5 Ways Journalling Can Help You Get Unstuck
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When we feel stuck, we can get locked in our heads, confused and indecisive
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Henny Flynn explores the benefits of journalling to help you find clarity and stimulate your imagination
Journaling can be a transformative practice that extends far beyond the pages of a notebook.
By picking up a pen and allowing the words to flow, we can tap into a part of ourselves that goes deeper than our rational, every-day mind. In this way, we’re not only able to unburden ourselves from things that may feel challenging in some way, we’re also able to unlock our own inner wisdom, possibly finding answers we hadn’t known were within us.
In this article, we’re looking specifically at how journaling can help us to become unstuck.
1. Clarifying your thoughts
When we feel stuck, our minds can become a tangled web of confusion and indecision. Journaling acts as a gentle guide, helping you untangle these thoughts. By writing them down, even if at first they seem nonsensical, it can feel more possible to disentangle, organise and clarify your ideas – transforming abstract concepts into insights, making it easier to see the path forward.
2. Identifying patterns
Taking time to journal daily or on a regular basis can help reveal recurring themes and patterns in your thoughts and behaviours. As you document your experiences, you may notice cycles of self-doubt or fear that keep you stuck. With awareness comes the ability to see how things could, perhaps, be different in the future. It starts to open up the possibility of making different choices, or taking action (such as seeking support from a therapist or coach), that could help you move forward.
3. Exploring new perspectives
Just as empathy enables us to stand in another’s shoes, so journaling can help us explore different angles and viewpoints on a situation. Writing about your challenges from various perspectives can reveal new solutions and possibilities you hadn't considered before. A practice I love is to ask my inner wisdom for her perspective. It can be surprising to see how looking inward helps expand our outlook; igniting fresh inspiration and perhaps providing the impetus you need to move forward.
4. Releasing emotional baggage
Sometimes, simply the act of expressing how we feel can be a bridge to creating the shift we’re seeking. Journaling offers a safe, private space to express and process complex feelings. Rather than feeling anchored by emotions, journaling can help release their hold – with the deepest compassion – freeing yourself to take the next steps with a clearer, lighter heart.
5. Setting intentions
When you're stuck, it can be hard to see a way out. Journaling can help provide clarity by giving you space to explore your heart’s true desire. This open, spacious, approach helps tap into the full breadth of your imagination – rather than narrowing your focus onto what may be an old way of thinking or stagnant goals. Using the journal to help craft your intention can help you shine a light on which direction (and what action) will truly serve you.
Henny Flynn is the author of In the Flow: Journal Your Inner Wisdom
