Why You Need to Journal Daily

A lot happens during the course of the day. And that means a lot of thoughts. I've read that the average person has approximately 60,000 thoughts per day. That is the average person. Many of these simply float by not even recognized by our conscious minds. That's why we wake up in the middle of the night, our brains are trying to process the events and emotions of the day. So this week, I'm sharing 5 tips on how and why it is important to start a daily journaling practice.  

Journaling is a Spiritual Discipline
Did you keep a diary when you were younger? The keeper of secret thoughts and dreams for no one's eyes but yours to see? Writing in a diary is a form of journaling, which is a key component of a spiritual practice. And it is not just for girls either. We all need to get in touch with our thoughts and emotions. Men have a particularly hard time doing this because of the way their brains are wired. And we all know how bad accumulated stress is for our brains and our bodies.                                                           

Benefit #1:Reduces Stress
We all have it. Some days more than others, but it important to process stressful events before our head hits the pillow at night or at least, schedule a time to process the events of the day. When we journal, we gain clarity about situations. It helps us feel less anxious and helps us get to the root cause of our moods so we don't take it out on an innocent friend or relative. Here's an interesting article that talks about sleep and stress. 

Benefit #2: Helps Process Emotions
Journaling helps us to process the difficult emotions and feelings of our day. Often we brush aside any negative feelings, or ignore them completely but our emotions are messengers and we need to pay attention to what they are trying to tell us. Journaling gives us time to process and see just what is bothering us. I have a sticky note to remind me to check in with my feelings during the day. 

Benefit #3: Helps Us Be More Creative
When we slow down our minds, ideas and solutions surface. We can hear from God and that still small voice inside. Thoughts go by so quickly, if we don't write them down, we may lose them entirely. 

Benefit #4: Helps Us Get in Touch with our Needs
When we find ourselves easily frustrated or short-fused, there is a good chance we are not getting some need met. Asking "What do I need right now?" is a good starting point. Many of us are really good at taking care of other people's needs, but not so great at taking care of our own. The other day I was journaling and I remembered I wanted to make a massage appointment. I haven't had one in years, and had forgotten the visit to the local beauty spa. It is important to recognize our needs and make sure they get met so we are in a better frame of mind to deal with others. It's called self-care. 

Benefit #5: Helps Us to Heal from Painful Events
I am a strong proponent of "getting it out", whether it be to a person or on paper. Verbalizing or writing it down is a healthy way of processing an issue or an event. If you don't feel comfortable talking about a situation with someone else, journal it. I guarantee you will feel so much better. Whatever you do, do not keep it bottled up inside you. That is both physically and mentally unhealthy. 

For Reflection
Are you ready to try journaling? I suggest buying a notebook of some kind. I like the spiral-bound kind, which are easier to flip the pages. Choose a nice writing tool, something that feels good in your hand. And then focus on writing down your thoughts and feelings from the day, not your daily to-do list.

If you are angry or overwhelmed, write about it. If you feel depressed or anxious about something, write about it. The key is to get it out of your system and onto paper. There is some sort of spiritual process that releases stress and tension when you put your feelings on paper. You want this to be a sort of clearing process so that when you finish you feel more at peace and calm. 

If you enjoyed this post, do join our blog community by entering your email address in the box on the right. I post weekly on Tuesdays. In addition, you will receive a copy of my FREE eguide "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path"  - a short eguide to get you started on the journey of a lifetime. 

Stay tuned for more on how to ignite the power within so you can DISCOVER YOUR DESTINY!

Until next time, 

Keep looking up!

Ariel Paz 

  

4 Ways Meditation Will Make You a Calmer Person

Life is busy, stressful, and complex. No matter what season of life you are in. It's always something, as I used to tell my mom. Our minds are on overdrive trying to process everything that comes at us in a day. And then there is the nightly news. 

The result? Racing thoughts. Sleepless nights. Overeating, pill popping or drinking alcohol to relax. Sound familiar? This week I'm sharing a spiritual practice that can help you tame your monkey racing mind and stay more present and peaceful during your day as well as hear from God on a regular basis. 

An Ancient Practice 

Archaeologists and scholars believe meditation has been around for over 5,000 years. In this information-over-loaded culture we live in, it is critical that we make time to not only rest our bodies, but our minds as well so this week I'm sharing on the ancient practice of meditation. 

