Hello again everyone.
Thoughts are words. Emotions can be expressed into words. Mind movies can be described into words. How we use our words and what we do with them can be very powerful.
Journaling can be a great way to start your day, unplug, vent and be truthful with yourself.
A couple of years ago I created The Inner Huddle Playbook. It is a journal for men that will help you express yourself without searching for what to say (which can be a real hang up when starting out journaling). It has guided prompts that open your curiosity and reflection and it keeps you accountable to the daily goals and intentions you write in the mornings and evenings. I also peppered The Playbook with great motivational quotes from some of my favorite books to help you stay inspired.
Inevitably, I trialled and tested my product. I had never journaled before and, due to my ignorance, I had always diminished the claims that it was a healthy practice. I can honestly say that using a journal was one of the best habits I ever developped. It allowed me to confront my thoughts and emotions on multiple daily subjects whilst keeping myself accountable for the solutions and reflections I began to have towards them.
At first I wrote a lot of superficial stuff, but I committed to the process. As time went on I opened up to the pages (and myself) more and more. Eventually I wrote about my deepest concerns and struggles. The Playbook became my closest confidant and supporter. I would leave the emotions and concerns on the pages and return to them later. This allowed my mind to be more present in my daily activities. I found that I would not devote as much energy to the concerns in my mind as I used to which allowed me more energy for my family, my business and myself. I remained accountable to the goals I set and this was by far the biggest benefit. If I wrote I was going to do something or NOT do something then I was more likely to comply that day. I did fail, a lot, but the goals were eventually reached. The beauty in failure is it humbled me and it helped me identify the details I needed to address before reaching my goals.
This created new behaviors and then new habits.
Many people journal. One of my closest friends attributes clearer thoughts and better mental health to journaling amongst other habits he has.
The truth is when we take action by transferring our thoughts out of our minds and put them on paper (Journal) or speak about them aloud ie; support groups, we confront ourselves and we allow space for our self to heal and improve. By doing so we become stronger emotionally and we are able to cope with the unhelpful thoughts and emotions that can sometimes invade our minds. It happens to us all, specially when life gets busy or bad luck happens.
We don't need to journal everyday either. I have now taken up the practice of journalling when I am faced with conflict. Yes, I am able to compartmentalise now due to journalling every day before but some of you might be able to just journal when you need. The tricky bit is remembering that journalling is a possible tool for you to turn to when you might need it.
Have a go. Start with just a piece of scrap paper and see where it takes you. There are so many guided journal examples on the net today that you might not even need to buy one either. Guided or not, journalling is the action of expressing your self in a way which you can reflect on the content expressed. You can go back to prior entries and monitor your progress. This has powerful consequences and if you're serious about creating change in your life you would be wise to give it a try to see if you can make it stick.
I've dropped the link to The Playbook throughout this post. So if you prefer a guided journal for men then give it a go (it's not very expensive). Also, it's not really just for men. My wife has used it and enjoyed the experience.
Thanks for reading!
Franck
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