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Gratitude: The Gateway to HEALing
Journaling is one of the most therapeutic practices you can engage in, and it doesn't cost a lot. Gratitude journaling trained me to focus on my blessings, and writing them on paper made them real. It also introduced me to introspective journaling, where I began to pay close attention to why I do the things I do. Years of introspective journaling piqued my interest in HEALing journals.
When I use the term HEALing, I’m not speaking of curing. Curing focuses on the diagnosis, and I leave that to the patient and the clinician. Nor am I suggesting that HEALing journals replace medical or mental health care. The HEALing I’m referring to addresses the whole person and whatever challenge or hardship they are living with.
HEALing for me is Harnessing Energy Aligned with Love and applying that energy to every aspect of your life.
Seventeen years ago, I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in my neck and lower back. Instead of surgery, I tried chiropractic therapy, which worked well for a few years. But over time, the bulging discs pressed harder on the nerves in my spine, and the pain intensified. So four years ago, I decided to try acupuncture. To closely monitor the effects of the treatment, I started what I now call a HEALing journal.
HEALing journals address a particular struggle connected to a medical diagnosis or other difficult life circumstance. In my case, it was my “Pain Management Journal.”
There’s a hidden power in putting a pen to a blank page, and my journal is where HEALing comes alive. Here’s how:
· It clears my head. Moving my thoughts and feelings about the pain out of my head and onto the paper is a relief in and of itself.
· It reveals patterns. I notice what eases or worsens my pain.
· It helps improve communication. I jot down important notes from my journal and bring them to my visits with my chiropractor and acupuncturist.
· It puts me in control. And I like that. After all, who knows how I feel better than me?
Here’s the small change takeaway: Journaling hasn’t cured my degenerative disc disease, and I never expected it to. What it does is keep positive energy flowing in a direction that keeps me well, and I really can’t ask for any more than that.
A “Pain Management Journal” is one of several types of HEALing journals to explore (next week I’ll share a few). But whether you’re facing a medical diagnosis, loss, or another hardship, they should all follow the same pattern:
Honor your condition or situation by naming it.
Energize your thoughts and feelings by putting them on paper.
Allow silence and the pen to guide you across the page.
Let go of anything not aligned with Gratitude and love.
Be Well
Need support? Reach out. I’m here to help.
Myrtle D. Russell
The small change Wellness Coach
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