Overcoming Fear Journaling
Overcoming our deep fears can be a hurdle as they tend to gain power when they are hidden inside our mind. We are not used to going deeper and having a conversation around them or addressing them, saying them out loud, writing them down and meditating upon them. When we can identify fear based thoughts, triggers and beliefs from out of our mind and put them on paper, then we have taken the first step in demystifying them, distancing from them and diminishing the emotional charge they have upon our body. Remember that darkness and fear hide in the shadows of our mind in order to stay in control. When we bring these fears into the light of day, much of the weight and burden they carry behind the scenes dissolves. There can be a miraculous alchemy that occurs when we shift perceptions of fear into the compassionate witness of unconditional love. Observing the mental idea of the fear as it is attached to a dark intelligent energy, and realizing that shadow fragment needs to be exposed to unconditional love and light. Don’t be afraid to face the dark spirit that resides inside the fear, as when you see what really created the fear, it is the moment you realize what was really hiding behind the curtain, like in the Wizard of Oz. All of these fears were running the grand illusion. Write down the list of fears how they manipulate and limit you and intend to shift them into the love vibration in order to create safety for yourself.
Now you may want to allow some space for Meditation, to go deeper and ask where these fears have come from, where they have originated. Pay attention to what you may notice coming up that is not true. Many times our fears are based in deceptions, from misinterpretations, and what others have told us that is actually not true. When you sense other times you felt afraid and they are connected to the basis of current fears, send love to yourself in that timeline where you were feeling scared. Spend some time meditating on what lessons you can learn from that fear, and how you can transform this experience into light and wisdom, something positive for all involved. Acknowledge that everyone has fear and fear has purpose in our spiritual journey. It holds the most important Spiritual Lessons for our ultimate growth and liberation, if we are willing to let it go. Appreciate all that you have undergone in your life to get this far and acknowledge the unique parts that have made you the person that you are today, because you had the courage to face your fears.
The story of facing our fears and overcoming them is deeply inspirational and supportive for everyone. Many enjoy and gain the benefits from the storyline on learning what others have done to gain the courage to overcome great challenges and fears in their life. Maybe you are one of those people who will share your inspiring story on how you faced darkness with courage, and were able to overcome fears while on the ascending path![1]
Emotion Journaling Exercise
To help manage emotions and develop emotional intelligence, emotional journaling as a type of writing therapy may be very helpful . Here is a suggestion to begin:
- Purpose: Getting your emotions down on paper can help you to process difficult times as well as help you with sorting out general emotional problems. A journal acts as a free talk therapist, "someone" you can spill all your feelings too, no matter what, without judgment. Using a journal to self-express can relieve anxiety, help you to understand negative emotional triggers, and resolve problems in your daily life.
- Method: Write down your emotions every day as entirely as possible; re-read them later for insight.
- Long Version
1. Choose a journal. You can use a plain notebook or a fancy one. You might even want to write an anonymous blog. There are also guided journals like Writing to Heal, Writing for Emotional Balance, and Time to Write to Yourself; guided journals may be helpful if you don't know where to start and feel uncomfortably overwhelmed just using the tips below.
2. Before you begin, remember that this journal is personal. Don't try to write masterful prose or try to analyze your feelings too much. Just spill out your emotions as fully and truthfully as possible without self-judgment. Try to write for ten or fifteen minutes straight daily. Afterwards, re-read your writing for possible insight.
3. Start by describing a recent event. Answer all the basic details of who was there, what were they doing, where and when it occurred, and why things happened as they did. Write in detail, using all five senses to describe the moment. Remember, smells and tastes are as important triggers to emotional memory as sight and hearing. Now, express your feelings about this event - how all your sensory inputs and interactions with others made you feel. This exercise helps you to become comfortable with a full-spectrum emotional journaling experience.
4. Now, instead of focusing on an exterior event, focus on an interior feeling. Using the emotional trigger linking techniques above, try to understand the "big picture" of your emotional response. If you are anxious, consider the situations in which your anxiety arises and try to identify its triggers. Express your anxiety in its fullness; do not be ashamed. Nobody will read your personal journal; you must bare your raw feelings as much as possible. You will often find thoughts rising up that you couldn't have expressed otherwise. Follow these thoughts and feelings to their root and try to understand them.
5. You may want to use the event-describing techniques above to examine experiences in your past. Take a life-changing event (whether it is positive or negative) and try to describe it in its fullness. Find all the triggers for emotional response and explore them. You may find links you didn't realize were there!
6. If relationship troubles are part of your life, use your journal as a way to express your feelings and problems without hurting your partner's feelings. You may be able to see the situation more objectively after letting off steam. It also may help you to better pinpoint the reasons behind your anger or sadness so that, when you converse with your partner, you'll be able to resolve them.
7. Notice the words that you use. Sometimes they are the key to deeper feelings within the subconscious. Highlight or underline words and feelings that seem to recur. Try to understand why these particular things are important to the unconscious mind.
History: Diaries and journals have existed for millennia; the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius' famous work Meditations began as a journal expressing his personal philosophy and shows remarkable emotional insight. However, the method of using a diary as a method of personal emotional exploration is mostly a 20th century phenomenon, seen in the journals of figures like Carl Jung. Later, psychologists such as James W. Pennebaker began exploring the very real benefits of emotional journaling with experiments demonstrating that journaling (especially expressing undisclosed or unexamined trauma) strengthened mental wellbeing and even improved physical health.
Notes: Don't overthink while writing. Let your 10-15 minute writing period be stream-of-consciousness and nonstop. Later, after you've expressed all of your feelings, you can re-read what you wrote and analyze it. Do not, however, do it in the moment. [2]
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