Journal Writing: Take a Look Outside for Inside Answers
Posted by Mari L. McCarthy on Wed, Feb 01, 2012 @ 06:14 PM
Journal writing for the main purpose of better knowing and understanding yourself can be a
lifelong adventure full of rewards. But some of us, some of the time, find the process slowed by a feeling of too much introspection.
It's not a long lasting funk, usually, but it can be devastating. It's as if the Inner Critic has blown up big as the sky. You can't bring yourself to focus on your self at the moment. You're disgusted, bored, ashamed, sad, hopeless, or any of an infinite number of ways to feel negative, tired, uncreative.
When you are overwhelmed by these emotions, sometimes spending any time inquiring about your true self can seem not only impossible but distasteful. You have, simply speaking, no heart for it.
We're all subject to heartbreak at various points in life. How do you mend your heart when it has been wounded?
Becoming more introspective is sometimes the choice: we look for alone time to connect spiritually, finding healing in inner contemplations.
At other times, though, the cure for a broken heart is to look outwards on the surrounding environment and society; to center your attention on external activities and objects; to use your senses for heightened perception.
So if you are working on self discovery and using journaling as a tool, there may well come a time when you can't stand talking about yourself right now. Does that mean you give up the process?
Non, non, non ma cherie.
It is a fallacy to think that only by thinking you can discover your reality.
When your own ideas, thoughts, dreams and imaginings are no longer helpful, it's time to turn to your powers of observation and description. Through observing and writing about what you see (or perceive in any way from the world around you), you continue to make discoveries about yourself.
• Look at the view outside your window or at a painting on the wall. Write a description of what you see.
• Listen. Write what you hear.
• Write about your cup of coffee.
• Describe your pet.
• Write a report on the pecking order in your office.
• Give a play by play of your last day off.
• Detail how to cook spaghetti.
By using your senses and writing these descriptive words, you'll slowly but surely massage your heart back to health. By focusing externally and writing about it, you bring compassion back to your self.
What tips, treats or tricks do you use to take a break from and get a new perspective on You, You, You? Please comment below.
Pick up some more journal writing ideas here.
image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tillwe/60826069/