How to Reset Your Mind Emotionally and Effectively: The Power of Journaling
Do you ever feel like no matter what you do, your to-do list just never gets to zero? That you never have the time to look after your priorities, and if somehow you do, you are too exhausted? You go online and find these productivity gurus or experts who have the quick fix. You try, and maybe it works for a few days but then before you know it, you’re back to square 1 (which feels like square minus 1).
I can relate, and while I don’t have all the answers or a magic 5 minute routine, I do have a tried and true way to help you better understand the true culprit behind all of this. Your Emotions.
Get To Where You Need To Go
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Get To Where You Need To Go |
Why Emotions?
Emotions can influence our motivation, our stamina, and of course, our habits. Emotions and feelings drain us by the end of a day, a day full of tasks is definitely exhausting but have you dealt with emotionally immature people? Or had to mediate between family members fighting? Or had to deal with toddlers ? (who are literally the definition of emotions running loose). If yes, then you know the true meaning of exhaustion. Of course work, and home to-do’s, and personal needs will be adding stressors on top of the mental load.
Emotions are very much like your browser cookies; you being the device. Your cookies come at every interaction, event, behaviour, but generally are hidden. They hold a lot of key information, and they are generally very helpful for your life, but as Avast put’s it
“…clearing up the cookies frees up space and can fix certain problems with your device's battery, speed, and even security and performance”
We need to address our cookies, not necessarily “clear” them, but we should sift through and address the experiences and the emotions. We want our energy to be rejuvenated everyday, our minds to be efficient, and our body and brain to feel safe and confident.
Resetting for me addresses those days where emotions and feelings are ruling your days and the ‘required now’ tasks get done on that ‘auto’ mode. The goal here is to have the Energy to NOT be on ‘Auto Mode’. We want to feel, experience, and achieve within our days, and be able to do that we need, address our emotions. We need to reset them so that they don’t compound and create a never-ending cycle of exhaustion and auto-mode years.
How can we truly reset?
Journaling. Okay, before you click off because ‘you don’t like writing’ or ‘you’re not creative’ or ‘you don’t have time’, hear me out.
Firstly, it’s alright; none of us have time, that doesn’t mean we don’t try and help ourselves out of exhaustion. It’ll take some effort but journaling can be made to be efficient on your terms.
You don’t like writing? That’s okay too! There are many other methods and strategies that can still help you reset without the “today I ate cheese and had 5 coffees to make it through the day” recounting.
You’re not creative? Who said you need to be creative to reset? But also, yes you are creative, even if it’s not in the artistic way, your brain will always be creative in it’s own witty, fun, analytical or sarcastic way.
What do you get out of it?
Journaling can help you reset emotionally, and create a better mental space for you. Just googling ‘benefits of journaling’ can give you a lot of answers, but here’s mine. . you get to FEEL.
You get to reflect and you get to analyse. And you get to appreciate your experiences after the fact, and then again, when you read back. This gives you an opportunity to connect with yourself, to question yourself and to actually PAUSE and think “oh, that’s where THAT came from…”
The journaling that will help you reset, NEEDS to address your feelings throughout the day. You can recount, you can jot down points, you can draw or you can just put a quote/song that resonates the feeling. Acknowledging the feeling will lead you to reflection.
Reflection is sacred in the art of journaling, because it’s the highway to growth. If you don’t reflect upon yourself, you are going to remain in an emotional limbo. That’s why therapy works, it’s literally a reflection session, where you are prompted to think about your actions, behaviours, emotions, trauma, relationships etc etc etc. That’s another blog in itself.
If you want growth and movement in your life, consider therapy. Shameless plug; consider Therapy with Fisa.
Hi there! In case you don’t know my face, this is me, Nafisa/Fisa !
Reflection?
A lot of people don’t really know what reflection actually feels like, and that might not be you, but in case you want to a try a different form of reflection, (because reflection is highly personal) identifying the feelings of the day will seamlessly lead you to reflection. Who , what, when , where, and How - will be linked to the feelings of choice. Then you can link it to your other days, other thoughts, and other behaviours. A bit of CBT (Cognitive behavioural therapy) coming in here, but it really does feel lighter when we can clarify the jumbled heap, that is, our thoughts.
