Journaling

Journaling is a tool that is often used in spirituality to gain introspection towards the self. This serves as a form of self reflection which can be used to heal the shadow self during shadow work. If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can read our article all about it here. Journaling can also be therapeutic with helping to release and express pent up emotions that one may not have been able to express healthily before. This can also be a way to put your thoughts in order, it is why so many people have and use planners everyday. It helps people keep their days in perfect order. 

Similarly to planners, you can decorate and use your journals however you see fit. A journal is one of many ways to write down and keep track of your goals. It could be useful if writing about a personal experience, allowing you to look at the positive and negative aspects of a situation to determine the most positive outcome. If you are someone who is unsure of how to express your feelings with words, drawing can be another great way to portray how you are feeling.  

The good thing about journaling is that you do not have to worry about grammar, spelling, or anything else, all you need to do is let your emotions flow onto the paper, no matter how messy it gets. While there are many incredible aspects to journaling, the best part of journaling is that there is no wrong way to do it. This is because like many things in one’s spiritual journey, it is personal to the writer. It is important to add though, that not everyone will like the traditional style of journaling with the classic pen and paper, this is completely fine and understandable! Journals can be bulky or easily found, which for something so personal, can be less than ideal. With that being said, some alternative ways to journal could be on a computer using any writing programs like Google Docs or on your phone notes. The good thing about using the notes app on a phone, is that most of them can be locked with a password of sorts. This can help you ensure that your personal healing journey is secured from any potential prying eyes that may lurk in your household.

Now that we have a better understanding of what journaling is and how it can be useful, it's time to talk about some good prompts. A prompt is something that gets you to take action or think critically, like getting you to respond to a question. Of course you can respond to these questions with as much detail or length that you would like. 

To start journaling it might be useful to write about things you are already familiar with, like a self care routine and how it makes you feel. It could also be a good time to see if any part of the routine needs changed or altered. You could also make a list that is detailing all of the things that you are grateful about. Another thing to jot down could be what motivates and inspires you, or what are some of the values that you hold close to you? This could also be a good time to evaluate your relationships and see the effect they have on your well-being. If the dynamic hurts you rather than benefitting you, maybe it's time to move onto better things and release what no longer serves you. This can help one pay attention to the positive relationships they do have and focus more on the things that are truly good and healthy for them. Remember both people should benefit from a relationship and not just one, no matter if its romantic, platonic, or familial!

Journaling is also a good way to reach another aspect of the self, called the inner child. For some people this area could really use some healing and positivity. To achieve this, one could reflect on themselves as a child to find their old hobbies and interests to try and incorporate them back into their lives. In some cases, the inner child part of the self could be contributing to the shadow aspect of the self, making it just as important to heal if needed. Of course after writing about anything that is heavy and negative it would be a good idea to follow it up with something positive. This could be anything from happy memories to the things that bring you joy in life. In this case, it would also be a good idea to cleanse your aura and space to make sure any remaining negativity is banished. If you would like to learn more about cleansing your aura you can read more about it in our detailed article Tools for Aura Cleansing. 

As we’ve established, journaling is a personal process for the writer, so it is ultimately up to them to decide how they want to set up their journal and what they hope to achieve with it.