Recollecting and organizing our tangled thoughts
Mapping your Future
Journaling is an eclectic version of maintaining a diary. Diaries are strictly a record of personal experiences but journals address the bigger picture, an expansion reflecting aspirations and an unique way to explore ideas in a freewheeling process. Research indicates that Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Frida Kahlo, Leonardo da Vinci and countless others, kept a journal or diary to record their experiences, thoughts, or feelings. Kahlo and da Vinci even used illustrations to express emotions and sketch out ideas. Journaling extracts ideas, observations, thoughts and events, giving them life and sustenance when pen meets paper. The task of committing to writing achieves a lot, ranging from improving communication skills, strengthening self – discipline, shifting IQ, evoking mindfulness, enunciating goals, constructing emotional intelligence and even healing.
In short journaling can be a safe non-judgmental space to observe one’s thoughts, experiences and emotions. Reflections that can be a cathartic process that increases self-awareness, assuages stress and enhances personal growth. This reflective practice, declutters the mind while advancing mental clarity.
Therapeutic hobby
Lucy Dacus, American singer and songwriter, has stated that,’ journaling is your completely unaltered voice” since many of her lyrics draw from her own childhood journals. Journaling remedies the disruption that mixed emotions as well as demands of daily Life wreck on individuals. It is a chance to rearrange the pieces of the puzzle. An attempt to untangle and steer afresh, give purpose as we navigate through the maze. Journaling allows us to unpack some concrete patterns. Visualize some clarity through the haze. To quote Ryder Carroll, the digital designer inventor of the Bullet Journal (BuJo) “It’s (journaling) a mindfulness practice disguised as a productive system”. It empowers us, even as we lean into our emotions.
Exploring Different Options
The Journal of Experimental Psychology published research shows how writing down thoughts can reduce intrusive thoughts about negative events and improve working memory. This is why note-taking is such an effective practice to learn as well as retain knowledge. As we onboard tentatively onto the creative journey of journaling, it is astonishing to find out there are multiple options to suit different personalities. Each of them are unique as they are useful.
The recent buzz in the journaling world is Bullet journaling or BuJo. This is an extensive, minimalist and productivity inducer journal. Extremely sustainable since it is simple in its format, it allows one to track everything from health to academics, physiological health to travel. It contains sections to log daily to-dos, as well as keeping a monthly or weekly calendar, jotting down notes to recording both short term and long term goals.
Other journals are gratitude journals - my personal favorite. This employs a process of making of list of at least three things to be thankful for, at bedtime. Equally popular are food, fitness and dream journals. Many use to – do task journals to keep a tally of stuff to be completed, feeling a great sense of accomplishment when tasks are completed. Also gaining popularity are sketch journals and Stream of Consciousness journals. Eventually, it does not matter what type of journal, it is the simple act of using journaling to connect mind, body and spirit that will lead to improved quality of life, sleep, memory function and personal balance.
Join me in this new quest by using a simple tool to make huge impact to relieve our mind from clutter, banish anxiety, depression and strive towards deep rooted happiness.
We are stronger together
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