By: Loralei Snider, Journaling and Mindfulness Editor
Recalling a quote from the very famous movie, Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks recites, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.” Truer words couldn’t be spoken – we have dreams, we make plans. Over time, we work our plans towards achieving our dreams; then, when we least expect it, life throws us an unexpected curveball. Some of these curveballs are easy to navigate, while others shake us to our very core. Life, real life, isn’t always pretty; and, it’s just as important to journal about the ugly parts as it is to record the good parts. At times, journaling offers a new perspective, and the process of jotting thoughts to paper offers the answers that we didn’t know that we were looking for. And, at other times, the simple practice of getting our thoughts and feelings out of our heads and onto paper offers a cathartic experience that is not otherwise available to us.
In my discussions of the benefits of journaling with other people, I often hear the phrase, “I’m afraid that if I write something negative down, it will be read by that person and I don’t want to take that risk.” To that, I have a very simple response: write it down anyway. However, it’s not always necessary to write these things down in the journals that you keep – my suggestion is to have a “letting go” ritual. Write your thoughts down on a pad of paper- get them out of your head, and hold nothing back. Write until you have nothing more to say, until you feel like you have screamed your thoughts through your hands, and then… burn it. Let it go- honour the experience, and all it brought you. This practice of letting go gives your mind the space to concentrate on more positive thoughts; the space to figure out how to pick yourself up after life knocks you down, and the space to move forward.
With that in mind, why not grab a piece of paper, or a pad, and use the following journal prompt to get you started:
What is it that I need to let go of, in order to create space for more positivity in my life?
