The older I get, the more I’m convinced that most of my worries and fears originate in my own mind. And that means I should spend a whole lot less time obsessed with my thoughts in the sense of trying to figure things out.
Journal writing helps me to both think and not think!
These days I rely more on my intuitions and actual experiences than on my logical mind. Though I still want to figure things out, and can’t make my brain stop thinking, I’ve learned to trust other senses more.
And it’s so ironic how becoming more mindful actually teaches you how to trust those other senses and not be dominated by your mischievous monkey mind.
Mind-ful, somehow, means mind-less – at least in that you can’t be focused on brain activity when you practice mindfulness. You focus on your perceptions, not your interpretation of what you perceive.
Journal writing brings to us keen understanding of this. When I journal, I’m in discovery mode. The more I journal, the better I become at simply opening to what is. It’s so darn fun – not to mention enlightening! - to open my notebook, pick up my pen and find out what I’ll write about today.
If you’d like to practice mindfulness in your journaling, here are a few tips:
- Writing spontaneously can be challenging! If you need a kickstart, do a quick data dump first. Get out all today’s hassles and frustrations, say your piece, and then turn to a new page, take a deep breath, and let your pen take over from your mind.
- If your stream-of-consciousness writing winds up being illegible, gibberish, or doodles that’s just fine! Don’t think your pen has to constantly produce logical language.
- At the end of your mindfulness journaling session, take a careful look at what you have written, and then write a sentence or two summarizing the experience of journaling that you just had.
If you’d like to become more mindful in general by using journal writing, here are tips for that:
- Write about your definition of mindfulness; how to practice it, how you believe it will benefit you. Look over your writing and circle a few ‘hot’ words.
- Think of an experience in which you did not engage mindfulness and now you wish you did. Describe the circumstances in your journal and add some thoughts about how you might have been more mindful.
- Breathe deeply a few times and then begin writing a list of everything you perceive around you write now. Keep going for a while after you think you’ve listed everything, discovering more and finding more detail.
- Try recalling your list-making journaling exercise when driving, or sharing a meal, or doing something routine at work. Don’t try to duplicate the journaling exercise, just recall it and how you felt doing it. Then notice how your current outlook is subtly modified.
- The next time you encounter a big problem – one that doesn’t have easy answers – be sure to journal about it before taking any action. The practice will let you approach the issue with far greater mindfulness.
Journal writing is a path to mindfulness, leading us to clearer vision and more peaceful relationships. With increased mindfulness, we are more able to handle whatever craziness life hands us.
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