Tag: Journals

Posted in Journal Writing

Keep a Sad or Worry Journal

Posted on by Lifestyle-by-designs

Creatively express your feelings (or lack thereof)

Create a unique artistic expression that reflects your most recent emotion. Engage in activities such as writing a song, doodling in a journal, painting a picture, or crafting a collage or Vision Board/Box. Explore different mediums to convey your feelings, even if you struggle to identify them. Embrace the use of dark colors like greys and blacks to add depth to your work of art. Afterward, reflect on your emotional state. Examine whether a sense of satisfaction or any other emotion arises within you. Document these experiences in a journal, exploring the nuances of your feelings and the impact of your artistic expression.

Take care of your inner child

To heal the emotional numbing that stems from childhood trauma, it’s crucial to care for your inner child. Engage in inner child work to find ways to comfort and nurture this vulnerable part of yourself. Consider creating empowering affirmations tailored to your inner child’s needs. For instance, when faced with challenging circumstances, repeat phrases like “It’s okay for me to feel,” “It’s safe for me to feel sad,” “My anger is valid,” and “Being vulnerable is being strong.” These affirmations can help your inner child access emotions and promote emotional growth.

Dedicate space and time to feeling

In our fast-paced lives, we often seek distractions from social media, television, shopping, food, social obligations, and other external sources. While these distractions can provide temporary relief, they can also hinder our ability to look inward. Unlike external distractions, introspection requires self-discipline, which is why many people avoid it. 

To conquer emotional numbness, dedicating time and space for self-reflection is crucial. Journaling has been an effective method for me, sometimes leading to creative outlets such as drawing, poetry, or songwriting. Revisiting my journal, I consistently observe progress, even if it’s gradual. The key is to maintain forward momentum in my emotional journey.

To strengthen self-discipline, dedicate time to exploring your inner self, especially identifying and understanding repressed emotions and their underlying causes. This step is crucial for personal growth and self-awareness.

To conclude your journaling session, consider incorporating uplifting elements to counteract negative emotions. This could involve reading positive news from sources such as the uplifting news subreddit, spending quality time with a loved one, engaging in playful activities with a pet, or selecting entertaining content from platforms like YouTube or Netflix. This practice will help balance your emotional state and promote a sense of well-being.

Peace & Harmony, Cheryl

Posted in Uncategorized

The Bonds of Trauma

Posted on by Lifestyle-by-designs

The Bonds of Trauma

In the grip of trauma bonds, invisible chains bind us to people and experiences that inflict wounds on our emotional and psychological well-being. These bonds, forged in the fire of intense emotions, prove challenging to sever, yet their release is pivotal in reclaiming our sense of identity and purpose.

The path to healing begins by acknowledging repetitive patterns that sustain unhealthy relationships and situations. It requires a deliberate choice to distance oneself from these connections and circumstances.

Initiating the journey to break free from trauma bonds necessitates a profound commitment to self-awareness and self-care. This process entails gaining a deeper understanding of the fears and insecurities that perpetuate cycles of trauma and consciously addressing them to overcome their hold on us.

Through meditation, journaling, and therapy, individuals can gain the tools necessary to navigate the intricate tapestry of emotions and cultivate a profound understanding of themselves. By tending to the inner landscape, we can bolster resilience and empower ourselves to make choices that align with our well-being.

As we embark on healing, fostering an environment conducive to personal growth and prosperity is vital. Encompassing ourselves with supportive individuals, seeking professional assistance when needed, and partaking in activities that ignite joy and fulfillment can significantly contribute to the recovery process.

Overcoming the bonds forged by trauma is not a solitary endeavor. It is a journey that requires seeking and accepting assistance. By doing so, we demonstrate our strength and resilience. With patience and self-compassion, we can transcend the shadows of our past and embrace a future filled with hope, steadiness, and purpose.

Peace & Harmony, Cheryl

Posted in Uncategorized

Be Quiet and Listen . . .