Finding the right method for YOU. I’ll divide this section into 3 parts and sprinkle in some ways to implement each option.
Creative Journaling
Not all of us are able to express via word as much as we want/need. Using art can capture the essence of your emotions and feelings in a unique and concise way, more than words ever can.
Art journaling
Art journaling is one of the most freeing experiences. Use any book or create a book to use as your art journal. Paint, sketch, pour, doodle, paste or write in this journal. You can draw one key thing or draw multiple aspects of your day, feel free to write a passage if you want to describe the emotions. Using colours, different mediums, and scale, can help you express what’s inside. Expression of this type isn’t for everyone, but give it a try, sometime we connect with our inner child when we play with colours, and that can be very nostalgic and healing. When was the last time you held a colour pencil?
Below is a video about all the styles of art journaling, take a look if you’re interested.
Bullet Journaling
The bullet journaling method can be both creative or just down right practical. For the creative route, you can create themes around your weeks to keep you interested in filling out your weeks, and look forward to creating new spread for the next week or month. It allows you to customise and keep track of your progress and reflect on your growth over time. As Ryder Carroll says, ‘it helps you track the past, organise the present and plan for the future.’
I was an avid bullet journal-er for a few years, however, the pressure to keep creating spreads was too much, and also took me way too much time. I realised it wasn’t practical for me, only after I realised that I only felt attracted to the idea because of the aesthetics. Eventually I did do a more minimal spread, but it still didn’t work for me, and later on I understood that I just needed a creative outlet. Planning and journaling didn’t need to be attached to it. I personally didn’t reflect much when using this method, but you definitely can!
This video is a basic explanation for the method, check it out if you’ve never seen it, it’s a short one!
Here’s a full set-up for this year’s August by AmandaRachLee, one of the OG bullet journal youtuber.
Scrapbooking
Scrapbooking is a way of journaling that many might not think of. It falls into crafts, but it adds a unique twist to journaling if you find yourself drawn to images from magazines, or photos from your day. I know a lot of females that love to look back on their camera roll and categorise and REFLECT.
Scrapbooking can be an amazing way to express emotions because it allows you to visually capture your feelings through images, photos, and other memorabilia. The act of creating a scrapbook page can be very therapeutic, just like tetris is when the blocks of the same colour fit just right. It’s an incredible outlet for emotions, and you don’t have to use words. Looking back on a completed scrapbook can be such a lovely experience to reflect on your growth and progress, and the variety of images will vividly take you back!
I am currently trying to scrapbook a baby book for my daughter!! And I’m really taking a bit too much time to plan it out. She’s already growing so fast, but I know it’ll be the sweetest thing to look back on for me, and for her!
Junk Journaling
Junk Journaling is the top contender of creative and innovative journaling in my opinion. You use whatever you have, ‘junk’ like receipts, cereal boxes, strings, bows, beads, whatever you want to add. This method can be very quick if you want that practicality, but also can be time consuming if your a perfectionist, or like to plan things before you express (like me). Junk journaling includes making the actual journal with scrap pages, cardboard, and papers you have around. It becomes such a wonderful piece of art, especially with your mental health needs and journey being addressed in it.
I tried junk journaling as a teenager and I didn’t even know i was doing it till Covid came up and let me know via a youtube rabbit-hole. I made the whole thing from scratch and I wish I still had it, but it unfortunately didn’t make it through the many home moving processes in my childhood. But if you are interested in what this magical method is, check out the lovely example is below! Mylifemits has many videos on her processes.
Written journaling
Autobiographical Journaling
This may sounds like a lot of effort but it’s your average “Dear diary” writing. It will suit you if you enjoy writing with a pen or pencil and like to practice those muscles alongside your brain’s ability to reflect. If you have interests around philosophy, storytelling or just writing about the world around you, this is for you. If you feel uncomfortable writing to yourself, you can always pretend it’s for a book you want to publish later, for your children/family/loved ones in the future, for your older self. You can simply give your diary a name and personify it to create an open and fun tone to the experience. E.g. “Hi Donald, you won’t believe what happened today.” “Hi Donald, I’m not feeling too good today…” As bizarre as it sounds, it really helps start the conversation.
