Journaling for emotional healing, mental health and expressing your feelings to increase your self-esteem!

I love it when one of my children come to me just to talk about what’s on their mind.  They just want to chat and they  just want me to listen.  Sometimes I put in my opinion if they ask for it (truth is I’m still working on that one, I can interject too much sometimes), but mostly I just listen. 

Recently my daughter came to do just that.  She just talked.  I hugged, nodded, patted her tummy (with the tummy song of course), and heard her.  When she was done, she told me how good it felt just to get it out.  I totally agree!  Nothing feels better than getting thoughts that have been bottled up in your head out.  They stop building up pressure and a gentle release occurs, kinda like opening up a bottle of soda, the twist top kind. 

But what if you don’t have someone to talk to?  What if no one is available when you really need it?  What if your significant other doesn’t like to talk, except on a few rare and lovely occasions?  I’ve been there.  I’m there multiple times a week.

 Life is busy. People are busy.  But that doesn’t take away my need to “get it out”.  I function so much better emotionally when I allow myself the time to talk to someone. 

When those opportunities don’t come, I have found the next best thing.  I have found someone who knows me better than anyone else to talk to.  She speaks my language.  She is ME.  Do I sit in a room and talk to myself?  Do I hold long conversations in my head?  No, I’m not THAT crazy after all.  What I have found that allows this to happen is journaling. 

Journaling is the next best thing to a personal conversation with a close friend.  There’s even some benefits to journaling as opposed to talking to someone else.  

Here’s a few I’ve found:

1.  My notebook agrees with most things I write, but when it doesn’t, it explains it back to me in my own language and then I understand a bit better.
2. I can discuss my thoughts at length, for as long as I want, without any outside judgement.
3. I don’t have to worry about hurting other people’s feelings while I figure it out.
4. I’ve gotten to be better friends with myself.  I’ve learned more about me and found that I can be my best friend. My self-esteem has even improved because I’ve learned to trust my opinion!
5. Having a conversation with the person who knows me best is one of the most effective ways I’ve found to work through overwhelming thoughts. My emotional healing and mental health have seen incredible improvement. I believe yours will too.

Here’s a few steps I follow when I sit down to have a conversation with myself:

1. Find a quiet place
2. Get comfortable
3. Set a timer for the amount of time you can devote to it.  30 minutes seems just about right to me.
4. Start writing.  Don’t worry about grammar or spelling.  Just write.

Journaling has become more therapeutic to me than a massage, a hot bath, or even a manicure.   If you want to invest some time in your emotional healing and mental health- start journaling!

Come visit my shop and design your own beautiful fabric Travelers Notebook at www.hunkeedori.etsy.com. Don’t worry, I’ll help you create one that’s perfect for you!