You work hard and you do the best you can, but you don't really love your life. You feel it should be better than it is. You may not even know why or how to begin to change that. You're not sure who could help or how. You don't know what options are available to start living your dream life, you just know you're not happy with the life you have NOW.
The first step toward finding happiness is understanding why we aren't happy in the first place. In my experience working with women who struggle with feeling fulfilled in their lives, I've found that many of them share similar issues: They feel stuck in their careers or relationships; they have trouble sleeping; they feel anxious all the time; they're depressed about something but don't know how to get out of it (or even where exactly "it" begins). These feelings can lead us down paths where we start questioning our own value as human beings--and then suddenly everything seems hopelessly bleak!
What is Mindful Journaling?
Mindful journaling is writing with intention. It's about being present, aware and focused on what you're writing about in the moment.
It's not just about scribbling down thoughts or feelings--it's also about focusing on your body language as you write (or type). For example, if you're sitting up straight with good posture, that helps the flow of energy through your body so that it can be expressed through words on paper or screen.
Mindful journaling can help us get in touch with our emotions and express them more clearly than we might otherwise do if we were just writing down random thoughts as they come up during our day-to-day lives.
How to Get Started with Mindful Journaling
Now that you have a better understanding of what mindful journaling is, it's time to get started. Here are some tips for creating a practice:
- Set up your space. Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted, and make sure there are no distractions such as phones or televisions nearby. If possible, choose an area with natural light--this can help boost your mood and energy levels throughout the day!
- Choose the right tools for the job. You'll want something small enough to carry around with you if needed (but large enough so that there's plenty of room for writing), like a notebook or tablet computer; some people prefer pens over pencils because they feel more comfortable writing with them--just make sure whatever tool(s) work best for YOU! Need inspiration? Check out these journals and accessories that are sure to help you feel vibrant and in the flow of creating a world that awaits you.
The Benefits of Mindful Journaling
Mindful journaling can help you gain insight into yourself and your emotions, improve mental clarity and increase emotional awareness.
It's a form of self-reflection that can help you get to know yourself better by writing down your thoughts, feelings and experiences in a non-judgmental way. It's also an effective way to express yourself without having to talk about it out loud--which may be difficult if you're struggling with anxiety or depression.
Exploring Your Feelings
The first step in the process of creating a life you love is to explore your feelings. The more you can identify and express your emotions, the better equipped you'll be to understand what's going on inside of yourself.
It's important that we don't ignore our negative thought patterns or try to push them away; instead, we should challenge them by asking ourselves questions like: "Why do I think this way?" or "What evidence do I have for believing this?" When we question our thoughts and look at them from different angles (or even just ask ourselves if they're true), we can often find that they aren't as solid as they seem at first glance.
This practice helps cultivate self-compassion while also helping us understand ourselves better so that we can make changes in order to create a happier life for ourselves!
Setting Goals and Intentions
Goal-setting is a powerful way to focus your energy on what you want in life, whether it's a big goal like "be happier" or a small one like "have dinner with friends once a week." When we set goals, we're able to visualize our future selves and imagine what kind of person we will be when the goal has been achieved. This helps us stay motivated when things get tough along the way--and believe me: they always do!
Setting goals also helps us prioritize our time more effectively by making sure that everything we do contributes towards reaching those goals (or at least doesn't hinder them). It's easy for women who don't love their lives to get stuck in unproductive habits like binge eating or watching TV all day; setting specific intentions can help keep these behaviors at bay while also giving us something meaningful to work toward each day. The Success Planners shown here are excellent for visualization and in helping you take your big goals and turn them into smaller achievements that lead up to that big dream you have.
Developing Self-Awareness
- Developing self-awareness.
- Exploring your values.
- Recognizing patterns in your life and how they impact you, both positively and negatively.
- Understanding what triggers certain emotions in you, such as anger or sadness, so that you can avoid them if possible and work through them when necessary.
- Identifying strengths and weaknesses.
Finding Gratitude
Gratitude is a powerful tool for happiness. It's also an important part of mindfulness. When you're grateful, you appreciate what you have and feel less inclined to compare yourself with others. You'll notice more positive things in your life and be more able to accept the negative ones without letting them get you down too much.
When it comes to journaling, gratitude can help us stay focused on what we have rather than how we wish things were different or could be better in some way (which can lead down a rabbit hole of negativity). If something bad happens--say, someone cuts me off on my commute home from work--I might write about how angry I felt at first but then quickly shift into thinking about all the good things that happened during my day instead: "I got lunch with my friend today," or "My mom called me this morning just because she wanted me to know how proud she was." The Align & Shine Mindful Gratitude Journal contains unique gratitude prompts to help you keep positivity at the top of your mind and make the best of situations that may not seem favorable, but you can always find the "light" in.
Using Visualization
- Create a vision board. You can use any kind of art supplies or even just plain old markers and paper to create this, but it's important that the images you choose represent what you want in life. If you want to be healthy, include pictures of healthy foods and activities like hiking or yoga. If money is an issue for you, put some dollar bills on there as well. The more specific your vision board is, the better!
- Use guided visualization exercises regularly (like once per week). Guided meditations are helpful because they allow us time away from our busy minds so we can focus on our inner selves and connect with ourselves at a deeper level than usual--which means we'll be able to tap into those positive feelings more easily when we're not busy thinking about work emails or laundry lists!
- Try affirmations if writing isn't working for you yet...
- The Fit For More Success Planner contains a vision board you can carry with you at all times and helps you make plans to achieve those goals so that they are off the board and into your life!
Final Thoughts
If you're ready to start your journey into mindful journaling, here's what you need to know:
- You don't have to be a writer or artist. You just need an open mind and willingness to explore your thoughts and feelings in a new way.
- It's not about perfection--it's about progress! If you're struggling with the process of writing down your feelings, try using different types of media (like paint or collage) instead of writing. Or try starting off by writing just one sentence every day and then build from there as it gets easier over time.
- Find someone who will support you along the way--whether it's someone else doing this work with you or simply having friends who listen when things get tough (or both).
P.S. At Fit For More Store, we 100% support you!