I’ve named my journal Jerry, for unknown reasons honestly; I was in the heat of a rant when I was writing, and Jerry was the name that popped up for me. The only link i can make is from Tom and Jerry, my mum used to say I was the cheeky Jerry, while my immediate older brother was Tom.
Doesn’t matter which journal I’m using, my entries are always addressed to Jerry. Personifying your diary is great way to actually discuss with yourself anything and everything you wish to. It acts as a conversation model and personally I find it very helpful to reflect and express my frustrations, gratitude, and randomness because It acts as another part of me.
Brain Dump Journaling
On any sheet of paper, write todays date and simply categorise the experiences you want to. E.g “Work > horrible >should i quit? > pros > cons “ etc. Believe it or not, lists are a part of journaling, anything you express about yourself, your world, your point of view can be deemed reflective journaling.
Brain-dumping is a method that will stick once it works, it simple, easy, and it jump starts your reflection process. I personally like to categorise my braindumps into: personal, work, education, love and mental health. I tend to write the thoughts that come up about each section and just keep going till it stops. I add questions, decisions I’ve made in relationship to the categories, and write updates and failures. The reflection process with brain-dumping is a lot more quick, but it’s efficient, it gets to the point, and most importantly it helps us take the mess in our heads and map it out.
Below is a fellow Australian productivity youtuber Muchelle, who focuses on productivity skills to help make life easier! She has her own app out called Intentions, so feel free to check that out! Her methods and video always inspire me to reset better and get my life together. Take a look at her videos if you want to be inspired.
If you just want the guided brain dump, skip to 2:15 of the video!
Reference Journaling
This is basically using quotes, passages or lyrics to journal your emotions for the day. Fun part of this is that you can listen to any song, or read a passage and reflect on how this relates to your life. Write down the reference you’re resonating with on the day and express which emotions are being triggered by the reference. Reference journaling might not be a long term method but it’s a way to prompt you into reflecting about what you consume and how that relates to your life. We have so many inputs of music, writing and visuals that leave a lasting impression, why not use them to actually study yourself?
Music can be highly mood altering so be careful about listening to songs that may trigger you unhealthily. We don’t want to encourage drowning in the sadness. Or remaining constantly in hurt or grief or any of the difficult emotions. Instead. we want use the reference as an opportunity to feel the emotion and then reflect on how we can emerge wiser from this emotion and what our take away is. Music generally plays either a huge role in people’s lives, or it almost no role, Some people’s ear only beeps and boops, while others hear the intricacies of notes interacting and dancing with one another in a magical way. Same goes for poems, you either get it or you don’t, the reason why sometimes we like one thing (song, melody, poem etc) and not the other is because it somehow speaks to us. Explore that!
Reference journaling can be incorporated into any of the other methods of course, but I’m putting it on my list as an option for those that may not know where to start when it comes to expressing their own thoughts. Some people can start journaling from their own brain easily, others need some reference, just like artists and musicians.
Digital Journaling
ALL of the types of journaling listed above can be done in your notes as well! Or in apps! This can really be a game changer for so many people! Digital journaling can be just as creative too, in fact a lot of bullet journal-ers have digital set ups available that you can check out if you’re feeling interested.
Notes App
We all do it here or there. It’s the most convenient way. We type up emotions or experiences, questions, and ideas we want to remember; or just to pretend that we’re busy texting. A lot of notes apps can be password protected, so it’s a safe space to use to journal in any of the practical ways that suit you - creative, autobiographical, or reference journaling.
This option is more of a delivery and user preference. The journaling itself it essentially the same regardless of where or how you do it. Digital Journalling is something I know is not for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely got cringy half written poems, and drafted essay style rants in my notes as well, but I usually don’t reflect there unless I’m really out of options. Digital journaling however, can be great if you’re on the go, you can do voicenotes, you can add images, link sources, and really make it even more packed with content to help you reflect. If it works for you, then that’s all that matters.
Journal apps
There are journaling apps available like the 5 minute journal, Gratitude journal, VOS mental health AI journal. If you want a specific place for your digital journaling only, these more structured apps may be an option.
