I journal almost every day. It’s both proactive + prescriptive for my mental + emotional well being. I’ll journal topics or questions that come up as I’m doing life. I journal affirmations – pages + pages of affirmations – about the person I’m becoming + the life I’m creating. But whatever form it takes, it’s incredibly necessary.
It’s become an anchor in my self care. An anchor in mindset, intention, gratitude, + presence. I notice a clear shift in how I’m feeling if I miss too many days of journaling.
Ritual is such a necessary part of our existence . It is an anchor of identity + belonging. It helps centre us + connect us – to ourselves + to each other.
One of the affirmations that I’ve been incorporating is that of creating a ‘home haven’…a safe place for my family to land. A quiet, clean + tidy [working on it…], grounded space. + it’s started from my need to have a haven – a zen little spot – that I can have to myself for journaling.
Let me tell you about it. Sometimes, I’ll land at the kitchen table. There’s a corner where we have a couple of hanging plants, + when the house is quiet in the morning, it’s the most wonderful place to sip coffee + journal away.
When the weather is warm, I’ve taken to sitting on the front porch…also in the morning, with my coffee, as the neighbourhood is waking up. We’re on a quiet street, + if I’m really lucky there’ll be lots of wildlife poking about.
But my favourite…my absolute favourite…is sprawled out on my bed, looking out the window, door shut, diffuser on. I’m working on being able to let my family know that sometimes I just need my own quiet time while everyone is still in the house. It’s necessary – so necessary – for me, + it’s realllllly great for my husband + son to realize that I’m not on call whenever I’m in the house.
It sounds like it should be easy to just say “leave me alone for 30 minutes!”, + I don’t like to generalize or stereotype….as a woman, as a mom, as a recovering good/nice/quiet/accommodating girl…generally speaking…it can be really. freaking. hard. There’s lots of guilt demons to exorcise.
Clear the clutter.
The first step in creating my little bedroom haven has been to clear the clutter. There’s been stuff piling up for a while – nothing intentional – everything in transition. There’s now legit studies that show how clutter adds to mental load which adds to anxiety + depression…so believe me, as hard as it can be, getting that clutter under control is important.
Set the stage.
Once the clutter is taken care of…how do you actually want your space to feel? What kind of vibe do you want to be surrounded by as you’re getting vulnerable with yourself as you write? I used to think I liked modern things, decor + accessories…+ as a designer, I should just know better…what really feels like ‘home’, where I can be settled, is a lot of nothing. Plants. Light colours. A few textures. Nothing there that doesn’t have purpose…not just function…but purpose. Right now in our room I have a white wood shelf my dad built for me when I was a kid. I have two potted plants on it, a diffuser, + a piece of driftwood + three river rocks I brought home with me from BC for a very personal heart reason [I did write a blog post about it…but just a head’s up if you’ve had a miscarriage, it’s about that.].
How can you create a space that really feels like home for your heart? What colours, textures, sounds + smells work for you? Diffusing has become a huge anchor for me + it is, by far, the single-best + effective way to start shifting the vibe in our home. Below I’ll share my favourite essential oils to diffuse…just a drop or two of each, either singly, or blended together. If you’re ready to learn a little more about how essential oils have changed a lot of how we do life, you can find out more HERE.
Tools of choice.
Lastly…what are you bringing with you to journal? I have two journals, as I noted at the top of the blog – it’s a proactive + prescriptive practice.
The proactive, or maintenance journal is The 5 Minute Journal – it has quick morning + evening prompts that touch on gratitude, intention, + affirmations. It is a wonderful way to get tuned in when you wake up + right before you go to bed – the two times of day where your subconscious is most available for persuasion. When you can very intentionally set the tone for your mental + emotional state. I have been using this journal for a few years now, + it is just so effective for getting tuned in to the energetic state I like to be in. It’s available in both hard cover + soft cover options.
+ the other journal I use is a simple, plain, lined paper journal – no ornamentation or inspirational quotes…not that there’s anything wrong with that…but this is for just me + my thoughts – all of them. This is where I scribble when I’m angry or upset. Where I script it out when feeling reflective + poetic. Where I write affirmation after affirmation after affirmation…about the person I am becoming + the life I am creating. This kind of journaling doesn’t even really require an actual journal – just paper where you can let your heart fly free. That’s it.
+ a pen. Any pen will do…just like any paper will do…really. But for me [+ I feel this way about my morning coffee mug], I choose whatever pen helps reinforce the sense of ritual.
All parts of how I journal are intentional. The impact of why you’re journaling in the first place gets lost if it’s just done off the cuff, hurriedly. For journaling to make a difference it needs to be done with intention…a ritual…to be in touch with yourself + how you’re really feeling underneath all the layers.
So, now I ask you – do you journal? What’s your ritual? I would love to hear some of your biggest journaling lessons. Or, if it’s not something you’ve done regularly, what’s holding you back? It’s been a life-anchoring practice, + through it I’ve found a lot of self awareness + growth. + I hope you find it to be that for you, too.
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