared force you to examine one at a time instead of letting the storm of feelings push you over.
I also really loved the flashing donut with directions. Your description and the illustration made me smile. It's like a GPS for finding a way through a morass of undefined feelings. Really clever!
Post a Comment