Here are some well-reviewed journaling apps:
Day One
Journey
Penzu
Diaro
Moodnotes
Grid Diary
Five Minute Journal
Momento
Reflectly
These apps offer a variety of features, such as password protection, the ability to attach photos and videos, and prompts to help jumpstart your journaling. So if you want things out of your notes app and in another specified app, then have a look at them and give one a try!
SIdenote// I have not tried journaling apps, I’m just an analogue kinda’ gal. I love my fountain pens and my pretty delicate papers. Take a look at the review and try the apps using your own discretion since I won’t be much help in this regard, sorry.
I’ll leave you with some prompts that might help ignite your journaling journey! Happy Journaling!
Prompts - Basic
Here are some journaling prompts to help you get in touch with your emotions:
What was the highlight of your day? Why?
What was the low point of your day? Why?
What emotions did you experience today? Can you identify the triggers?
Was there a moment today where you felt particularly happy or content? What led to that feeling?
Was there a moment today where you felt particularly sad or upset? What led to that feeling?
Is there anything you wish you had done differently today? Why?
What are you grateful for today? Why?
What are you looking forward to tomorrow? Why?
Remember, the purpose of these prompts is to help you explore and process your emotions. Don't worry about writing "perfectly" or "correctly." Just let your thoughts flow onto the page to really reset! This list is quite basic, however if you’re looking for more reflective prompts try the ones below:
Prompts -
Advanced
How did your body feel today, think of how tense/relax you felt. At what part of your day made you more tense/relaxed?
How was your energy levels, did anything/anyone drain your energy drastically? What made you feel alive and invigorated?
Was there something someone said today that affected you more than you expected? A conversation or a comment that brought up your anxieties?
What did you notice yourself judging about others? Why do you think it stood out to you?
What moments in the day gave you inspiration for your home or work? if nothing, was there a space that you felt safe and comfortable? What about that space made you feel this way?
Was there any part of the day that left a lasting impression on you?
Do you feel like you had a ‘good’ day? What are you proud of yourself for doing/being today?
Did anything feel compounded today from your other days? (Stress, to-do’s, likes, dislike about something or someone or yourself etc.)
What do you think you could’ve handled better?
What was something that made you glad to be there/glad to be alive?
What is self-care to you?
Did you do your self-care today to lessen the load? If not - please do that after this prompt! Write down what you would like to do for yourself.
Is there a part of your body that you feel needs attention? (Pain, aches, soreness, stinging, burning, sharp pains, discomfort etc.) What can you/ should you do, to get that attended to?
Did you feel connected to God or the world (something bigger than you) today? What created that connection for you?
Have you prayed or meditated today? why or why not?
Have you moved your body today to unwind? why or why not?
The Takeaway
Journaling about your emotions can be a powerful tool for resetting every single day. It’s personal and it’s efficient. By taking the time to reflect on your feelings and experiences, you can gain a better understanding of yourself and your needs. Whether you choose to use words, art, or a combination of both, the act of journaling can help you process your emotions and create a better mental space for yourself. Acknowledging your emotions and giving yourself the opportunity to connect with them can help you feel more centred and in-control of your life.
***Note: If you find that you only list the negatives or feel drained after journaling, always end with a couple of positive points about your reflections. We naturally dive deeper into our issues, and shortcomings; but journaling is a way to acknowledge your reality, if you choose to ignore the smaller positive things, it will only speak to you about your worst days. Just like if you only think negatively, you will feel a lot of negativity about life! However, if you’re able to reflect and take away from your days, you will be able to find a silver-lining. The smallest kindness from a stranger, the shortest interaction with your loved ones, can turn it around.
Give journaling your emotions a proper try! You will surprise yourself with what you hold within you. Your emotional load; your life, is just waiting to be let out and heard, by you.
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If you’re feeling emotionally drained, and feel yourself getting low or more anxious than usual, you may need some professional support to help you through. Book an intake session with me and see if I’m the best fit as your therapist. Having that initial conversation can be the ‘eureka’ moment to see what you wish to do, in order to prioritise your mental health and get yourself where you want to be. We also have a resource page with helplines available here.
