Lillee Jean: How Journaling Helped Me Be More Calm, Mindful And Resilient
An Interview With Heidi Sander
Journaling is definitely a cathartic experience. My writing always takes me to a better place than when I started out. All of us could benefit from taking a deep breath, and I find that by using my words I can validate myself and my feelings.
Journaling is a powerful tool to gain clarity and insight especially during challenging times of loss and uncertainty. Writing can cultivate a deeper connection with yourself and provide an outlet for calmness, resilience and mindfulness. When my mom passed on, I found writing to be cathartic. When I read through my journal years later, there were thoughts that I developed into poems, and others that simply provided a deeper insight into myself. In this series I’m speaking with people who use journaling to become more mindful and resilient.
As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Lillee Jean.
Lillee Jean is a digital social media celebrity from New York. She is an actress, model, entrepreneur, beauty and health blogger, and lifestyle vlogger. She is self-taught in makeup, and is also an advocate for bullying and the environment. Lillee Jean mainly focuses her content on beauty and health which airs on her YouTube Channel. She has created her own web series called Lillee Jean TALKS! Live, which airs on her YouTube Channel, as well as her website and Instagram.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! We really appreciate the courage it takes to publicly share your story of healing. Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your childhood backstory?
When I was young, I loved exploring the internet on my laptop. YouTube introduced me to makeup tutorials by beauty gurus, and I was amazed by the artistry and talent that goes into creating makeup looks at such a young age. When I was older, I became interested in the techniques I saw online, pioneered by some of the greats in Hollywood makeup, such as George Westmore, who created the first Hollywood makeup studio. As they say, the rest is history. I became hooked on art, entertainment, and makeup after that, and have never looked back.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about journaling. Have you been writing in your journal for a long time or was there a challenging situation that prompted you to start journal writing? If you feel comfortable sharing the situation with us, it could help other readers.
During my preteen years, I began journaling. I always use writing to stay motivated and focused. As I got into high school, I realized the importance of journaling. After I became a victim of organized cyber bullying, journaling took on a whole new meaning to me. Through it, I was able to express, in my own words, what was happening to me on a daily basis. I kept my focus on what really matters, me and my own well-being. Journaling is something that everyone should try, regardless of whether they are facing a difficult time or not.
How did journaling help you heal, mentally, emotionally and spiritually?
I was able to get to a point where I could deal with the constant stress I was being subjected to every day through journaling. Journaling was always my outlet, but the emotional roller coaster I was put on made journaling the balm for what I was experiencing. The experience allowed me to do some soul searching and see things from a broader perspective.
My daily life was dominated in the beginning by people telling me the worst things that could possibly be said to someone. Despite being strangers, their rants, and actions penetrated to my innermost being, leaving me confused, and frustrated at times. Journaling allowed me to deconstruct what they said and reconstruct what they were really trying to say. All that they did was a reflection of their own lack of self-esteem, fear of being undesirable, inadequate, and dissatisfied with their own lives. Think about what it would be like to follow what others do just so that you won’t feel lonely. A group of strangers, you have never met online and will never meet, telling you what to do, over a digital wire. In a group, you feel powerful, and mentally, you feel stronger, because you are part of a group. It does not matter that you are attacking someone, trying to mentally and sometimes physically destroy their life, business, and personal, it just feels like you belong now. Journaling has given me the strength to walk away from this experience as a whole person, something that not many get to do.
I also developed a different mindset as a result of writing. I am now filled with sorrow and compassion for these poor, misguided people. It must be awful to feel that the only way to be heard, or to belong, is to join a group, even if their mindset is to hurt someone. To not be able to independently think on your own, to be part of a criminal crusade where you constantly slander, defame, and assault someone without even realizing it, must be debilitating. In journaling, I have reached a place of peace in which I can reflect on my writing and tell myself that words have the power to calm and soothe my mind and soul. Through such a simple outlet, I was given the opportunity to rebuild myself from the ground up, and that is nothing less than a miracle. Everyone should try journaling. It will help you clear your mind, and maybe even prevent you from doing something you might regret later.
Did journaling help you find more self-compassion and gratitude? Can you share a story about that?
As a result of my journaling, I was able to see how much larger the world is than just me. I am grateful for this outlet and believe that writing down your thoughts, or putting them on a screen, as you will, is the best kind of therapy you can give yourself. My heart goes out to these poor unfortunate mentally tortured souls, who are clearly not receiving the love and understanding that they need at this point in their lives. They are always on my mind and in my prayers, because we all need love and compassion.
What kind of content goes into your journal? For example, do you free-write, write poems, doodle?
Sometimes I write a poem to metaphorically put words to what bothers me, in a simpler way, instead of free-writing. Most of the time, writing down my thoughts in long paragraphs is cathartic for me and helps me clear my head.
How did you gain a different perspective on life and your emotions while writing in your journal? Can you please share a story about what you mean?
In journaling, I have learned about myself, my needs, and what I want. I am able to clearly see the good and bad in a given situation when I see the words written out, and I am able to handle it much more effectively now.
In my own journal writing, I ended up creating poems from some of the ideas and one of them won an award. Do you have plans with your journal content?
The journal entries I have kept during this time have been used to outline a documentary we are making. Sharing my experiences with others is something I am very excited about, and I am looking forward to seeing people benefit from those experiences.
Fantastic. Here is our main question. In my journaling program, I have found that journaling can help people to become more calm, mindful and resilient. Based on your experience and research, can you please share with our readers “five ways that journaling can help you to be more calm, mindful and resilient”?
1. Journaling is definitely a cathartic experience. My writing always takes me to a better place than when I started out. All of us could benefit from taking a deep breath, and I find that by using my words I can validate myself and my feelings.
2. Each day, I take time to write as part of my “me time”. Mediation is one of the factors that I use to keep myself grounded, but journaling is also a crucial part of that process. As a result, I am able to wind down and reflect on my day in a calm state.
3. Even if it is days later, I always read back what I have written. Reviewing my writings always makes me reflect on what I’ve learned, or what I should be on the lookout for, which may trigger me. For me, journaling provides that opportunity.
4. In many ways, journaling has strengthened my resilience in life. Writing down your feelings is such an easy way to branch out and reenergize yourself.
5. My writing has enabled me to retain and maintain my serenity and sanity. It has become a part of my daily routine, the last thing I do before I go to sleep at night.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of peace to the greatest amount of people, what would that be?
For people to recognize that they need to be aware of what is going on around them, they need to be aware of what is going on. People usually take the adage that it isn’t their problem to get involved. When you see something, say something. See if you can help if something is amiss. This world needs that change.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them. :-)
It would be difficult to pick just one person out of so many amazing people. I am very much inspired by strong women, and in particular, with everything going on at the Supreme Court right now, I would love the opportunity to talk with Justice Sonia Sotomayer. I would be honored to talk to her, because she represents so much of the future of women.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilleejean/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQF-GZ2oWfgb1NN3QtJJlA
Beauty Website: https://www.lilleejeanbeauty.com
Media Website: https://www.lilleejean.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/REALlilleejean/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/LilleeJean
Deviant Art: https://www.deviantart.com/lilleejean
Giphy: https://giphy.com/lilleejean
Tenor: https://tenor.com/official/lilleejean
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10479689/
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued fulfillment and success with your writing!
