Week 4: Day 2 Mindful Journaling

                                               The first type of journaling we are going to learn about is, Self-Care Journaling. 

Starting a self-care routine is one of the best ways you can improve your physical and mental health and take better care of yourself on a daily basis. A self-care journal is a great tool to help you create a new habit of focusing on your own needs, no matter what life throws at you. In this blog, I'll give you some self care journaling ideas that don't take much time and that can be used on a regular basis. 

                                                                                   What is self-care?

Self-care is simple the process of taking care of your body and your emotional health. It sounds so simple, but people nowadays have such busy schedules that they often forget to practice self-care. I have found with many of my clients that they are often so focused on caring for others needs, that they have very little left to give to themselves. If you relate to this, then it's important to stop and ask yourself what you need. In what areas of your life are you feeling like you need to take better care of yourself? 

If you've ever heard the phrase "you can't pour from an empty cup." you'll understand the importance of self-care. If your physical health is suffering, it's hard to function. If your mental health is suffering, you may experience a lot of negative emotions or feel unmotivated. When focusing on self care, you treat yourself how you would treat your best friend, with unconditional love and care. Think about the last time someone really seemed to pay attention to and respond to your needs. How did that feel? You can create a similar feeling by creating space for yourself with your journal. 

The ultimate goal is for you to feel happier in your daily life, to create a positive mindset, and to build yourself up so that you can be the best version of yourself no matter what difficult situation comes your way. 

                                                           A few of the benefits of consistent self-care practice include:

* improve your self confidence and self esteem

* personal growth

* form stronger connections

* reduce stress

* increase mindfulness of your own personal needs

* overcome negative thinking patterns that hold you back

                                                                                How to start a journal for self-care

We live in a world that's often focused on productivity. So we tend to overcommit and prioritize achieving things in our lives over taking care or ourselves. In order to start a self care journaling practice, the first thing you need to do is make a commitment to yourself that you're going to use the journal. That means you might need to schedule it into your already busy schedule. Putting yourself in your schedule in this way may be outside of your comfort zone, but that will change over time as you spend time with this great habit. 

Since the overall topic of self-care journaling is taking care of yourself, the topics can be anything related tot his. I believe that the way you journal is dependent on what works best for you. I do a variety of things such as making lists, free writing, and answering journal prompts.

 Here are a few prompts that I share with my clients:

For your journaling assignment for Day 2: Select one of the following prompts that resonates with your unique journey. Aim to write for 10-15 minutes. 

- Finding Clarity

Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed with thoughts following a recent or upcoming health challenge and you just need to get those thoughts out of your head for clarity?

-Defining Hope:

What is your relationship with hope? Determine if the things you might be hoping for are within reach, or if your idea of hope are more grandiose wishes that leaves you feeling hopelessness. Sit with the difference between the two and what that looks like for you.

-Hope-spiration:

Inspiration comes from many places. Find a quote about hope and write three to five paragraphs on what it means to you and how you’ll use it to promote self-healing.

- Defining Resilience:

Hope and resilience go hand-in-hand. What does it mean to you to be resilient? Reflect on ways you can demonstrate resilience on your healing journey and create a list of things you can do to become more resilient in the coming months.

This is where guided journal prompts shine – leading you to reflect and actually articulate thoughts and feelings in writing. This type of activity can facilitate the beginning of healing, and when paired with hope you’ll be able to gain perspective and direction. 

Journaling is a powerful tool to help you navigate the path of self-discovery and transformation after a life-limiting diagnosis. By dedicating time to explore these prompts, engaging in meaningful conversations with loved ones, and actively taking steps towards becoming more helpful, you are embarking on a journey of empowerment and growth.

Remember, every thought you put on paper and every action you take has the potential to shape a brighter future filled with resilience, hope, and fulfillment.

Much love,

Katie