How to start your mindful journaling practice
2 steps to heal and manifest — Part 1
Journaling helped me to go from a messy life (with too much work and partying….) to a life on my own terms in a few months.
Before, I was a bit curious about mindfulness and meditation but my mind was way too busy… Something in me was resisting.
Everything changed when I bought my first notebook in January 2018 in order to calm my monkey mind down, and clearly see the life transition I was going through.
Since then, journaling has supported me enjoying the present, healing my past and manifesting my best future, on a daily basis.
This healing and manifesting approach came to me in 2 steps (that I share in this Workbook).
First of all, I learnt and experienced Mindfulness.
For that, living in Asia helped.
Mindfulness is a 4000-year-old technique extracted from Buddhism where you simply try to notice present thoughts, feelings and sensations, without judgement or attachment.
You are mindful when you are truly here, mind and body together. It is when you breathe consciously, so you can recognize the nature of your thoughts and emotions, and create your own conditions of happiness.
For the great meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh, “the opposite of Mindfulness is Forgetfulness”.
Forgetfulness is when you’re not really present, when your mind is caught in worries for the future or regrets from the past.
According to science (and thousands of studies on the topic), Mindfulness is proven to :
- Train your brain to be more attentive (and less distracted)
- Slow down your overactive mind
- Allow easier observation of what is happening within you
- Give yourself a new sensation of inner peace and wellness
- Ease your breath to create more space and relaxation in the body
- Help you connect and listen to your subconscious mind (in order to discover what is really important for you)
- Soften strong emotions and past traumas
- Help to respond calmly instead of react
- Rewire your brain from stress, anxiety, panic, eating disorders, lack of self esteem…. Into positive states
From my experience, Mindfulness is the simple pleasure of living intentionally in the present, by giving less importance to what will happen in the future (which doesn’t exist yet) and to what happened in the past.
For 4 years, my daily mindfulness practice has been making me much happier and more grateful for what I have in my life (for example, I feel a REAL joy every single morning when I order my capucino, I feel blessed !)
This new relaxation of the mind and body also gives me a growing confidence to manifest my dream life, step by step, and it works.
How to Practice Mindfulness (without changing anything in your life) ?
Science proves that stopping what you’re doing and focusing on your breathing for 3 minutes slows down your brain and nervous system.
As a writer for therapists, I wrote a lot about it, but my busy life and monkey brain prevented me from really experiencing the power of Mindfulness in my body and brain.
That’s why the shift happened when I found myself alone on a Thai island for the first time, and for an unlimited time ahead.
Being alone, abroad and in nature was the set up I needed to kick start my new and more meaningful life. It pushed me to step back, to calm my mind, to pause, to take a break from the pressure I was putting on myself.
But the best part is that a daily Mindfulness practice has allowed me to listen to what is happening within me, to TRUST, and finally LOVE myself.
Important : Mindfulness is proven to be beneficial not only to overcome stress, anxiety, depression and more, but also to appreciate the positive side of solitude (that is another recurrent pain in modern society).
What is my (Juicy) Daily Practice ?
Mindfulness is a Body and Mind Medicine.
You have to involve both, in order to calm your nervous system, to listen to your inner voice and to see your world differently.
You don’t need to be a monk and dedicate your life to meditation.
You can just start with a few minutes every day, until you find what feels best for you.
For me, Mindfulness came, slowly, with a sensation of fun and pleasure…..
… In 2018, when I bought my first notebook.
Because I was excited to write and start my day with creativity, I’ve enjoyed taking a few minutes every morning in 7 steps :
- I ground my feet on the floor, i am attentive to my environnement, I feel the support of nature underneath and around me
- I open my posture and chest area, to instantly feel taller and more confident
- I connect my mind to infinite creative ideas
- I bring my attention to my breath, I inhale and exhale deeply (to create more space in my body and mind
- I visualize my vital energy) circulating easily throughout my body and chakras
- I pay attention to my 6 senses :
- I write (and sometimes draw or paint) my thoughts, emotions and tensions, as well as my intuitions, passions, visions, projects, secret dreams and desires…. (I will explain you the detail of my mindful writing process in the next article).
I remember very well the first days of this practice, 4 years ago.
Even after 3, 5 or 10 minutes, I received almost immediate rewards, like a new sensation of “reconnection” and “coherence” within me, along with more clarity, a more stimulating life direction, better inspiration, a feeling of authenticity and more importantly : trust.
Mindfulness is for me a journey to trust the process of life, even if it doesn’t come the way I expect.
What about you ?
What do you feel when you pause your life and focus on your breath for a few minutes ?
In my next article, I’m gonna share with you how to practice the second part of my daily Writing Meditation method, which is Journaling in order to Heal your past and Manifest your best Future.
> I invite you to book your free consultation with me if you are ready to see how emotional coaching can help you find your best solutions, which are already there, inside you.
Amandine Mas — Emotions and Writing Coach on https://www.instagram.com/amandine_emotional_freedom
🧚♂️ Discover the 4-Step Emotional Coaching Programm “From Trauma to Love” : https://amandinemas.com/from-trauma-to-love-coaching/
🧚♂️ If you are an Entrepreneur, Coach or Healer discover the Emotional and Creative Coaching Program “From Trauma to Genius : https://amandinemas.com/from-trauma-to-genius-coaching/
🧚♂️ Downlaod for free my book “From Wounded to Empowered — A guide to live better with your emotions, your intuitions and in your relationships using a simple notebook” : https://amandinemas.com/download_from_wounded_to_empowered_book
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