I always say, when everything else seems to fail, journaling comes to the rescue. But what if even journaling doesn't seem to work? Well, that's when you learn to journal better.
Journaling is a straightforward way to gain self-awareness. Let's explore an uncomplicated and effective journaling method that I personally find helpful. Keep in mind that there are other effective methods out there, so choose what works best for you or seek guidance from a life coach.
The ideal time for self-awareness journaling is just before bedtime. Once you've wrapped up your day, disconnect from distractions like your phone, TV, or loud music. Find a comfortable spot, have your pen and journal (a simple notebook is good enough, make it attractive or colourful if you like to do so) ready, sit upright, and perform a grounding activity. I prefer box breathing for its simplicity, but you can choose any brief meditation that resonates with you.
After 5 minutes of grounding or when you feel calm, open your eyes slowly, open a fresh page in your journal and start writing down whatever comes to your mind, good or bad experiences, thoughts, ideas without exerting extra effort to recall anything. Whatever comes to your mind naturally is enough.
The next section involves analysis. For any challenging situations you wrote down, note down how you can improve your response to handle similar situations with greater awareness. Remember, this is about your personal aspects, not how others should behave.
Then move on to the gratitude section, where you write down appreciation for the positive things happened on that day about in your journal people, materials, situations. Some even express gratitude for the shoes they wore that day. If someone you're not fond of did something helpful, acknowledge it here and express gratitude .
The final section is your to do list for the next day. List six major tasks and prioritize them. After completing this, perform the grounding activity again before heading to bed.
Since this is the last task before sleep, your subconscious mind will work on these thoughts during the sleep, naturally aligning your mind and body for the improvements you desire and the tasks you need to tackle the next day. Over time this journaling process will provide you with a blueprint of yourself, which accelerates your growth.
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