My Journey into Journaling

The path is made by walking.

-Antonio Machado

I am passionate about learning and growing. For me that includes listening to podcasts and audio books especially while driving between sessions and classes. I listen for inspiration and advise to improve my health, my life, and my business. A common theme among the successful, creative people was a morning routine. These routines included things like meditation, journaling, and exercise. My morning routine already included meditation, and I got exercise covered, so I decided to see if journaling was a worthwhile addition.

At the start of this journey, I did not consider myself a writer. I found guidance in the book Writing Brave and Free: Encouraging Words for People Who Want to Start Writing by Ted Kooser and Steve Cox. Their practical advice, like: “If you want to start writing, you have to start. The road is made by walking” is exactly the sort of advise I would give clients.

I started, easy enough, with the very unintimidating journaling style of Morning Pages. There are no rules: you just write and write and write until you’ve filled three full pages first thing in the morning. I found that this journaling exercise does for the mind what pre-workout dynamic stretching does for the body: It eases tension, invigorates, creates feelings of lightness, freedom, and spaciousness.

Morning journaling was especially helpful before my mediation practice. Writing down my thoughts first helped me to quiet my mind and find stillness much more easily. Journaling also helps me deal with lingering emotions. In fact, we know that as we assign words to our feelings, this switches the mental processes from the feeling limbic brain to the thinking brain, the prefrontal cortex. Generally speaking, the thinking brain and the feeling brain can’t be in the driver seat at the same time. In our more rational state, our emotions begin to take less of a toll on us. We become proactive rather than reactive. We make better decisions, find creative solutions, figure out what we really want, and hash out a plan for getting it. I was experiencing these benefits for myself.

With this new sense of clarity and focus, I wanted to take my journaling to the next level. I decided to try the journaling exercise a had read about in Unbeatable Mind. In his book, Mark Divine offers exercises to help find what he calls your “3 P’s” (passion, purpose, and principles) and your “One Thing.”

I took the advise of HeadSpace meditation guru Andy Puddicombe and asked myself the questions in the second person. Instead of asking “What am I passionate about?” and trying to answer with the thinking mind, I asked “What are you passionate about?” I allowed myself to ask without expectation and to listen for the answers.

I enjoyed this exercise and wanted to continue the momentum. Rather than just a stream of consciousness, I wanted a structured morning journal activity that would allow me to direct my attention toward accomplishing my purpose. Enter The Five Minute Journal. This practice includes priming your day in the morning and reviewing your day in the evening. Never one to stay true to a recipe though, I came up with a journaling routine that is a fusion of everything I love:

A.M. Prime and Plan

1. Review my “3 P’s” (passion, principles, and purpose) and my long and short-term goals
2. Determine my “One Thing” (daily intention) and a short to-do list
3. Brief free writing
4. Affirmations, always stated positively and in the present tense (I am… I have…)

P.M. Review

1. Re-do
2. Gratitude
3. Progress report

Journaling has become a regular part of my wellness routine. I could not image a day without it. Getting up 30-45 minutes earlier to journal, chant, and meditate has been a worthwhile trade. I am getting better quality sleep, my mind is clear, my body is energized, and I’m not completely drained at the end of the day. I am more productive. I have more time and energy for my workouts. And I’m enjoying some time off. I see and feel the benefits of my journaling practice reverberating out into every aspect of my life, personally and professionally.

I know many of you think that you are just too busy to take five or ten minutes each day to journal. I hope that by sharing my experience, you are inspired to try. I believe you too can experience the same benefits I, and many other people have seen. Always remember that the time we take to care for ourselves is never a selfish act. Everyone around us (friends, family, colleagues, students, clients) will benefit if we are happier and healthier.

Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with clients in classes and one-on-one.  She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email Alicia@AliciaCrossTraining.com.