I know journaling can be intimidating. Self-care and wellness is becoming its own industrial complex. It can sometimes seem like self care journaling, meditating, yoga, reading, taking a walk, all the things for self-care are just more things to do on our already too-long to-do lists.
One person once told me, "If I have 30 minutes free, I'm not going to sit down and journal. I'm going to sleep."
To that, I say, "hear! hear!" I mean, we love sleep!
But also, I do believe everyone can benefit from self care journaling. And, it's important to make your self care journaling work for you, so it's not another thing you feel you "should" do but rather is something you want to do, that feels good.
You don't have to sit down and write for 30 minutes when you journal in your wellness journal.
I had a moment earlier this week where I was in a panic over all the things I was trying to do that day. But I really didn't want to lose myself in "the spiral." So I took 30 seconds to step aside and do some self care journaling in my custom wellness journal. 30 seconds, not 30 minutes. All I said in my custom wellness journal was,
"Oh my GOD,
So much.
Ok Ok Ok Ok Ok
Breatheeeeeeee...
Wheeeeeeeeewwwwwww
Whooo o o o o o o e e e e e e e w
Hm m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m
I AM OK.
I can do this.
Yes, you can.
One thing at a time.
It is OK."
This was simply what was in my head. But there was something to writing out on paper in my custom wellness journal my stress, and then my breathing, and then my encouraging words.
At first I was scribbling rapidly in my wellness journal but I told myself, wait, I'm trying to breathe right now. So then wrote my words out o n e l e t t e r a t a t i m e.
That's all my self care journaling was then. 30 seconds to breathe and reset.
There's no right or wrong way to journal. No shoulds or supposed-tos. It's not homework. It's from you, for you. You have the freedom and flexibility to make it work for you.
Curious? Maybe give it a try now - 30 seconds to breathe, slow down, and journal a few lines of what's most pressing on your mind, or one thing you're feeling, or some words you can benefit from hearing...
With love,
Alina
Feel it, write it, Zenit