This Mindfulness Journal Has Changed the Way I think.
My sister is across the world, in Ottawa — a world distant to me that makes me worry. For my recent birthday, she sent me a life changing journal from Knock Knock:
It’s Gonna Be Okay: A Journal to Reassure Myself When I’m Overwhelmed by the Creeping sense of impending disaster and the all-encompassing fears both specified and vague that colonise my mind, body and soul…
And that’s only half the title. But bear with me here, the premise of the journal is simple. On each page there is a pretty, uplifting quote from someone who you’ve never heard of, and on the other are a few lines to fill in “why you’re holding onto hope today”.
Each day for the past month, I’ve spent five minutes —favourite pen and cup of sweet tea in my hand — simply writing in this journal why I’m holding onto hope for today.
5 minutes can turn your day around.
I was having a bad day. For no reason in particular, I was down and felt like I was watching the world around me through a rainy window — distant and cold. We all feel like this sometimes, yet we fail to effectively encapsulate that feeling of numbness without metaphor.
Sometimes emotions can be so complex, we can only begin to grasp them by describing them with metaphor.
I slumped on my bed. Instead of giving into the urge to crawl beneath a blanket and binge Grand Designs on the lounge, I reached for my journal.
I took five minutes, and I existed for a while. In the moment. Writing what I saw and felt around me:
“Birds are dancing outside. It’s overcast and beautiful. Everywhere is green, rain has bought new grass and hope for farmers somewhere … I should be grateful.
Grateful, indeed. Maybe it was only for five minutes, but it was nice enough to have my mind cleared for a while. To find hope in the mundane and just exist for a while, without worry.
This simple act of mindfulness turned my day around. No, I wasn’t suddenly happy and bursting with energy — but I was content. Content enough to do the dishes instead of moping around. Content with how I was feeling, instead of being sad about being sad. When your head doesn’t want to do anything, but reminds you of everything that needs doing, it can be a vicious cycle.
It has changed the way I think.
Forget walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, try spending a day in their head.
We all have struggles, worries, and anxieties. Some more so than others.
I’m a chronic stress head, and overall an anxious person. I stress over upcoming deadlines at University, despite the fact that they’re months away. I can re-play social interactions in my head over and over for hours, and take far too long to fall asleep because I think, and think, and think. I can worry myself until I feel nauseous — I call this thinking myself into oblivion.
Its normal, and fine to feel these emotions but our emotions shouldn’t control us. Easier said than done, right? Yeah — I know.
I’ve tried mindfulness, meditating for hours, weird breathing exercises, and connecting to nature to no avail.
Few things can settle my wondering mind.
Mindfulness let’s one escape their worries for a while. It’s living in the moment, and being aware of the now. It takes many forms — meditation, yoga, breathing exercises — to reach the same result.
The simple act of writing what I am grateful for has been enough to help me escape, even for a little while.
When you’re not sure what to be, try just being.
You don’t need a fancy journal to find this level of content in your life. Grab a notepad, your favourite pen, and sit for a while. Just write.
Write what you see, what you’re feeling, or whatever the fuck you want.
It’ll help you find clarity in your mind, albeit even for a little while. Clearing your mind for five minutes might not turn your shitty day around, but it’ll put you on the right trajectory to do so.
You can take this with you. If not your journal, than your skill to be mindfully.
When I’m on the bus — the crazy driver turning through the quiet, rainy Adelaide streets at ungodly speeds — I look around and write what I see on my phone. It helps me escape the dread of my upcoming assessment, even for a little while.
We all have worries and problems. Bills to be paid, that upcoming deadline; wondering how we’re going to churn through the week and make it to the pub Friday night. But we can’t actively work to solve problems until we stop worrying and start planning how.
Instead of worrying about how much there is to do, plan how you’ll get it all done. To do this — to stop worrying and start planning — you need to clear your mind and live in the moment for a while.
Remember: sometimes, five minutes is all you need is to just be.
