Journaling reminds me of when someone recommends you watch their favorite TV show. You know the one where they have to warn you that the first season is incredibly difficult to get through and then it's life-changing. I think you know what I'm talking about.
That is what journaling is to me personally; a lifelong TV Show that has a very difficult first season. The moment you begin journaling is going to feel like pulling your teeth out.
However, like anything we do in life, it takes practice to feel comfortable doing it. That first journal entry is going to be spent staring at the page most likely. Don't let that discourage you!
You are here today because you are looking for a change! That is what journaling can bring you especially if you are burnt out. Burnout recovery is a multitude of healing paths and journaling is one of them. Let's discuss why!
1. It serves as a reminder of what you don’t want for yourself.
List everything you are feeling! Are you going to allow yourself to continue feeling these things? It might help you wake up and find the confidence to fight and find solutions. It is one thing to listen to your coworkers explain how they are feeling but it is another to read how you are feeling. I highly recommend brain dumping which is where you simply promise yourself to not think too hard when journaling. You put that pen to paper and don’t control what comes out. Let your hand do the work, and you will be amazed at what comes out.
2. It grounds you at the moment.
Burnout often leaves us feeling disconnected from life. Journaling brings you back into the present moment. Have you been finding yourself zoning out recently? Journaling will help to prevent that from happening as it reminds you where you are. You are spending time reflecting on what you want for your life, and you would be surprised how that shifts mindsets.
3. It helps you understand the cause of what is happening.
Burnout doesn’t occur for no reason. Something is happening and you can find out by brain dumping. There are going to be times in burnout recovery that you feel like you are exaggerating your symptoms. The great part of journaling is that you have written proof you aren’t when these moments come up. You aren’t crazy and the journal proves exactly what is wrong. You can look back on your words of worry and stress and remember that it’s all true what you are going through. Let’s not let the anxiety come and strip the progress that could come.
4. It ensures you are taking a calming moment in your day.
Journaling is a way of giving our body a routine that it can rely on. Burnout recovery is about setting yourself up for success, and one of the ways is a routine. So when you spend 20 minutes journaling each day, you are allowing your body that time to relax. You are telling your body that you are taking care of it, and it’s worth having a rest each day. We aren’t meant to be hustling all the time, and journaling is a way of fighting for that.
5. It can remind you that you are worth fighting for.
When we give ourselves a goal and are able to stay steady with it, something happens. We show ourselves that there is a better life out there for one and two we see that we are capable of finding it. You are capable of doing anything you put your mind to but sometimes your body doesn’t realize that. You have to teach it that it can succeed and doesn’t have to live in chaos anymore.
Journaling can put the world into perspective if you let it. Let's embrace that awkward phase of journaling and find our way to brain dumping and healing! We can recover from burnout there is no doubt about it. It's a matter of when.