For those of you unfamiliar with this healing practice journaling is a beneficial practice that involves regularly recording your thoughts, experiences, and feelings in a written format. It has been found to have numerous positive effects on mental health, emotional well-being, and personal growth. First and foremost, journaling provides an outlet for self-expression and reflection, allowing individuals to explore their emotions and experiences in a safe and non-judgmental way. This process can help individuals gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their behaviours, leading to increased self-awareness and personal growth. Additionally, journaling can help to reduce stress and anxiety by providing a means to organise and process overwhelming emotions. It can also serve as a tool for problem-solving and decision-making, as individuals can use their journalto brainstorm ideas and reflect on their options. Journaling has also been found to improve memory and cognitive functioning, as it encourages individuals to recall and reflect on past experiences. Finally, journaling can serve as a record of personal growth and development, providing a tangible reminder of one’s progress and achievements over time. Overall, journaling is a powerful tool for self-reflection, personal growth, and emotional well-being.
To help get you started, here are some original journal prompts to help with self-reflection, personal growth, and emotional well-being:
Reflect on a recent challenging situation you experienced. How did you handle it? What did you learn from it?
Write about a personal goal you have and the steps you are taking to achieve it.
Think about someone you admire and the qualities they possess that you would like to cultivate in yourself. How can you work on developing those qualities?
Write about a time when you made a mistake. What did you learn from it, and how have you grown from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you felt truly content and happy. What were you doing, and what made that experience so meaningful?
Think about a negative belief you have about yourself. Challenge that belief and write down evidence that contradicts it.
Write a letter to your future self, describing where you would like to be in one year, three years, and five years. What steps can you take to get there?
Reflect on a relationship that is important to you. What are the qualities you value in that relationship, and how can you cultivate those qualities?
Write about a personal value that is important to you. How do you incorporate that value into your daily life?
Think about a book, movie, or piece of art that has had a significant impact on you. What did you learn from it, and how has it influenced your life?
Hopefully you find these helpful on your your healing journey. Honestly, the more often you do it, the more it can help. It’s one of the best forms of free therapy, so why not spoil yourself with a beautiful new journalor find a digital version & start today?
Fifteen years ago, no one would believe where I am today. You see, back in those days I was a drug addict. You name it, I was into it, and it wasn’t just explicit drugs, it was prescription drugs too.
In the past I have been diagnosed with depression, bi-polar, post traumatic stress syndrome and anxiety. I have been on and off different meds for these conditions since I was thirteen years old for the better part of a decade.
A psychiatrist told me that because of the amount of severe trauma I’ve experienced well into my twenties, that I would need to be on medication for the rest of my life, because there would be no other treatment that would enable me to function as a normal human being.
Now I’m telling you all of this to give you a background story, and to give you a sense of the type of history I’ve managed to not only overcome, but now thrive, flourish and prosper.
Clearly my life wasn’t always peaches to say the very least, but 22 years on, I can honestly say I am the happiest, most secure and stable I’ve ever been. Currently, I now live amongst the treetops with mountain views, only fifteen minutes from the beach in our own stunning home, with the most amazing husband a girl could ever dream of. I now drive the car I’d had my eye on from minute I saw it, and most of all I married the perfect man of my dreams and had our honeymoon in one of the most idyllic settings in the world.
Also I’d like to point out that I have actually now been given a clear bill of mental health by my psychiatrist, with her debating if I ever even actually had these mental conditions in the first place. What’s more, to her astonishment, I have managed to get to this state all of my own accord.
There are a myriad of other physical ailments that I have also overcome, after all physical and mental well-being are often intertwined, but I’ll cover those in another blog article.
So, now you see, that you CAN transform your life! All it takes is a desire, willingness, learning to love yourself wholeheartedly and unconditionally, a little guidance and know how. If you follow my articles regularly, you will gain all the guidance and key elements to creating your perfect dream life that you will ever need to know.
For now I will just focus on covering some of the key facets of my transformational journey that have led me to where I am today, which is living the life I only ever dreamed of back in those formative years.
