MEDITATING THROUGH JOURNALING

Journaling? What’s that? It can best be explained by your choosing of any subject - perhaps your efforts at parenting, or dealing with personal medical issues or simply what makes you happy in everyday life, then writing about it. If you’ve never done it before, you’ll be amazed at what it will give you.  There is an immense pleasure to be obtained from simply capturing your thoughts and putting them down on paper. Well, not paper; it’s rarely used today for recording purposes, unless there’s a compelling reason for doing so. On the other hand, the ‘paperless office,’ so proudly predicted as far back as the late 1980s, doesn’t look as if it will happen any time soon.

Profession

This highly pleasurable activity is commonly known as ‘journaling’ - from which of course emerges the profession of ‘journalism’. No, you don’t have to be a professional journalist to be able to obtain the deep satisfaction of journaling. It’s all about getting started, then seeing what it gives you. We are looking here at something more than a diary of events and experiences, however historically useful those can be. You find a location that’s quiet and peaceful and simply embark on expressing thoughts about the chosen subject; then the momentum will take over. Show no respect for punctuation and spelling. There is time for that later.

The keyboard has become man’s best friend in that regard. In common with so many who invest themselves into the act of journaling, I get an immense pleasure from just banging it out until the moment of putting down the pen – except there’s no pen - and going back to review and re-craft what’s been written. Because, in a sense, you’ve just had the equivalent of a highly enjoyable conversation, albeit in monologue format, in pure silence and thus not appearing to be talking to yourself, though that, of course, is precisely what you were doing.

Writer

There is no limit to the number of new devices that enter our world and dominate society, but what has not changed in the human being is the value of introspection and personal growth, for which one power tool is journaling. You don’t need to consider yourself a writer. How often during conversation does one encounter the brilliant opportunity for a companion to take up spoken thoughts and go deeper through writing.

Often, you get the response – ‘No way, I can’t write.’ My reply is always – ‘Just do it and come back and tell me about it.’ They don’t come back and that’s because they’re too busy writing! That’s the great pleasure and benefit of journaling – you don’t have to view yourself as a writer to be able to enjoy capturing the thoughts that the mind provides. And the personal computer with its keyboard has become an amazingly helpful participant, simply because you can make the necessary corrections and enhancements without having to re-write it all. The act of capturing your thoughts is a powerful one that provides a strong mental and emotional impact. It’s meditating through journaling.

Let’s consider the benefits:

Clarity in your emotions: Reflecting on the experiences and mental reactions of the past day helps to unravel the many thoughts and develop a clearer way forward on key issues in a manner that has perhaps eluded you up to that point.

Improved mental health: The act of journaling helps to reduce stress and confusion. It creates an emotional well-being that proves to be a powerful tool for taking on the challenges of your world. Writing about your concerns and anxieties helps to manage your feelings. Ever woken up in the middle of the night and wasted long periods staring at the ceiling, while fretting in a disorganised manner about a number of matters that need to be sorted? Next time that happens, get up and write those worries down. You’ll be back asleep in no time at all.

Planning for your hopes and dreams: Everyone should have dreams and ambitions for the years ahead. Capturing those on the page enables a clearer route of detailed action plans, against which future achievement can be monitored.

Thinking more creatively:  Activity generates creativity. Capturing one’s thoughts in writing stimulates creative thinking. Your only constraint is how quickly you can write down the thoughts that the thinking inspires (if you get my meaning). The activity of writing simply taps into one’s sub-conscious thought. This can unlock new ideas and solutions regarding prevailing problems.

Expression

Self-discovery: I do enjoy repeating the expression (not sure whether it was my own) ‘You are how you drive’ meaning that your true character – whether generous or greedy, considerate or self-centred, patient or impatient – comes out very clearly on the road. We could extend that to – ‘you are how you write,’ and the act of journaling leads to an understanding of what you are, your values, standards, inner feelings and self-awareness.  The positive dimension of that is the opportunity for personal growth. Self-expression leads to self-discovery and onwards to self-improvement.

Your passions and talents, perhaps previously hidden, start to emerge as you build daily on the contribution you make to the society of which you are an important part. If journaling has not been in your life, just try it. Find a quiet place, choose a subject, set your alarm (not too loud) for 15-30 minutes and just bang out your thoughts with no regard for spelling or spacing. Then go back and re-craft it. There’s a very good chance that you’ll enjoy both the activity and the output.

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