How to Connect With Your Inner Self Through Journaling

I love everything about journaling. It’s not a habit easy to cultivate, moreover for those who don’t have patience as their greatest virtue. But journaling is the best way to connect with your inner self, become more aware of your thoughts, clear your mind and practice gratitude.

Nonetheless, journaling can sometimes be confusing for a starter. It was a tough one for me. That’s why I decided to write this article for journaling novices. Here is how to create this wonderful habit and stick to it.

Start with a beautiful notebook.

I don’t know about you, but I love colorful notebooks with bright pages which keeps me inspired. The first step to do if you want to start a journal is to buy one. You can opt for a journal with blank pages or one with some designs in it. Just buy one ideal for you that will keep you motivated to write in it. And always keep it somewhere where you can see it.

Morning pages

Try to write down your thoughts right away when you wake up. If you’d enjoy it more, drink your coffee while you’re journaling. In the morning, you are half awake and half asleep, therefore your ego and your conscious mind are still asleep, so your inner self is speaking. Write down everything that comes into your mind: how you slept, how you feel, what emotions are running through your body, your intentions for the day, write your memories or your dreams. Let your inner self speak and don’t be scared of your thoughts or why you haven’t heard them before. Keep writing and you’ll be amazed by the dialogue you can have with your unconscious mind.

Don’t repress your thoughts or emotions, don’t censor yourself and search fancy words. Is only you who is reading and no one else.

5 minutes a day

One mistake that stops people from starting journaling is that they believe they need time. the truth is, however, that you don’t have to spend hours writing. Take yourself at least 5 minutes daily to write down your mind. That’s it. Start with just 5 minutes a day. Don’t you deserve to invest this time to connect with your authentic self?

Connect with your unconscious mind

Write your thought raw. Don’t censor or filter them. Don’t make them sound better. Connect with your inner self and let your hand write any word it wants. Accept any thought or emotion you have and embrace everything that will be revealed from your inner self.

Not sure what to write about? Practice gratitude!

There is nothing more powerful in manifesting our dreams than practicing gratitude first. And journaling is one of the best way to do it.

There is an easy yet powerful exercise that you can incorporate in your journal: write down things you are grateful for. Take a moment and thank to this universe for all your blessings. Focusing on what works and what is positive in your life can increase your changes to overcome your challenges and change what doesn’t work. After writing down what are you grateful for, write down with positive words things that you want the universe to provide for you and which are not in your power.

For example, I daily write down in my journal sentences like “I am healthy” or “everything happens for me in divine timing and for my highest good”. Once you write down your wishes and intentions in your journal, using positive affirmations, you release positive energy. Acknowledge your blessing and have faith that anything you wish will come to you at the right time.

End your day in a positive manner

When you become comfortable with your morning pages, why not try to end your day writing some positive sentences in your journal? Try to acknowledge how the day was for you, what kind of emotions have you experienced, what thoughts did you have, what happened during day and you feel grateful for. At the end, write yourself a positive and empowering thought.

 

These are some wonderful insights I used when I start to practice the art of journaling. Perhaps you’re wondering now why should you bother to write your thoughts down? Here are just few benefits of journaling daily.

Journaling will increase your emotional intelligence. As Dan Goleman defines it, emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize emotions in yourself and others. Writing down your thoughts and emotional will help you to better connect with yourself and become self-aware.

Healing. Journaling is the cheapest therapy you can afford. It costs nothing. Many therapists encourage their clients to write down their experiences and emotions associated with them. Once you acknowledge your feelings and thoughts, may them even be negative or traumatic, you can let them go and set yourself free.

Declutter your limiting beliefs. We all have them. Here are some examples of limiting beliefs we all have: “If I don’t follow a strict diet, I will not lose weight” or “in order to be successful, I have to overwork, overdeliver and dedicate my life to my career”.

None of these are true. So, what to do? Write down all limiting or negative beliefs you have: about yourself, about your career, about your relationships or money. Then declutter them: write down why these beliefs are not true and recognize that they don’t serve yourself. Then write them back positive. For example: “I don’t need to follow a strict diet, I can educate myself to eat right, be kind and have patience knowing that change will occur” or “I don’t need to overwork or put my career on the first plan to achieve success. What I need is more balance and meaningful work that I love to do.”

Become friend with yourself. Honestly. When is that last time when you treated yourself like you treat your best friend? When is the last time when you were supportive with yourself and show yourself kindness? When is the last time when you truly listened to your inner voice? Maybe it is time to do it now.

I can talk limitless about wonderful benefits you’ll get from journaling. But instead, I’d love to hear how journaling helped you. Now go and buy a beautiful journal and cultivate this new habit. And don’t forget to let me know how this worked out for you!

Want to add a few healthy habits and turn them into a morning (or other time of the day) ritual for yourself? Join me on September 25th for my FREE Morning Ritual 7-Day Reset. Sign up here