Journaling … Inner nomadism and changing one’s narrative
Have you ever experienced that there is never enough time in your long day during which you can barely catch a breath, let alone pause and reflect?
Have you ever experienced the horrible feeling of “being stuck”? Going around in an immutable circling of stale thoughts? Whether the “stuckness” presents itself as a creative block, a recurring ad-nausea argument with your spouse, parent, children, colleagues or an inner gang battle with conflicting parts of yourself?
Whether these two “symptoms” appear together or not, I find that these disagreeable instances signal that my life balance is seriously out of kilter. And I’ve learned by experience that such episodes herald the beginning of a period of inner work.
Instead of heading to a wall, or hitting the wall once again through illness, spiralling into anxiety or worse, these times can be transformed into an opportunity to slow down and transform. However contra-intuitive this may sound to many people.
Like nomads, it is the time we must depart from the territory we have been inhabiting and migrate to the place where pastures are fresh, lush and abundant.
In order to find solutions to problems, we need space to define what exactly the issues we are experiencing are, understand what their real consequences might be, explore what strategies we could follow in order to remedy them, move forward and thrive.
I like to think of journaling as my travel tools: compass and maps that indicates the roads that I can choose and points me to new pastures.
Journaling is a great and proven tool to start the process of re-establishing balance and clarity and promote acceptance which is a door to getting unstuck and move forward.
Journaling can help confronting previously inhibited emotions, increased cognitive processing and the development of a coherent narrative over time
Research suggests that journaling can help us accept rather than judge our mental experiences, resulting in fewer negative emotions in response to stressors (Ford, Lam, John, & Mauss, 2018; Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005). “Research has consistently linked the habitual tendency to accept one’s mental experiences with greater psychological health” (Ford et al., 2018, p. 2)
Research shows that journaling done for periods lasting longer than 30 days is effective as part of protocols for managing anxiety, depression, stress management and burnout, it is a powerful tool of enquiry for recovery, creativity and problem solving.
Whether you embark solo on this travel or you do so with the support of a coach or a therapist, or whether you join a “travel tribe”, like a PQ® pod group. Here are the two most recognised way of journaling. And provided you apply yourself daily for at least a period of one month - In order to create new neural pathways, thus a new habit, solutions can be found on the page!
Journaling as expressive writing
Because it focuses on writing about one’s stressful or traumatic experience, this type of journaling is a good tool to develop as part of a therapeutic (psychotherapy, counselling or coaching) work.
I set it as a homework for my coachees to be done on four occasions between sessions. It is timed between 15 to 20’ per sessions of journaling during which one writes continuously about the event and ones experience without worrying about grammar, spelling… Once the time is up, I recommend a recovery period of rest before sending me a text message to let me known that the task has been accomplished and depending on how my coachee feels - especially if she feels distressed, we have a debrief chat on her experience. The journal is for the coachee although she can share it with me.
Expressive writing can be immensely helpful and cathartic. And better done with professional help.
Journaling with prompts
The completion of journal prompts ahead of, and in between, coaching sessions enhances the coaching work. It provides focus and guidance and enable the exploration of thoughts and ideas in a more structured and deep way.
It encourages motivation and action taking
It enables preparation for the coaching session as they can trigger a foundation for reflexion upon which the coaching session builds on what you have written or discovered.
Journal prompts enable deeper thinking, explorations on the page and the opportunity for breakthroughs and realisations.
The prompts bring to the attention old and new thoughts, ideas and beliefs and thus offer clues as to how one can resolve an issue, chart a path towards a desired goal, or recalibrate values.
Completing journal prompts empowers you to deeply realise what you want and to feel hopeful and motivated to work towards the future you are creating.
Journal prompts and coaching are catalysts for positive changes as their combined effort reveals the true self and enhances the process of alignment which in turn allows for living with ease and flow.
Because they demand to bring oneself to the present moment, journal prompts often permits one to leave the past behind and have a more forward-focus approach to life.
I will add a last type of journaling which I have found quite powerful in my own practice.
Creative journaling
This can be done alongside the previous two or as a stand alone practice. A lot of artists use this method with sketchbooks, photo/film/audio documenting their work, ideas, life. Because an image, a piece of music may capture your internal mood in an immediate tangible manner, they can contribute as a foundation and/or an illustration of a dilemma or a question that you wish to solve. In a similar way they can be invaluable motivators for moving forward and goal setting. They can remind us of values that we wish to uphold.
Like a nomad observe the paths you are taking, really observe. Notice colours, textures, scents, the changes in the air you breathe. Notice your overall demeanour, posture, pace. Notice your moods, feelings, sensations as well as your thoughts as you progress. gather some of these in images, sounds, colours.
Enjoy your inner traveling!