Posted on by Lifestyle-by-designs

Nature Sounds Meditation

Meditating with the calming sounds of nature is a great way to connect with something way bigger than yourself.

When we sit down to meditate, we usually focus on our breath to help us gather our thoughts and energy. This is because it’s easy to get distracted, but focusing on our breath helps us stay in the present moment. It’s like a tool that helps us center and ground ourselves.

  • The sounds of nature are all around us, like our breath
  • Whether it’s the rain, the wind, the ocean, or the birds

Listening to these sounds can bring us peace and connect us to the world around us.

It’s easy to get lost in our little worlds and forget that there’s a whole world out there. We get so caught up in our own goals and plans that we forget to take a step back and appreciate the world around us.

You know that feeling when you kind of take a step back from your everyday grind and just soak in all the good stuff around you? It’s like a switch flips inside, and suddenly the world feels bigger and brighter. Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about! When we give our attention to the background noise of life, we’re discovering this whole new dimension, and it’s pretty darn awesome. It’s like we’re connecting to something larger than ourselves, and it leaves us feeling refreshed and full of life. Isn’t that just the best?

So, you wanna find the perfect spot to meditate and connect with nature’s symphony? Look no further than the mighty ocean, my friend! Just plop yourself down somewhere comfy and let the thunderous roar of the crashing waves wash over you. Forget about your worries and ambitions for a while and just listen. And hey, don’t forget about rivers and lakes – they’ve got their tunes to share too!

Even if you’re a city dweller, you’ve gotta admit that the wind can make some crazy noises. It howls and whistles like crazy! And then there’s the rain. It can sound so different depending on where it lands. It’s like a whole orchestra out there!

Next time you hear these sounds, instead of ignoring them, really listen to them. Stop what you’re doing and take it all in. It’s like listening to a beautiful piece of music. Let the sounds of nature take you on a journey and just enjoy the show!

Peace ♥ Harmony, Cheryl

Posted in inspirational, Journal Writing, Journey

Keeping a Creativity Journal

Posted on by Lifestyle-by-designs

One of the best ways to get creative is to try new things

There are many different kinds of journals. Some people write down their deepest thoughts and feelings every day. Others write a single poem or a few lines of an essay once a week, every few months, or whenever they feel like it. The best part about journaling is that there are no rules or restrictions. If you want to get your creative juices flowing, start a journal to record your inspirational thoughts and ideas, or to keep track of an artistic project.

Find a blank book that you like, with or without lines. It should be a color, size, and texture that appeals to you. You can also make your journal, designing a cover with drawings and photographs. The most important thing is to start journaling. Initially, you might want to schedule time for journaling each day. But even if you don’t, you know that your journal is there waiting for you when inspiration strikes.

One of the better ways to encourage creativity is to try new things. Don’t let your preconceived notions of what a “journal” should be get in your way. Anything too formal or linear is up for grabs when flying with your creativity flag: 

  • write with your non-dominant hand
  • write in a different
  • Write in a different direction
  • Landscape orientation is a great start, diagonally, or even in a circle

When it comes down to it, you don’t have to write anything at all. You can draw, doodle, or paste a collage of images. The important thing is not to worry about your artistic skill, but to focus on expressing yourself. Anything fresh will help jumpstart your creativity: use different colored pens or pencils, fill your pages with colorful doodles, words from magazines that catch your attention, anything to keep you from thinking in the same old ways.

Your journal can be about any aspect of your creativity. You may or may not believe it at this moment, but there is no such thing as a “non-creative person”. A collection of fragments can be a place for you to store your dreams, a place to jot down brilliant ideas, or even the beginning of a larger creative project. 

Don’t just put together a journal and forget about it. Every once in a while, take it off the shelf and read it as if you found someone else’s journal lying there (and that it was okay to look inside). You might be surprised by the inspiration you find.

Happy Journaling ♥