In my own life, and in my coaching work with others, I use journaling as a means for self reflection, working out issues, offering gratefulness and cultivating artistic expression, to name a few.
Our written words take our thoughts, which often circle obsessively in our minds, out of that inner loop to a place outside of ourselves. On the page, we can engage with our own ideas and expressions from a different viewpoint.
Some things we write are the minutia of our day’s activities, which release the energy from our brains and bodies so we can re-center and balance ourselves. Other things are what Virginia Woolf called “the shivering fragments” – key thoughts and images that take us to some deeper understanding or open the door to artistic creation.
I review my old journals on a regular basis, using color-coded post-its to mark pieces of writing that offer ideas, creative inspiration, and often comfort. Sometimes I read an entry and am shocked at what I’ve written because there is so much wisdom in it. Wisdom that I did not think I had. But, my Higher Self does have such wisdom and she has much to tell me if I allow her to speak. Yours does, too.
Just open your journal and let your Self write.
Blessings, Plynn
Plynn Gutman 