Journaling… Why it’s so valuable.
Writing things by hand is a way to engage a different part of your brain, to what you use when typing. It helps us see things from a different perspective and engage with our work in a unique way, and one way to do that, is through journaling.
We chatted to Eve da Silva, from Flourish Mindfully, London, to get some insight into the art of journaling, and why it’s such a good practice.
When we asked her about the importance of journaling, she said that what is valuable about it, is that it’s a good practice to explore ideas and reflect on an experience, creatively. It gives us a ritual by which to reflect on our experiences, feelings, where we’ve been, and to generate new ideas. All of this is done in a space that is non-judgemental, accesses creative flow, and there is no pressure.
That makes it quite relaxing. There is something quite powerful about reflecting on the past while processing ideas and getting excited about the future through a medium that is inherently relaxing to you.
For people who don’t normally think of themselves as “creative”, it can be quite valuable for them to realize that maybe they do actually enjoy certain elements of journaling, like stickers, or another technique. There’s such a range of ideas for journaling, it doesn’t have to be a bullet journal or done in any one way.
Do it the way you would have done it when you were a child. What came instinctively to you when you were a child? How did you explore your feelings and thoughts? Was it through pictures, or collages, or through words, perhaps?
The most important thing about journaling, is that, if you don’t find it through journaling, what does work for you? What kind of space is there for you to reflect and generate ideas in a safe way that feels creative and relaxing to you? There are so many ways to do it, even making a Pinterest board can work just as well.
Hhhmm.. Food for thought. Will you be doing some journaling this weekend?
