Hey friend! Before you start to read this, I want to think about the theme song “Fresh Prince of Bel-air”...
Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute
Just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became a boss of journaling.
Do you see what I did there?
I just had to pick this out. Because isn’t this how life works…
Life is just constantly “lifing” us?
And the Fresh Prince of Belair offered some great advice for when life flips upside down… take a minute and sit down. Easier said than done, right? But wow so much wisdom right there because that is half the battle of figuring out how to journal when life is crazy.
We can so easily go into the stories of… “I am so busy”, “life is just hard”, “things never work for me”, “I wish I could, but I can’t”, blah blah blah.
I don’t say blah blah blah to be insensitive, but more so to say… these are the stories we tell ourselves when life is lifing us the way that it does.
Can life be hard, abso-freaking-lutely! But we are only busy because we made a conscious or unconscious choice to be busy. Believe me, I get it. I am a recovering “busy badge” person. But guess what?! That was my coping mechanism when my nervous system was on overdrive and in fight or flight mode. It can still go there if I let it, but now I have the tools to recognize when this is happening and can choose what to do with that nervous system habit response.
Is Journaling actually important to You?
You can sit there and tell me you are too busy to journal, but I must ask… what is it costing you to believe that? And really how is that thought serving you? Is it serving you because you won’t have to utilize self-awareness to see where you are at? Maybe you are not ready, maybe you don’t feel safe to see where you are at, and that is ok! I am not here to tell you what to do, but for you to discover how journaling could work for you, not against you. You may or may not be ready to take notice of your current life experience and emotions, and maybe you are simply procrastinating. I cannot tell you what your truth is, but I can tell you that you are not too busy to take care of yourself through the practice of journaling.
I am curious..what feels more true for you… are you not ready to take a look at what you may need for healing or are you procrastinating?
This is the first step. You must decide if journaling is important to you and then make a choice to put your attention to it.
Honoring your own Journaling Process
The next helpful step to committing to journaling when life is crazy is by letting go that it must look like anything. Journaling is a practice that is meant for you and your eyes alone. There is absolutely no right or wrong way to do it. Within Your Intuitive Life Journal, there are several recommended practices, but it is fully yours, so all you need to do is to decide which sections work for you.
I have heard some people say that logging their nourishments, even without amounts still activates a mental counting of calories, carbohydrates, or anything quite “diety”. Therefore, you can skip that part and merely just write down your observations of nourishment, your body, your environment, etc.
Some find the habit tracker in Your Intuitive Life Journal to be extremely helpful with cultivating self-awareness around habits and patterns; however, for some, it may activate obsessive patterns about perfectionism. While this could be an opportunity to connect with self-compassion, you may or may not decide you are not ready for that section.
And last but not least, some may fall into the trap of perfectionism or people-pleasing when it comes to transformational journal prompts, writing as if they are going to get a gold star for saying the right things. This practice will not work. You will only find clarity and healing through honesty. So don’t forget… YOUR journal is for YOU! Allow it to work for you, not against you.
Keep it easy.
Another pivotal piece of advice for being able to journal, even when life is crazy challenging to keep it easy. I know that seems easier said than done, but I promise it is possible. You have a few options here. You can carry Your Inutive Life Journal with you at all times and just use it moment by moment. Or you can keep it close to a location you normally enjoy relaxing. Either way, just make sure a pen is close. If you decide to keep it in one place, you may see if it would work for you to have several super tiny journals that you can keep with you. That way if something pops up, you can instantly write down what you are thinking or feeling. You can then transfer that info to Your Intuitive Life Journal or just let it be.
In summary…
Make a commitment to yourself to journal and let go of procrastination.
Let go of thinking it has to look like anything other than what you make it.
And keep it convenient and easy!
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