Journaling your thoughts can be considered a ritual such as going to the bathroom. For me, it’s that. I write all the crap in my head into my journal and I flush it out of the system.

What a way to describe it, right? Well, that’s honestly how I feel about it. Journaling practice is a way of releasing toxic and repetitive thoughts to make room for new ones.

Your journal teaches you about yourself.

Journaling is one form of practicing self-awareness. It’s a great habit to reflect upon the life events that occur and our reactions to them.

Knowing who we are, is the first step in developing a sense of self and our own values, hopes, and dreams. It’s a great place to start a journey to awareness or support the journey you’re already on.

Journaling is an output for your thoughts.

During meditation or a night of sleep, thoughts rise into my consciousness from an unconscious place. I often feel a compelling urge to write my thoughts down before they escape from my consciousness.

This way I can see them, remember them, and reflect on them without attachment. After further reflection, I might decide to want to hold on to a new idea or if it’s something that no longer serves me, I can let the thought go.

When I write about my anxiety and worries, seeing those thoughts written on paper gives me a safe distance to observe them. It gives them context and makes them look smaller. It makes me feel so much lighter.

Journal about your future.

Journaling practice can also be about manifesting the life that you dream of. I might write about how my life is in 5 years describing how I feel, what I do for my work, who do I spent time with, and so on.

To manifest, I think about where I am now, where I want to be, and what it will take from me to get there. .

Based on that, I set intentions and make action plans. All this mental work is the energy we put out to attract what we want to manifest for our future.

Practice journaling with me.

If you haven’t tried journaling before, I highly recommend it as a self-awareness practice. You only need a notebook and a pen to start!

Start by answering these 3 questions. Remember there is no wrong or right way to answer.

1. How do I feel today?

2. What has happened to make me feel this way?

3. What have I learned from this experience and how can I apply this information next time?

I love doing this practice first thing in the morning because it helps me to tune in with how I truly feel and set my intentions first thing in the morning before external influences start affecting my decision-making.

Ultimately, journaling is time that I take for myself to be with myself and reflect on life. I journal every day even just a little bit, and I love the ritual! I hope you give it a try.