Weekly Spirituality Tip: For Connection To Yourself, Try Long Form Journaling

This week I want you to focus on connecting to yourself through long form journaling.

Benefits of connecting to yourself through long form journaling:

You’re actively seeking a dialogue with your inner self.

You’re getting that much needed alone time.

You fill your cup first so you can be the best version of yourself to take care of others.

You might notice that these benefits are just like last week! Daily journaling (last week’s spirituality tip) is extremely important too, because it flexes the writing muscle and helps build the habit. Here on Owls&Indigo I talk a lot about journaling, connecting to your inner most true self, and filling your cup first so you can be the best version of yourself to take care of others. These are all activities that promote good strong mental health. Struggling with mental health is something that we all go through to various degrees and in different seasons of our lives. There is no shame in getting help. This is a shared common experience of human existence. It’s something that we all go through.

My Personal Experience:

I really love long form journaling, its a place where I get to let out my frustrations, air my grievances, recuperate, and restore my sanity. Long form journaling is an activity that I can get lost in for hours and spend a whole afternoon or morning on.

Because I can spend so much time on journaling, I tend to save the long form journaling for the times when I really really have something to say. These are usually the times when I am stressed or days that are filled with good memories that I don’t want to forget. There are even times when I’m working on journaling exercises in my journal and I get swept away with writing.

My Current Long Form Journal Set Up:

Therapy & Mental Health Journal

Digital Journal on Evernote

Moon Themed Bullet Journal

The therapy & mental health journal is reserved only for my therapy sessions, doctors visit notes, and mental health journey notes. In the beginning of that journey I was writing in this journal daily to record the symptoms, side effects, and triggers that were unique to me. As I have gotten to a stable place (two years into this journey), I write in this journal every few months or so, and any time I have a therapy session, for notes and reflections. To see more of my mental health journey click here.

The digital journal is where I type furiously and fast! These are normally the moments when I have too much to say and I can’t get it out fast enough. These entries are sometimes stream of consciousness, rants, or recounts of memorable days. I tend to write digitally once a month unless I have lots to say. To see my daily journaling setup click here.

The moon themed bullet journal is where I keep my daily calendar and work schedule. I don’t use this journal often for long form journaling, but when I do, it is normally work related. These entries are infrequent. You can see more on my bullet journal setup and monthly spreads here.

Long Form Journaling Activities and Exercises:

things to remember…

You don’t need a fancy pen or journal, any old pen and spiral notebook will do.

Your thoughts on the page are what is most important.

Don’t feel guilty for getting lost in your writing. Time spent with a journal is time well, spent getting to know the most important person in your life, you.

Fostering self connection through long form journaling can be time consuming and make your hands cramp like hell. This practice of long form writing can also be a bit uncomfortable spiritually and emotionally at times because you are letting your deepest, most hidden thoughts, out onto the page. But you have taken the first step by reading this week’s spirituality tip.

By fostering a self connection through long form journaling I have found that I am more in tune with my truest, most inner self, and that I am better able to control myself by knowing what my inner child needs and craves. This gives me a chance to take care of myself first, long before anything bubbles to the surface and erupts like a volcano.

Create the space for long form journaling once a week and let your inner voice speak to you.