No matter what beliefs you have, you should know that meditation practices have been part of both eastern and western religious practices for ages. The earliest documentation of meditation is found in the Hindu sacred text known as the Vedas from ancient India but it has its own place in Western religions as well. St. Ignatius of Loyola is famous for his book, Spiritual Exercises. The Bible continually exhorts believers to "meditate on things above", meditate on the Word of God day and night and to "Be still and know that I am God". Also we are exhorted to "take every thought captive." That is meditation. 

Can You Please Sit Still? 

In the same way the body needs a good amount of rest to restore and renew itself, so too does the mind.  Often, even when the body is asleep, the mind continues to churn away on the problems and issues of the day. No wonder we wake up feeling unrefreshed. The mind didn't know it was bedtime.

So, how often do you sit down during the course of the day, close your eyes and just observe your thoughts? Most people are so tired that when they do sit down and close their eyes, they fall asleep. Others find it difficult or even uncomfortable to sit still and do nothing. I know, because I used to be this way. 

As a single mom of two boys working at a mentally exhausting career while balancing the demands of home, health, & child-rearing plus trying to fit in a social life, I wish someone would have suggested meditation to me years ago. Sit down and rest my weary mind. 

The rapid advancement of technology has dramatically increased the pace of life and the hurry up, get-it-done-yesterday mindset has side-lined this important discipline. As the rate of stress-related illnesses soar, many are realizing this non-stop physical and mental freneticism is not only unhealthy but unprofitable as well. So how can meditation benefit you?

Benefit #1: Meditation calms our minds and our bodies. 

In the same way the body needs a good amount of rest to restore and renew itself, so too, does the mind. Often, even when the body is asleep, the mind continues to churn away on the problems and issues of the day. No wonder we wake up feeling unrefreshed. The mind didn't know it was bedtime.

When we sit down to meditate, we allow the "mental clutter" to settle. The breath and the heart rate slow which reduces blood pressure naturally. Meditation allows confusion to dissipate and clarity and creativity to spark so we can find answers to our problems and creative solutions. 

There are different forms of meditation so whether your spiritual path is eastern, western or a combination of both, you can benefit from this ancient practice. In eastern religions, there are several different meditation styles. One of them is to focus the mind on something constant such as the breath, a candle flame, or a mantra, which is a word or a phrase such as "peace', "be still", or "I am calm".

The basic premise is that by focusing the mind, the practitioner becomes increasingly aware of the flow of thoughts as they occur and is able to disengage and enter the place of rest where the mind is calmer. I practice what is called Vipassana meditation which focuses on finding clarity and insight in addition to calm. 

Benefit #2: Helps us to connect with ourselves and with God. 
When we still our bodies, the thoughts that jump around like monkeys in our minds settle down as well. This allows us to see what is going on with our feelings and emotions and to get in touch with our inner selves. When we are moving so fast all day, we ignore that still small voice and our deep thoughts and emotions rarely get noticed or even attended to.

The practice of meditation in Christian religions is similar in that one of the goals is to focus and calm the mind. In addition, Christian practitioners also have the goal of calming the spirit and connecting more deeply with God which is done by reading or repeating phrases or words of Holy Scripture or Christian devotions. Early proponents of Christian meditation are St. Teresa of Avila, St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. John of the Cross.

Benefit #3: Brings awareness of our thoughts, feelings and actions.
Whatever your spiritual path, meditation is an important skill that helps us bring more awareness to our daily lives.  Often we go through the day on auto-pilot, barely noticing anything inside us or around us until we plop into bed at night, exhausted. And then we spend the night processing what happened during the day. 

When we deliberately calm our minds, we are more able to identify our thoughts on a moment to moment basis. I've read that the average person thinks 60,000 - 70,000 thoughts per day, and being the deep reflective thinker I am, I probably process a lot more. Yikes!

Meditation helps us become more aware of our thoughts and the type of thoughts. Is this thought positive or negative, anxious, or angry? Thoughts are energy and negative thoughts bring us down and lower our energy and steal our joy. Notice whenever you have left the present moment - today - and wandered either into the past or the future. Meditation helps us to stay in the present moment which helps alleviate anxiety. It also helps us to stay focused and pay attention to what we are doing, rather than be unaware and easily distracted. 

