JOURNALING FOR A BETTER LIVING JOURNALING FOR A BETTER LIVING
by Sambridhi Pandey
My hands slowly begin hurting as I am trying to finish the last few sentences on my “journal” while my eyes start clouding up and I cannot see clearly anymore. In the silence of the night, all I can hear is this prominent sound created from fiction; the pen against the paper when a pang of a sharp pain passing somewhere inside reminds me how difficult the past few months had been. Yet also reminding me, I was there…still there…breathing through another day.
Writing has always helped me revive through heartbreaks; both big and small. It has been an essential part of my human existence and a reliable source of contentment. Through times, when I needed a friend and didn’t have one, the paper and pen always came in handy to save the day.
Journaling, I realized, allows me to reflect, have a conversation with myself and look at situations through a new set of eyes.
The process is almost therapeutic as I begin flowing in with the words…stumbling into new perspectives and derivations from a situation that wouldn’t have otherwise occurred to me in a real time scenario.
Whether the moments are of sheer joy, gratitude or remorse, journaling blends into all the molds.
On occasions, it also plays the role of a time machine, meaning you can literally transport to a specific day or period in your life to revisit the memories, the emotions that come to life each time you go through the pages reminiscing the moments exactly the way they were.
As a good point of entry towards the journey of self-discovery, journaling lets you know yourself better, you begin understanding what makes you tick and what makes your heart sink as you write down. It’s almost like seeing yourself as a third person and really comprehending the inner workings while being detached and unbiased about situations.
I do not get to write in my journal daily and I don’t plan on logging the day-to-day mundane entries into it either. I am not super keen on tracking every hour or day of my life or what I ate for breakfast or lunch, although sometimes, that adds value too. I’d rather jump to the point and talk about things that need talking and attention. As a matter of fact, my journal entries are very intense. They are mostly monologues, where I talk myself out of a difficult phase, give myself more courage and hope to keep going.
It’s not always about stormy days though, I also make time to count my blessings and note down tiniest instances of coincidences, miracles, or my versions of “signs from the universe”, if you will. The entries are what I feel and what I think, they are mere mirrors of separate versions of me, the heart and mind. It’s always a pleasure knowing yourself from different phases of your life and seeing how you have evolved — there are certain moments where you realize how your vision had been morphed about a certain happening, how certain developments from the time of a journal entry has now shifted and your priorities have now transitioned. There is a lot of learning that goes around, rest assured.
If you’ve been considering journaling but don’t know where exactly to start, don’t fret, I’ve been there. Sometimes, its all at the top of your head, but you somehow lack the words or inspiration. To get started, you could try using some journal prompts.
SOME JOURNAL PROMPTS WHICH HAVE HELPED ME IN THE PAST:
- My word of the day is…
- How I feel about things that happened today…
- One emotion that lies deep in my core is…
- I am grateful for…
- What has this incident taught me…
- This thing made me happy/sad today.
We often underestimate the profound effects of something as simple as writing that comes with the least effort but has a wondrous and healing effect on us. Journaling is something I recommend to everyone interested and invested in wellness and betterment of their mental health and life.
You don’t have to be a great writer to commence your journaling journey, you don’t even have to be a writer to begin with. All you will ever need are three things — a pen, a few papers and all your consciousness, that does it!
Grab these things, sit down in a quiet space, put on some music, if you’d like and start jotting down whatever you feel, think or sense at the moment. Begin somewhere…anywhere and I promise the rest will fall together. So, whenever you feel clouded or you think you could use a friend and cannot confide in anyone just yet, a journal is what you need. It does miracles. So do yourself a favor and get yourself your paper binded friend. Trust me, I tried it and that’s what brought me here.
About the author:
Sambridhi is based in the U.S. and works in Marketing/Communications at the moment. She has also been in freelance writing for a while and has previously contributed to many global initiatives. Sambridhi considers herself to be a proprietor of mental health and emotional wellbeing and loves adding her insights to related conversations.
