If you’ve been in a healing session with me before, you know one of the questions I frequently ask is, “Do you journal?”

Probably 8 out of 10 times people said no.

“Well then did you write in dairies before when you were young?” This is usually my next question.

Then about 7 of those 8 people would say yes.

I understand that writing in dairies may not be for everyone. But journaling is different.

Writing in a dairy is about what we have done during that day, like an entry record of events that have happened in our lives.

Journaling, on the other hand, is about writing down our deepest thoughts and feelings without judgment. Journaling is about having a completely honest conversation with ourselves and our emotions, without any rationalization of the mind. In our journals, our emotions can be expressed in their purest and rawest form.

For example, let’s say you are angry with your parents (who hasn’t been there before honestly?). When we talk to a friend about it, we sometimes start to filter what we are saying because we are wary of other people’s judgment. We may start to rationalize our emotions, saying things like “Well, I know they do this because they love me.”

But what happens when we rationalize emotions with our logical mind? Our emotions don’t get to be processed thoroughly, and they get suppressed back into our energy field.

The more we suppress our emotions, the easier it is for the negative emotions to be manifested into physical illness and pain. The emotions have to come out one way or another. Either we explode later like a volcano, or the emotions seep out as pain, break out from the skin as rash, or worse – slowly kill ourselves as cancer, or other forms of illnesses.

There are of course many ways and tools that can help us express our emotions in a healthy way.

The thing I love about journaling is that it’s basically free. The maximum investment you will ever need is a pen and paper or a notebook.

I started journaling when I was a teenager. Funny enough, I learned about journaling when I was taking an English writing course one summer in the US. When the English writing teacher asked us to journal, the main purpose was to practice writing in English.

I can’t remember what clicked, but I remember I really enjoyed writing in my journal during that summer. Even after the writing course finished, I would find myself continue writing away, just pen and paper, even without a proper notebook.

Then came high school and college, and my journaling was on and off. I still kept a journaling notebook with me, but I didn’t do it everyday. I only took it out when I wanted to write down my deepest feelings and thoughts that I couldn’t share with others.

I’ve never been someone really good with expressing myself verbally. My sister told me that whenever I get nervous, I speak very quickly and mumble so no one understands what I’m saying. Naturally I feel shy to speak to others. Plus I’m an introvert. In classes I have always been the kid who sits in the back of the classroom, and hardly ever raise my hand to speak.

When we write in journal, there’s no need to care about grammar or spelling. This freedom allows me to connect with my inner voice, my true voice. And this practice of writing in my true voice has now enabled me to write freely in my blogs.

Born as the youngest child, I also have a tendency to avoid conflict and confrontation as much as possible. Whenever I feel angry, frustrated, or stressed, I tend to keep these feelings inside. No wonder my digestive system is weak and my stomach is sensitive.

When I first learned about meditation, I also thought that I could just breathe and let go of the anger. But I learned that this is not enough. It’s important to inquire and find out the root cause of the anger, the trigger within me, so I can truly heal myself. And how to do that? Through journaling!

In my journal, I write down my anger, my frustration, my worries and stress. Then as I shift to self-reflection mode, I write down my questions too. Sometimes I don’t know the answer yet, but I trust that when I start asking the questions, the Universe will answer.

And when I do receive the answer, I write it down. I write down all my insights and realizations, as I find that helps me deepen my learning and integrate the whole experience.

My journaling practice becomes a time to help me reflect on myself and where I am in my life, right now, holding my hand side-by-side as I’m walking along this spiritual journey with awareness and mindfulness.

I can’t thank journaling enough. It is when I write and have a honest conversation with myself, that I allow all parts of myself to speak and voice out their needs, wants, desires and worries. The inner critic. The fear. The little girl who feels lost. The mother who feels she’s not good enough. The business owner who is scared or frustrated. The Priestess who has lifetimes of wisdom. The writer who is asked to write. The teacher who is asked to share. The soul’s voice who speaks calmly and clearly. The whispers of Mother Earth, teaching me to live in harmony with all. The Divine presence who lovingly guides.

There are many benefits to journaling, yet just reading about benefits are no use if you don’t apply this tool in your life. I’m no expert in journaling. It’s really just a spiritual practice, and when you show up consistently, you will reap the most benefits and rewards from it.

Here are some frequently-asked questions on how you can get started with journaling. Again, remember to always trust your intuition. Anything that you resonate with, take it. Anything that don’t, just leave it.