My transformational journey all started in my early twenties. This was a period of time when I felt beyond lost and as a result I was desperately searching for answers. I scoured the internet in hopes of some miraculous solution to all of my problems. I almost gave up, feeling even more deflated and defeated then I already was, and then as if by divine intervention I came across a book by Louise Hay. It was called, You Can Heal Your Life.
Slowly but surely, I got through the book, and it was as if all of these pieces were falling into place. It resonated with me on such a fundamentally core level. I would certainly say that the old adage, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear”, is true. It is one of the many universal laws. Maybe that’s why you found this article?
Anyway, through the use of all of the helpful healing practices I discovered in this book, I slowly started to shift and remove the blockages in my life, heal from my past and begin anew.
Now this didn’t happen overnight, I had a great deal to work through, but I did it, and still implement some of Louise Hay’s strategies in my life to this present day.
The discovery of Louise Hay’s book was certainly the start of my transformational journey, which gave me a thirst to seek out further guidance from various sources.
It was from this stage that I started the process of manifesting. Now, I want to mention that I didn’t actually read the book, The Secret, until a few years ago, but I was already implementing a various number of strategies to work towards creating my perfect dream life, which I am currently living.
First of all, I started implementing the principles of Feng Shui, to magnify my desired manifestations. Again, I will cover more in depth my exact processes and practices in a subsequent blog post article, but for now I will cover the preliminaries.
It was after implementing the principles of Feng Shui to where I was living at the time that I sat down and really, I mean really thought about my dream life. I envisioned what it looked like, felt like, even smelt like in all of its various aspects. Now to be VERY clear on this, it is extremely important to decide on exactly what it is that you want, because honestly the universe is always listening! And it will always deliver! A perfect example of this in my life was that the only thing I was undecided on was the colour of my future husbands eyes. Sounds trivial I know! But hear me out! I had learnt the lesson of being exceptionally specific this time round because I had learnt through previous experiences, if you don’t cover the details they get lost in translation.
So, as I was saying, I couldn’t decide what colour eyes I’d prefer my future husband to have, I was tossing up between, dark brown and green, but I hadn’t distinctively made a decision.
So take a guess what the universe delivered? Low and behold, you guessed it! My husband has one beautiful dark brown eye, and one beautiful green eye!
The purpose of sharing that story, although it’s certainly not a bad story by any means, is to again illustrate how crucial it is to fine tune the details of your desires, because I promise you, that the universe will certainly deliver!
For more information, and finer details of the exact processes and practices I’ve used throughout my transformational journey to creating my dream life be sure to check back regularly for my latest blog article.
I sincerely hope that wherever you are in your journey that this article has inspired hope that you can change and heal your current situation or circumstances. There is always hope, so I encourage you to dare to dream!
When we feel, stuck, stagnant, unmotivated & unable to move forward in our lives in a particular area it is a sure indicator that we need to clear out some negative energy.
Personally I am a very strong believer in clearing out any old stuck negative energies, to make room for the new positive flow of energy to usher into my life. Every time I clear this old energy, something new & amazing always comes into my life.
Give it a try for yourself & make room for something new & wonderful to enter your life!
De-clutter!
This cannot be stressed enough! By throwing out or donating things you no longer love, need, or make you feel good, you remove all of the old stagnant energy that was stuck to those ‘things’ from your home & your life. Say bye-bye negative energy!
Clean Under Things
This one is a sure way to get rid of any negative energies that have accumulated & may be looming around. The negative energies are attracted to the dust that has accumulated under objects that don’t get cleaned regularly such as couches, beds & fridges. Give these areas a good clean today & negative energy be-gone!
Burn sage
Burning sage or your preferred smudging stick throughout the home is great for clearing out old stuck negative energies. As you go around the house with your smudging stick be sure to instil your practice with your intentions of clearing out the old energy to make room for the new. Be sure to get the smoke up into all the corners of each room for best results.
Salt Lamps
If you don’t own a salt lamp, I would suggest you invest in one. I have 6 around my house & I couldn’t live without them. Not only are they gorgeous but the benefits are manyfold.
Himalayan salt lamps release negative ions into the air, which purify & can help reduce anxiety & encourage a relaxing atmosphere.
