Journaling is a powerful practice. And research shows that journaling contributes to well-being when we use it to write about our deeper thoughts instead of trivial things.
As an avid journaler for most of my life, I can attest that while wonderful, it is easy to avoid writing about certain topics. In my experience, I might avoid writing about things that I hold a lot of shame or fear around. Unfortunately, avoidance is like fertilizer for the pain, fear and shame to fester.
You only have one life to live, you might as well not live it in shame or fear.
Our minds have ways of playing tricks on us. Like that time I slept over at my grandparents house as a child. I spent the entire night terrified of a hanging house plant because I was convinced it was Freddy Krueger. The image of Freddy Krueger melted away in the light of day, replaced by a vibrant green spider plant. Journaling is the flip of the light switch, the rise of the sun.
While it’s hard, even downright uncomfortable, writing your deepest (and sometimes darkest) thoughts in your journal, doing so enables you to shine the light on them. You can’t wait for the sun to rise to illuminate your fears or shame. You have to make the effort, bring them to the surface and allow the light to show what’s truly there.
You only have one life to live, you might as well not live it in shame or fear. I encourage you to give yourself the gift of your own honesty, difficult as it may be. Shine the light on whatever it is you’re avoiding writing about in your journal and let yourself be pleasantly surprised as the beauty of what you thought you saw emerges.
Here are four reflection questions to help you have a breakthrough journaling session!
What are you avoiding writing about in your journal?
Why are you avoiding writing about this?
What realizations or insights does writing about this inspire?
What are you going to do about it?
What’s Rosabella Consulting Up To?
Earlier this month Ariana flew to Washington DC to conduct a very successful Conversational Intelligence training with a Federal agency….feedback from the team was incredibly positive, “we want more trainings like this!”
We just received this testimonial from a Conversational Intelligence training Ariana did with a team at Front Range Community College earlier this year.
Checkout these events that Ariana will be speaking at in the coming weeks:
6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo – 3/28 in Denver on the Neuroscience of Conversation
Small Business After Hours – 4/9 Fort Collins on How to be Effective, Comfortable & Authentic Networking
Business Brainiac:_Your Thinking, Income & Success – 4/18 in Denver
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