Welcome to this talk on using reflective journal writing for mindfulness.
I'm Laura Stuckel from Team SAGE.
My focus is on working with students who wish to direct their own change and growth through journal writing.
One of my previous talks focused on how to begin your journal writing with an entrance meditation to generate deeper insights.
In this talk,
I'll briefly share some tips on how to end each and every journal writing activity with a reflection write.
Ending your journal writing with a reflection combines the mindfulness benefits of meditating with the insight and personal growth benefits of journaling.
The reflection write is both incredibly simple and incredibly powerful.
You will amaze and delight yourself by tapping your own inner wisdom to make connections,
Solve problems,
Encourage your growth and change,
And find answers you didn't know you had inside.
The act of reflecting on your writing is an essential part of the journal writing process if you want to encourage your own growth and tap your own insights.
Journal writing itself is useful for processing thoughts,
Reducing stress,
Making connections,
And much more.
But a reflection write takes your intuition and insights to an even deeper level.
A reflection write sets you up with momentum.
The writing tells you what is going on.
The reflection tells you what to do about it.
The key is to approach all journal writing as a three-step process.
First,
You begin.
Beginning can range from taking three deep breaths to completing your favorite meditation practice to listening to a visualization meditation designed specifically as a journal prompt.
Then you write.
There are many great books,
Resources,
And tips available to move your writing beyond a dear diary summary of your day.
And the power of journal writing comes at the end,
Your reflection.
Reflection writes are fascinating because they seem to be so different,
Yet powerfully insightful every time.
Just what you need for that moment.
To do a reflection write,
Simply reread whatever you have written,
Take a deep breath,
And then a moment to observe the writing process.
To think about any surprises,
Themes,
Or bigger messages.
To notice any feelings that come up.
To notice the physical reactions.
For example,
What your handwriting looks like,
Any tension in your jaw,
Or something that made you smile.
Sometimes in the reflection,
You might jot down a creative idea that came to you,
A follow-up writing activity,
Or any other action or follow-up.
The following suggestions make great prompts for a journal reflection write.
As I read this,
I notice.
I'm aware of.
I'm surprised by.
I'm curious about.
My follow-up is,
Or anything similar.
The best part of a reflection write is that it's so quick and simple.
You've just put the raw material in your journal,
And with a quick skim,
You can see the imprint of those words in a bigger way,
Wherever they land in your heart,
Or your intuition,
Linked to your personal vision,
Or enlightening a brand new path around an obstacle.
Reflection writes typically take one to two minutes total for the journal reread and the writing,
And the impact can be felt in such big ways.
The concept of reflective journal writing comes from Kay Adams,
Pioneer of the Journal to the Self method.
It's presented with the permission of the Center for Journal Therapy.
For more resources from Kay and other reflective journal writing experts,
You can find information on my website.
Thanks for joining this talk.
Reflective journal writing takes you to amazing places.
