Welcome to this regulate and reflect guided journaling practice.
This practice is intended to support regulating your nervous system and guiding you into self-reflection through journal writing.
Let's begin by arriving into the moment.
Right here.
Right now.
Just as you are.
Get comfortable and do what's necessary to accommodate your body's needs at this time.
Let your body start to settle.
I suggest you set your journal nearby.
And when you're ready,
Allow your eyes to close or simply soften your gaze.
Let's take a nice,
Slow cleansing breath in together with a nice,
Long,
Slow out breath.
Begin to sense the ground beneath you,
The solid,
Firm support that's here holding you.
Allow your shoulders to soften down away from your ears,
Softening your jaw,
Forehead,
Scalp.
There's nothing that needs to be done or thought about right now.
There's no rush,
Just a chance to come home to yourself.
Take another full breath,
Slow,
Steady,
And maybe exhale through your mouth with a nice,
Big sigh,
Letting everything go.
And now allowing your body to just breathe naturally.
This body,
This breath,
Right here,
Right now.
Give yourself permission to be right here,
Right now,
In this moment.
This is your time.
Begin to notice if there's an emotion present.
Maybe there is,
Maybe there isn't.
Gently welcome what might be here.
Notice where and how you experience emotion in your body right now.
Whether it feels big or subtle,
You're not alone in it.
Just notice if it's okay to be with it,
To offer it a little space.
If it's valuable,
You might want to place one hand or both hands over your heart center,
Or another grounding point on your body.
And you could say inwardly,
I'm here with you.
I see you.
This feeling is welcome.
All of me is welcome.
I don't have to figure it all out right now.
Take a moment to just breathe with yourself,
Allowing your breath to move at its own pace.
This isn't about solving or fixing.
It's about listening,
Softening into what's here,
And staying with what's here from moment to moment.
And if an emotion feels intense,
Let the breath and the physical sensations of your hands touching your body to be your anchor.
And if it's helpful,
Draw your attention to an area of your body or a sensation that feels more stable for you.
You might say to yourself,
I can ride this wave.
I can stay with myself.
Resting here,
Holding this feeling with tenderness for a minute.
Now,
Taking your time to slowly lift your gaze or open your eyes and pick up your journal.
We'll move into a few reflections.
And remember,
There's no right answer.
Write what feels true,
What wants to be seen.
Just let whatever arises come without judgment.
Because insight often comes when we soften,
Not when we search.
And we'll be with each prompt for about two minutes.
So just write,
Let it go,
And move on with me to the next prompt.
And our first prompt is to complete this sentence.
In this moment,
I notice.
Just writing for two minutes now.
Just write what arises and keep writing.
Let go of judgment or analyzing.
In this moment,
I notice.
And completing the sentence,
You're on.
And moving on to the second prompt,
Which is,
What emotion is asking for my attention?
Maybe draw some breath here as you connect into it.
And write for the next two minutes.
What emotion is asking for my attention?
Just write.
And finishing up the sentence,
You're on.
And we're moving on.
Now that you have a little more awareness of sensation and emotion that's present.
Next question or prompt is,
What part of me needs compassion or understanding right now?
And what is it asking for?
Again,
That is,
What part of me needs compassion or understanding right now?
And what is it asking for?
Let's write with that for a couple minutes.
And bringing that to a close,
Moving on to the next prompt.
Next journal prompt.
If this part or emotion could speak,
What might it say?
If this part or emotion could speak,
What might it say?
And we're moving on to the next prompt.
What insight or need is becoming clearer as I sit with myself right now?
What insight or need is becoming clearer as I sit with myself right now?
And beginning to bring that prompt to a close.
And moving on,
Complete this sentence.
One gentle next step I can take is.
One gentle next step I can take is.
And write for this for just one minute.
And finally,
Spend a minute with this last prompt.
One word,
Phrase,
Or image I'm taking with me from this experience that might serve as a reminder.
What's a word,
Phrase,
Or image you're taking with you from this experience that might serve as a reminder?
And now letting go of the journal writing.
Setting your journal aside.
And slowly return attention to your body.
To the support beneath you.
The sense of the space around you.
Notice your breath again.
Maybe intentionally take a deeper than normal breath.
You might like to place a hand or both hands back over your heart.
Or wherever feels comforting.
Inhaling gently.
And exhaling with softness.
You might say inwardly.
I am allowed to feel.
I can meet myself with honesty and care.
Even in the midst of emotion,
I can find steadiness.
Know that you can return to this space anytime.
Thank you for showing up.
For listening deeply to yourself.
For reflecting with compassion.
And when you're ready,
You might step back into your day slowly.
Carry with you what you've uncovered in this session with tenderness and trust.
And you may want to revisit your journal writing.
And see if there's anything else that might want to arise or be seen,
Felt,
And heard.
And if not,
Just walk softly back into your day.
Thank you for allowing me to share this experience with you.
