The healing power of writing
How journaling helped me move through January struggles
Hello dear reader,
how was your January?
I can’t believe how quickly this month has flown by. But here we are, February 2024. A perfect moment to do some reflections on the first month of the year. Because January was in interesting month in all kinds of ways for me. I had seen some forecasts that it would be intense and life changing, and yes it was!
The biggest challenge for me was that I was stepping into a new version of my business self (at least that was what I thought at the beginning of the month).
But besides that I was living alone on an almost deserted island, being separeted from the man I just started to get used to having around me all the time. And last but not least I was almost broke and had to trust that I was taken care of financially (but had no clue on how that would be done).
So hello 2024,
throw the challenges to me and
I will show you how to handle them.
Looking back the business part was the easiest thing to get into. Because I finally stepped into my true power as an entrepreneur and magical things happened this month. It proves to me that when you (finally) get to see your true essence and bring this into the world, magic arrives in your life.
Being alone on a deserted island in a cold house was hard. There was no one to talk to. I hardly met people and the Greek men I did meet wouldn’t understand my issues. So I depended on the telephone and the internet (for which I am forever grateful) to connect with loved ones and relatives in other places. But truth be told, they weren’t always available so I needed to help myself.
Journaling as a tool for healing
So I returned to journaling. I have been journaling for the last 15 years. But this weeks I wrote more than ever. I wrote about all my fears, my anger, my desires, the things that went well and the things that sucked. I wrote in all kinds of ways, I wrote letters to my love to tell him how I felt, without sending them (because he doesn’t need to read how angry I was about something he couldn’t do anything about). I wrote about all my fears and challenges about stepping into my new business me.
And when things got really tough I just wrote… Keeping my hands busy emptying my mind from all the chatter that was going on.
The whole month I felt lonely, sad and slightly depressed, because my mind was contstantly telling me how sad my situation was. And this is the mind chatter that is sometimes difficult to shut down. But I learned that it is possible to change your thinking. You don’t have to believe your negative thoughts. But I needed time to get there. And once I got there, I could give light to all the beautiful things that happened.
All the journaling this month learned me some really valuable lessons.
I am allowed to enjoy life, even if I don’t have money, even if I don’t know what to do next, even if I am alone on a deserted island in a very cold house where I don’t want to be.
Life is about trying to do the things you love, connect with the right people and enjoy everything that happens to you. Sometimes you make the wrong decision. When I could see that it was only one month living alone in the wrong place, it all got so mucht lighter.
Life is about stumbling and getting up again. Over and over again.
Life is not about earning more money, it is about having fun and make sure you have the funds to do so. But having fun is also a walk with a friend to the beach and have a chat at the seaside sitting in the winter sun. Which doesn’t cost you anything.
And the most valuable lesson I learned was that for the last 20 years I had been living unconsciously with a trauma from a previous relationship. Being away from my love ripped open the wound and finally laid bare what had been there for years. A fear so intense that in the past I was never able to really trust my partners. I never thought that this was something still stirring in me. But since I know where my trust issues come from, it is easier to deal with them. Because they were connected to a relationship long ago and it has nothing to do with the love I experience at the moment.
In the days I got to this realisation I listened to a talk by Ram Dass on the yoga of relationships. And he stated that you can only heal your trauma’s at the moment you see them, otherwise they will haunt you in every relationship you are in. So there actually is no need to break up, when you haven’t learned your lesson, because you will encounter them in your next relationship until you are ready to look the lesson in the eye.
So here I am 20 years later… Finally ready to let go of this old idea…
Your journal can be your best friend
15 years of writing in my journal has taught me one amazing thing. Your journal can be your best friend in times of pain. She (or he) can listen to you without judgement and when you keep writing, you will find the answers to the questions you have in life.
If you want to start journaling and don’t know where to start, you can start with the Sunday Writing Rituals I offer you here on Substack. This is the paid program, especially for those who want to get in touch with their inner wisdom and learn how to use writing to create the life that suits you best.
With love and appreciation,
Irene