Rewrite the Stars
Journaling has been a key habit in managing my ADD and brain fog. It has enhanced my clarity, focus, and productivity. I am going to share three journaling techniques that have helped me in processing grief, gaining clarity, and realigning my story with my dreams and goals.
1 First techniques is to Articulate Feelings
1 The first step to cultivating emotional intelligence through journaling involves articulating our feelings. Gaining awareness and understanding of our emotional state is a crucial first step. To aid in this process, I utilize the emotional wheel as a guiding tool.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Plutchik
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion_classification
The emotional wheel is created by a psychologist named Robert Plutchik. This straightforward instrument assists me in evaluating my current emotional state and identifying my feelings. Once I am able to precisely recognize and verbally express these emotions, journaling becomes an invaluable tool for me to further explore and articulate these feelings.
A useful practice in journaling is labeling feelings, which leads to a better understanding of our responses in various situations. An effective sentence structure in my journal is, “I felt __________ when ________ happened.”
2 The 2nd technique is the Inner Dialogue: Have you ever caught your mind in a debate, arguing about what’s right and wrong? Instead of letting these thoughts clash in your head, I write them down as a conversation, as if talking to a best friend. This allows both sides to be heard.
Recently, I found myself paralyzed by the fear of moving forward with an investment opportunity. One night, I woke up at 3 am, hearing the inner voice of my younger self crying and longing for my father’s love and attention.
The little girl crying and saying – Dad, I never want to get mad at you. I just want you to love me, listen to me, I love you, I miss you. I never tell dad how much I love him and how much I miss him. I miss him so so so much.
I comforted her by replying to her, dad knows. He loves you too and he is always in our heart. He is watching over us from the other side.
This opened a floodgate of emotions, reminding me of the immense love I felt for my dad as a little girl. He was my rock, my hero, my everything.
All of a sudden, the answer came to me. I realized the complexity of my feelings – a mix of love, admiration, hurt, and fear. I never got to see my father for the last time, and this unresolved grief was profound. His absence made me realize just how deeply I missed him, a feeling I hadn’t fully acknowledged until he was gone.
I hesitated to move forward with the investment, scared of failing because my dad, who used to be my safety net, is no longer here to bail me out if I make a mistake.”
Through journaling, I confronted these emotions, acknowledging the immense love and the pain of not expressing my feelings to him while he was alive. This process helped me understand the layers of my grief and the impact of his absence on my current fears and insecurities.
3 The 3rd technique is to Rewrite the Story: This technique focuses on changing my narrative. Our goals and dreams are often obstructed by past failures and ingrained beliefs. By actively rewriting my story, I envision a future free from past limitations and open up to new possibilities, understanding that changing my beliefs is key to changing my outcomes.
One of my dreams is to be able to travel. As I began planning my trip, my mind was clouded with thoughts of all the ways it could potentially go wrong. This fear stemmed from a deeper place within me, a place where I felt undeserving and unworthy.
Initially, I allowed myself to acknowledge and express these fears as they were
● I feel scared that my body might get sick, and I accept this feeling.
● I worry that things can go wrong, and I accept this feeling.
● I feel anxious about venturing into an unfamiliar place, and I accept this feeling.
After processing these emotions, I shifted my focus to envisioning my ideal trip and rewriting the story with a new script.
There is no possible, visible, explainational, rational, logical way that I can have the most amazing experience from this trip.
Wouldn’t it be magic and miracle that the trip has been an absolute delight, far exceeding my wildest expectations. Every day is filled with new adventures and joyful discoveries.
I am deeply grateful for the life I have and am excited about this trip as an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, to learn, and to explore new possibilities. Imagine the wonder of being filled with energy, having access to delightful food that my body appreciates.
Wherever I am, I trust that I am always safe and protected, surrounded by love, blessings, and luck.
And it turned out exactly what I scripted.
Those are my three journaling techniques that take me from disaster to master.
Start taking charge of your destiny and writing your new story today, a habit that can stop self doubt, increase mental toughness, take control of your thoughts, gain clarity and rewrite the stars to Living your awesome Life!