TIPS FOR FACING “TURNING POINTS” IN YOUR LIFE TIPS FOR FACING “TURNING POINTS” IN YOUR LIFE
by Radha Ruparell
On April 5, 2020, I started feeling tired, more tired than I usually feel in the middle of the day. Two days later, I realized that I had been hit with this new virus that everyone was talking about, COVID-19. The virus was like nothing I had ever experienced in my life. I started the year as a healthy, active, young professional. Then I contracted this virus and suddenly found myself bedridden, unable to work, and suffering from a full-body assault on my heart, brain, stomach and other organs. More than a year in, while much has improved, I still have not recovered my full health.
We all face turning points in our lives. One minute we’re doing well, the next, we’re in the middle of a crisis. Turning points can be terrifying. The ultimate question is, how are we going to face them?
Here are three lessons I discovered while battling the biggest turning point in my life:
- Get rid of your “invisible mask”: The single biggest thing that helped me through my battle was having a strong support network. In the early days, I barely had strength. So I reached out only to a doctor friend and to my sister for support but no one else. But soon, a work colleague of mine, who I would not have expected to be one of my core pillars of support, started reaching out to me every day. Her encouraging text messages offered me so much comfort and helped me get through the difficult nights. I used to think that reaching out for help implied weakness, that strong people don’t complain, and tough it out. Now, I believe the opposite: that reaching out for help is not weak at all. What I discovered in removing my “invisible mask” was that, on the other side lay connection, a deep human connection with others so beautiful that it completely stirred my soul. What might be possible if you removed your “invisible mask?”
2. Slow down and soak it in: Like many New Yorkers, I lead a busy life. This experience has gotten me to slow down and take life in. Slowing down helped me rediscover things I had taken for granted. When I left my apartment after 27 days in isolation, the first thing I noticed were the beautiful tulips growing in a little patch outside my building. I had lived in this apartment for a year. Why had I never noticed these flowers in springtime before? Oh, and the feeling of a breath of fresh air, a gust of wind, and the first time seeing trees after a month indoors! What would life feel like if we always approached the world with childlike wonder? What if you soaked in the magic of each moment like it was your first and last on earth?
3. Focus on “being” not “doing”: When my life flashed before my eyes, I found myself wondering not about what I had accomplished, but who I had been along the way. Had I been kind to my family and friends? Had I taken full responsibility for my mistakes? We spend so much of our lives focusing on what we are doing, but in the end, all that matters is who we are being. I have found that one way to bring more of a being paradigm to your life is to pick a word or two that defines who you want to be, and then treat this as your highest priority. For me, that word is “generous”. What is it for you?
I’ll leave you with one final thought from my new book, Brave Now: “Being brave is not an innate characteristic reserved for a select few. At any moment, any one of us can choose to be brave.”
BIO
Radha Ruparell has worked with CEOs, Fortune 500 senior executives, social entrepreneurs, and grassroots leaders around the world to unlock their leadership. She currently heads the Global Leadership Accelerator at Teach For All, a global network of organizations in 60 countries committed to developing leadership to ensure all children fulfill their potential. Her new book is BRAVE NOW: Rise Through Struggle and Unlock Your Greatest Self.
WELLbinar: Nurturing Wellbeing for Leadership, with David Simas, President – Obama Foundation WELLbinar: Nurturing Wellbeing for Leadership, with David Simas, President – Obama Foundation
Hosts: Sharon Salzberg & Parker J. Palmer
Guest: David Simas, President – Obama Foundation
February 8, 2022
David Simas, President at Obama Foundation, is joined by Sharon Salzberg and Parker Palmer to explore the links between wellbeing and inspirational leadership. Visit our website to find out more about The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change from June 1-3, 2022, in Bilbao-Biscay, Spain.
WELLbinar: Experiencing Wellbeing – Developing Our Resilience and Supporting Recovery WELLbinar: Experiencing Wellbeing – Developing Our Resilience and Supporting Recovery
Hosts: Sharon Salzberg & Parker J. Palmer
Guest: Shelly Tygielski & Dr. Amishi P. Jha
June 8, 2021
Wisdom teachers Sharon Salzberg and Parker J. Palmer are joined by mindfulness teacher, community organiser and self-care activist, Shelly Tygielski, and author and neuroscientist, Dr. Amishi P. Jha.