Unawareness of negative, anxious and angry thoughts lead to a vicious downward spiral which often leads to depression and reactivity. Becoming more aware of our thoughts and emotions is a tool to stop this cycle and keep us grounded and calm.

Benefit #4: Breaks the vicious activity cycle.
Many of us run around all day frenetically going from one thing to another. As a single parent, this pace was my norm. Since retiring, I have made a conscious effort to slow down, do less and take more breaks. I have a sticky note that says "Take the pressure off." Continuous activity is akin to an addiction, something that makes us crave more and more. Meditation helps break this cycle as well. 

When I feel like I'm moving too fast, an alarm goes off in my mind "Break time!" and I make myself sit down and meditate for 15 - 20 minutes. If I fall asleep, then that means I'm tired but I don't berate myself for falling asleep. This stopping to meditate breaks the "to do" cycle and mentality. We are human beings not human doings! As meditation becomes a daily practice, we realize stillness is a gift and we will look forward to our times of being still. 

For reflection:

Have you considered incorporating meditation into your daily routine? How might it benefit you, personally? Meditation is not difficult. All it takes is a few minutes a day, start by closing your eyes and taking 3 deep breaths a few times a day. Here are some more posts on meditation to help. 

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Until next time, I wish you peace and stillness and remember...

Keep looking up!

Ariel Paz 

How to Let Go of Being Offended

Everybody is offended these days, it seems. From political differences, to gender references, to racism, you name it. The lack of respect for others in our society has caused a tremendous increase in offense. But does getting offended really help the situation? Any situation? I think not, so today in our ongoing quest to have more peaceful lives, we're talking about handling offense. 

Personal Story

So my youngest son, now aged 40, was over for dinner last week. As I was cleaning up and putting away the food, I asked him if he would help dry the dishes. He said no. I got offended and off it went. He thought he was the guest and already did his part by wiping down the dinner table. I said we are a family and family pitches in to help. Was it a big deal? No, but did it steal the joy from the get together? Yes. I truly am grateful that he is back home from living out of state for 12 years, so why should I expect him to help? I can see both sides - now. 

Don't Take the Bait

First, we need to understand our triggers. For me, it's respect. Or the lack thereof. For others, it can be comments about differing political opinions, comments about one's looks, weight, hair, skin color. We get offended for a variety of reasons usually something we value greatly. But - again - it is worth it to get upset about it? I think the answer is no. People will be people and everyone has their own perspective which we cannot change. As they say in recovery groups, "Live and let live." We can only control ourselves and that is hard enough. 

Surrender to God

Now you may think it's impossible to not react, but it is not. This is where the power of the Holy Spirit comes to our aid. In the natural, our flesh wants us to react, to stand up for ourselves, our rights, and our opinions. But we are called to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh (ego), right? The Word says "Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord," (Romans 12:19) and Deut 32:35. 

God sees everything we say and do. If we are wronged by a family member or friend, God sees it. Now I am not saying ignore mistreatment, this is where boundaries come in. What I am saying is that God doesn't want us to get into conflicts with others. "As best you can, live in peace with one another," (Romans 12:18). We cannot control what others say or do, but we can control what we allow and how we respond. 

It Boils Down to Respect

In the end, it all boils down to respect - for one another, for ourselves and for God. We do ourselves no good when we get upset over the "small stuff" and as authors Bruce and Stan say in their books - "It's All Small Stuff." 

Folks, life is precious. Next time you are tempted to react, try and catch yourself. Take a deep breath and say "It's all small stuff." That's what I am going to try. 

For Reflection

What tends to trigger you to get upset? A family member? A coworker? Your boss? How can you practice letting go of being offended at this person? Do write and let us know so we can all be encouraged. 

If this article was helpful and you'd like to join our community and receive my weekly newsletter full of encouragement and often some tasty recipes, enter your email address in the box provided. As a thank you, I'll send you my free e-guide entitled "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path". 

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Stay tuned for more positive and practical wisdom to help you ignite the power within and discover YOUR destiny! 

Until next time, keep smiling and keep looking up!

Ariel Paz 

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