We think journalling is underrated. Writing things down helps you gain more clarity, increase happiness, empty your mind, prioritise your to-do’s and can even lead to profound realisations that you hadn’t joined the dots for until right now. Try carving out a little slice of time in your morning to try one of these techniques.
Try to commit to at least 3 or 4 weeks and treat is as part of your morning routine. Try keeping your journal next to your bed to do as soon as you wake up, or add it in with your first hot lemon & water / coffee of the day. Missed a day or two? No worries, don’t beat yourself up about it, just give it another go.
Morning Pages
WHAT: Morning pages are a tool Julia Cameron popularised in her amazing book The Artist’s Way. These are essentially a brain dump, a way to blurt out everything and anything, banal, mundane, profound, whatever, onto the page. These were originally intended for artists facing creative blocks, but are so effective for anyone who is feeling a bit stuck, creatively blocked or burnt out.
HOW: Commit to spending half an hour (or three blank pages) to writing down whatever is in and on your mind. You might start with ‘blah blah blah I don’t know what to write blah blah…’ – and that’s totally fine. Trust the process. The content of what you’re writing isn’t important, no one will ever read these and you don’t even have to read them back – burn them if you like! It’s about the process – starting and getting into the flow of it.
WHY: Julia says that “Once we get those muddy, maddening, confusing thoughts [nebulous worries, jitters, and preoccupations] on the page, we face our day with clearer eyes.” These don’t have to be productive or make sense to anyone but you. They are, as Julia says, ‘spiritual windshield wipers’ – these are about getting your busy, repetitive thoughts out of your brain and onto a page, so you can get on with your day.
Five minute Journal
WHAT: A five minute journal is a simple practice: be grateful at the beginning of the day and reflective at the end. Give yourself a couple of minutes after writing in the morning to really feel gratitude in your body for the things you have written.
HOW: In the morning, divide your page into 3, then write under each of the following headings:1) Today I am thankful for:2) 3 things that would make today great:3) Two personal affirmations for my day:In the evening, take 5 or 10 minutes to reflect on the good things that happened today.
WHY: Cultivating an attitude of gratitude has been proven to increase your happiness and life satisfaction, improving your sleep and a sense of wellbeing. Our brains are hardwired to focus on the negatives – we will obsess over one piece of negative feedback over 100 good. By creating a consistent practice of gratitude and looking at the positives you’re working to hardwire your brain for happiness. We’ll take some of that.
Moon Diary
WHAT: This monthly moon diary is a technique that our head of operations Jen especially loves. If daily journalling isn’t your thing, give this a go – or if you’re already writing daily, add this in too!
HOW: Full Moon? Write. New Moon? Write. Simple. Just twice a month, write whatever you like; your thoughts and feelings and where you are at. You will end up building a beautiful picture of your life around the moon.Many people like to set intentions when there is a full moon, so you could add 2/3 things you would like to manifest/happen between now and the next full moon. Whereas new moons are about letting go, so add 2/3 things you would like to let go of.
WHY: Whether you’re into super/blood//blue/pink full moons, astrology and star signs or not, a moon journal can just be a great monthly or bi-monthly check in with yourself and your life.We find our moon diary helps us gain clarity on where we are, how we are and what we’re doing, and it is interesting to look back on where you were this time last month. A month isn’t very long but at the same time a LOT can change!
