Have you checked in with yourself today?

I regularly check in with the people I love to see how they are doing, particularly at the moment when I can't see them in person but it had not occurred to me to do the same with myself.

I always heard about the benefits of journaling and if you have downloaded my Marvellous Mornings mini course you know that journalling is a big part of that. When I am faced with a blank page however it can be daunting. What on earth do I need to write about. I usually start by pulling an angel card and see what comes up for me today. That gives me something unique to write about and perspectives to think about that may not have occurred to me before. I also started to learn more about journaling. It turns out that it is even better for us than we think. Apparently there are studies which show us that when we journal about our feelings we also increase our immune system....obviously very important at the moment. It also helps our emotional intelligence, reduces stress and boosts our memory. Apparently writing about our goals also helps us achieve them.

When you are writing you are using the left or rational side of your brain. You are using it to work through how to express or deserve emotions or events. This leaves your right side of your brain free to be more creative so you may find that ideas come to you that you have never thought of before. I have found this really had an impact on me this week.

I decided to write a letter to my mother with all my myriad of feelings for her expressed. Incredible things came to light as I wrote. Feelings that had never occurred to me that were both insightful and freeing. I also managed to get myself to a point where I am much more comfortable with our interactions, which are all by phone these days. I have not seen her since March and it looks like it will be another month or so more before I can.

So how can this work for you?

I do recommend a great journaling site called 750words.com. It helps you keep on track by writing 750 words (no surprise there!) every day. It can take a while but I absolutely love it.

Here are some suggestions for things you can write to start you off... Obviously you can start with any or all of the questions in my marvellous mornings. I particularly like to set myself up for the day by writing about who I want to be today and what I am doing. You can write lists - things you are grateful for, a list of the emotions you had in the last 24 hours, the things that make you happy or sad, baby steps you can take toward your dreams... Another marvellous thing to do, as I suggested earlier is to write a letter to someone. It can be truly amazing to express the things you would not normally say. When you are done with this you can send it, file it or bin it! There is no need, in my opinion to ever say the words to the person, just getting them out of your system will be enough. You can obviously pick a time in your past, good or bad, and write about that. Write about all the things you love about your family....I love doing this even though it an be hard to be creative if you have done it before.

So loads of ideas for you. I would love to hear how you get on. If you come across any uncomfortable memories, tapping works really well. Book a free session with me and I will talk you through all of the ways tapping helps to move you through any of these emotions.

Photo by Kreeson Naraidoo on Unsplash