There is beauty and tranquillity in rock salt lamps. They help focus positive energy, like small beacons of positivity, that helps heal negative energy in a space.
Open The Windows
A simple yet effective one. Open up some windows and doors and let out all the negative stagnant energy. This allows fresh air, and fresh energy, to enter back into your home.
Sunlight
For a natural cleanser, get some natural vitamin D from mother nature to help dissipate negative energies. Be sure to stay sun safe!
Swim in saltwater
If you have access to the ocean or a saltwater pool, a quick dip can help. The salt is physically and emotionally cleansing for removing minor psychic debris.
Bath
Finally, last but not least, my favourite, Epsom salt baths. These baths work because the salts are very grounding (think “salt of the earth”) as well as cleansing – they clear away all the toxic, stuck, negative energy. To further clear & balance your energetic system add some aromatherapy to your bath.
For the times when life feels completely overwhelming.
Here are some self-care practices that I like to call getting back to basics for those times when life feels completely overwhelming. Your rescue remedy awaits.
BACK TO BASICS SELF CARE PRACTICES
For the times when life feels completely overwhelming.
Here are some self-care practices that I like to call getting back to basics for those times when life feels completely overwhelming. Your rescue remedy awaits.
A nurturing relaxation recipe to soothe the soul & drain away negative energy to leave you feeling refreshed & renewed. Fill a bath & add some Epsom salts, mix in a good 10 drops of rose geranium pure aromatherapy oil & 10 drops of lavender oil. This combination is like magic & will soothe your cares away. If you don’t have a bath you can still benefit from the magic of this aromatherapy blend by putting a few drops of each in the corner of the shower. Let the fragrant steam permeate your senses & visualise all the negative energy washing away as the water cascades down your body.
Soothing Music
Play calming relaxation music, music that soothes your soul. My favourite is the spa radio channel on Pandora. Music has a powerful healing effect to change the vibrational frequency of your body at a molecular level.
Light some candles
The calming effect of candlelight can be a simple yet sacred tool to help reduce stress. The gentle glow it creates helps to ease and soothe the mind & soul.
Create a cosy, nurturing atmosphere by lighting a few well-placed candles in your home. Adding a candle here & there will create softness in your room, which will instantly make it feel warm & welcoming, perfect for when you’re feeling overwhelmed. So, if you haven’t already, bring the tranquil & restorative light of candles into your life.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is most efficient when inhaling essential oils from a tissue, diffusing them in a vaporiser, or adding them to your bathwater. The aroma sends a signal, directly through our senses, which in turn influences our emotions. Aromatherapy can help to lift depression, soothe irritable nerves and generally encourage a better state of mind. This is why essential oils have such a powerful effect on our moods and general state of mind. Relaxing oils such as lavender, sweet marjoram, clary sage, sandalwood, frankincense & ylang ylang work by stimulating a neuro-chemical called serotonin that is naturally produced by the body to help relaxation & induce sleep. A dream remedy when feeling completely overwhelmed.
Chamomile tea
Soothe your nerves with a cup of chamomile tea. Research has shown that chamomile is not only relaxing, but it can significantly decrease anxiety & even fight depression. To read more on this click here.
Yoga
The next time you are feeling completely overwhelmed try practising a gentle yoga sequence. Yoga is well known for reducing anxiety & stress. The focus on breath within the practice of yoga has been seen to reduce the release of stress hormones & lower cortisol levels. Ease into a gentle session & stretch out any tension in your body to help induce a soothing, calming effect in your body & mind.
Journal
Find a quiet space & write your heart out. Journaling is a very therapeutic way of releasing pent up energy. Vent & get it all out so there is no need for any negative emotions to stay trapped inside of your body. Once you’re done, simply tear it up, release it & let it be done & over with.
Gratitude
Write in a gratitude journal all the things you are grateful for, as many as you can. This will help shift your energy from negative to positive & allow for more positive energy to usher into your life.
Affirmations
Repeat out loud in front of a mirror a releasing affirmation. This is very powerful practice, as you are signifying to the universe that you are ready to be free of this thing, situation or person. Repeat “I am willing to release the need for ……… insert what you need to release here …….”, & watch as whatever it is you need to release begins to leave your life.
