Writing and Journaling

Writing down your thoughts has a tremendous impact on how you learn.  Many studies have shown over and over again that people who write down what they learn have a greater chance of remembering the new teachings.

There are several writing techniques that you can implement (depending on what you want to improve) that will help you move away from the habitual negative thinking.

Grateful Writing

Take 10 minutes at the end of the day and write a small recap of what happened. Purposely write down all the positive aspects of your day. Maybe someone smiled at you. Maybe you did a favor for someone. Maybe you found a penny. etc…

No matter how small write down these things on a regular basis. This will help your mind to automatically recognize AND focus on the positive aspects of your life instead of the negative.

Writing to Release Negativity

Take a few sheets of paper and write down ALL the thoughts that come into your head;  all the good and all the bad and do not censor your thinking.  Keep writing as fast as the thoughts arise and do not go back to edit anything; even if they make no sense. Fill a couple of pages or write until 10 minutes are up.

This exercise helps release all the pent up thinking that you may be suppressing and at the end of this exercise take those sheets of paper and cut them up into very small pieces and throw them away.  When you do this say to yourself – “I release these negative thoughts.  They are just thoughts and they are not me.”

This exercise helps release your belief in your negative thinking and as you know by know when your beliefs change you change your feelings and actions.

Affirming Writing

When you have developed some Affirmations that are appropriate to your situations take a few moments and write them down over and over again on a sheet of paper.  Repetition by writing down the new beliefs really helps implant them into your mind.

Counter Point Writing

As you pay attention to your thinking you will notice your negative come and go.  Take a few moments and write down these negative thoughts at the top of a page.  For each negative thought write down some realistic facts that you know to be true that counter these negative beliefs. This is Counter Pointing.  You don’t need to go all the way up the Optimistic ladder at the beginning. Just reach for better feeling thoughts at first which starts the ball rolling.  Ask yourself:  “What about this negative thought is not 100% true 100% of the time?”

Conversation Writing

One great way of changing the negative self talk that exists in all of us is to have a conversation with yourself as if you were talking to your best friend.  When you do this you are in effect Counselling Yourself.  In this exercise you are taking on both sides of a conversation whereby you express your negative mood on one side and you counsel yourself giving advice (the same way you give to your best friend) on the other side.  This is an effective way of teaching yourself how to talk “better” to yourself. When you take this conversation and write it down, you really implant it into mind.

As with any exercise, regularity is the key. It only takes a small effort to get large rewards.