Mindfulness is about being present and more self-aware. You are going to spend time getting your mind into the present moment, including what you are feeling, thinking about, worried about, exploring, and experiencing in the moment. You put aside thoughts about the past and future momentarily while you enter a state of mindful meditation.
This can also be useful when you are journaling. Here are some things to know about mindful journaling.
Acknowledge Your Present Without Judgment
In order to practice mindfulness, you are not pretending your problems don’t exist, you are actually allowing all those thoughts and worries to come into your mind. Be in the present moment, understand your circumstance, and just acknowledge it. The key here is to do so without judgment. When a thought enters your mind or you think about what you are experiencing right now, don’t place judgment on yourself for that emotion. If you feel guilt, jealousy, sadness, or something else negative, just understand that is your emotion right now, accept it without judgment, then move on from it.
Start Writing While in a Mindful State
Once you reach this mindful, acceptance state, you will then start writing in your journal. This doesn’t mean you are only going to write about positive things, though it does help to try to put a positive spin on things you write about. Instead, you are staying in that non-judgmental, present state, and writing how you are thinking and feeling right at this moment. Maybe right now you are thinking about your job, or you are a little worried about plans you have later today. Try to stay present iny our emotions and write with complete transparency.
Write About Moments From Your Day
An easy way to get started with mindful journal is to just write about your day, without talking about the future or the past. Just the moments you experienced today. How did you start your day? Who did you talk to? What did you do? What are you grateful for? Just write about your day from beginning to end, kind of focusing on how you felt during different parts of the day.
Let it Go
The last time is to let everything go. This is a really helpful step, because it lets you move past the moments you had during the day, and even to move past what you are feeling right now. Understand that just because you are in an anxious state right now, doesn’t mean you have to be later on. You can still let it go.
