Journal to change your life

Journaling is a powerful, personal and liberating process.

Journaling is self-care. As you create more self-awareness, exploring your thoughts and emotions by listening to your innermost self, you can identify triggers, patterns and areas that need your attention. You can also learn to let go and express yourself freely, in a safe way - saying whatever you want. You can dream and visualise to create more of what you want for yourself and your life. This in turn brings about a stronger sense of peace, clarity and balance which is empowering and enhances your well-being.

Through self-reflection, you're actively listening to your heart and soul, and creating more alignment with who you are. Creating time to journal freely and authentically, reflect on your successes, setbacks, feelings, fears, growth and desires helps you gain insight into your inner world, and allows you to uncover any obstacles, visualise what you want and plan. It allows you to heal, create, awaken and take positive action.

Oprah Winfrey said, "Journaling can change your life." She journaled since she was just 15 and also said "It's a wonder I've managed to be a successful human being considering how pathetic I appeared in many of my musings. It's a testament to growth and grace that I've come this far. I wrote a lot of bad poetry in my teens and 20s, mostly about how some guy had done me wrong."

Change isn't always easy, but this process allows you to express yourself in easy and meaningful ways so that you can move forward, having understood yourself better. It offers insights on lots of levels, is easy and enjoyable, can be done on your own and in groups, and is beneficial for people of all ages. And it's something you can do your whole life. There are also no rules!

At one point in my life, getting in touch with my feelings and expressing myself was really hard. I remember a time that I even wondered if I had feelings. I also remember being stuck behind words, there were a lot of things I would have liked to have said but just couldn't.

When I first learnt about journaling and creative visualisation it was in the corporate world and a facilitator had been brought in to uncover some feelings going on within our team.  What we all managed to express was amazing and built some meaningful connections which resulted in us all working much better with each other.

I learnt that I could express feelings I couldn't have otherwise. Regular journaling allowed me to gather my thoughts and feelings in one place, where I could reflect on them quietly and privately. Some days I would find it comforting to sit and look back, taking in the journey I had been on. On other days, it was more about understanding what I was feeling 'right now'. And then there were other times that I was inspired to dream and explore ideas and wishes for the future. All of this has proven to be powerful and transformational.

If you find it difficult to journal regularly, you can just take a few minutes each week, or an hour a month - whatever works for you. It is said that even five minutes of conscious positive creative journaling can balance out hours, days, and even years of negative patterns. With proper understanding of the processes and perseverance, you will succeed in creating what may seem like little miracles in your life.

 Your vision will become clear only when you look into your own heart. Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakens.

- Carl Jung