Your Inner Compass
Journaling is like a compass, a tool for navigating the ups and downs of life
For a long time, my journaling was my place to have a good old vent. From one stress to another I’d pour them onto the page. Once my worries and stresses were down, I’d feel relieved and go about my day. Somewhere around 2015 feeling upset, I picked up my journal and as I began to write, I had a very strong feeling that I’d written about the same issue many times before. As I flicked through my journal entries, I became surprised to discover just how true that was. The way that I was journaling was more of a bandaid approach. I was going around in circles, covering things up and easing things in the moment but not really healing or growing from what I was experiencing.
I knew there was power in journal writing but I was lost. It was like I was going for a hike or bush walk without any reference point, without a compass gently directing me to my true north.
When I thought about it, for every other area of my life, if I wanted to get the best out of something or learn a new skill, I would find the right guidance. I realised that a compass could be a recipe book, inspiring me with flavours and combinations in the kitchen. It’s the salsa dancing teacher who enabled me to find my rhythm and move with ease, or a lovely stranger giving me directions when I’m out exploring a new place but can’t seem to find my way.
Recognising that something was missing from my journaling, that I wasn’t using it to support myself to truly navigate my ups and downs in a healthy way, was initially an uncomfortable truth that I took the time to sit with.
That day, I made a commitment to not put my pen down until I’d changed the way I’d journaled. At the time, I didn’t know what that would look like, but ever so slowly, I started to journal in a way that not not only allowed me to vent and be right where I’m at, but guided me forward in a compassionate, forgiving, gentle and playful way.
In the process, I found my journal compass. A step-by-step framework that takes my hand, every time I journal, regardless of how I’m feeling (from an up or down kind of moment), to making a shift and end, more often than not, feeling so grateful for the experience because of the way I’ve grown from it.
The best part about this framework is that it doesn’t just take my hand, it’s like a dear friend, that walks with anyone who uses it, gently guiding them back to listen to their answers within, enabling them to restore balance, reset, gain clarity and feel inspired with moving forward, trusting their own true north.
Do you want to try a unique and wonderful way to journal? Come and try a free online journal taster session. I’ll guide you step-by-step, alongside a community of journal writers, with a framework that will surprise and delight you. All you need is a cuppa, some pen and paper and to register here: www.journalwithingrid.com