 

Q: What should I write about?

I find that what stops people from journaling is because often they don’t know what to write or where to begin.

Think in baby steps. For me, journaling is a great way to start by noticing and observing our feelings and emotions. Or jot down any recurring thoughts in your mind, especially any worries or concerns.

Have you ever seen a washing machine churning and spinning the clothes constantly? That’s what happens when we are constantly focused on our worries. Writing them down can help to release some of the mental tension. It doesn’t mean that the problem will be resolved. But perhaps by writing it down, you can start to clarify your thinking process.

Journaling prompts can help to kickstart your journal writing if you need, but often I find myself using my mind to figure out the answer (which is useful sometimes) instead of just allowing whatever words arise in my heart to flow onto the paper.

You can also write down your dreams from the previous night. It can also be your dreams of what you’d like to create or manifest, along side with your fears and worries.

Really, there is no limit to what you can write. Even if you start with, “I don’t know what to write. I’m so bored,” that’s totally fine. Just see where that takes you. Journaling is not about reaching the final destination, like you are writing an essay to submit. It’s all about the process.

Q: How often should I write?

It’s really up to you. If you are just starting, I’ll say just write whenever you feel like. Some people have told me that they gave up because they felt like they had to write every single day and it became too much pressure.

Remember you create your own rules with journaling. I don’t write everyday either. And that’s totally okay. The most important thing is to get started somehow. Perhaps just write when you feel like it. That can be once a month and that’s okay.

 

Q: What do I need to write?

All you need is just a pen or pencil, and some paper. Don’t let the perfectionist get to you. You don’t need a perfect pen or notebook to get started. Of course it’s nice to have a dedicated notebook as your journal. If you are like me and write with big letters, I go through one notebook in three months’ time.

 

Q: Do I need to read what I wrote? I feel depressed afterwards.

Nope! Don’t read what you wrote. I hardly ever do.

Like I said, journaling is all about the process and not the end product, unless it so happens that you suddenly feel inspired and write a poem, a short story or your soul story and you want to type that up to remember it.

That’s the beauty of journaling. You don’t need to care about the grammar, spelling, or even what language you write it in. I often write in English combining with some Chinese words, and sometimes I even forget how to write the Chinese character so I just write down the English sound of that Chinese word.

Throw out all the rules. You don’t even need to able to read your handwriting. I can barely read what I wrote sometimes. Journaling is YOUR safe space to write whatever you want, and it’s no one else’s business.

 

Q: Do I need to lock my journal?

Yes and no. It depends on how safe you feel in where you live. If you feel scared that someone will read your journal and know your deepest thoughts, and that will cause real physical danger for you in any way, by all means, lock it and keep it hidden as much as possible. And if you do feel threatened or unsecure in your own home or where you live, then you can definitely make use of journaling as one way to feel safe.

When I was young I had those dairies that had a tiny key to lock them and I loved them. Now I don’t lock my journals anymore. I do tuck my journal under my bedside table or in a shelf so it’s not sitting on an open space to invite others to read it.

Q: What should I do with my old journals?

You know what, I’m still figuring out with this one. I have loads of old journal books that I now keep in a box. Maybe I’ll burn them when I have a chance. I don’t really fancy opening up to reread all of them. If you have any fun ideas to share with what you did with your old journals, please let me know.

Bottom line with getting started with anything is to take the first step. I often find the hardest part is to find the motivation to take action.

After you get started on the first step, the ball just starts rolling by itself. Journaling may start to become part of your life and soon you find that though you can live without it, your life is certainly better when you get to do it.

This goes the same for yoga, meditation, journaling, or whatever spiritual practices you resonate with. Spiritual practices are important to our emotional and mental health as they help us to connect to our inner soul self and the sacredness of life all around.

Journaling certainly is one of the most important spiritual practices for me. It’s truly my life-saver.

I hope that the fact you are reading this blog, smaybe you have or are considering to get started with journaling.

Just pick up a pen and paper. Write down whatever is on your mind, right now. Don’t overthink it. Listen to your heart. Listen to your thoughts. Take a deep breath and write.

I assure you, if you keep it up, journaling will be life-changing for you, as it has for me.

Got more questions or care to share your thoughts on journaling? I’m happy to hear from you. Feel free to reach out here

Do you feel a bit stagnant in your life? Do you feel tired to get out of bed? Feeling overwhelmed, like there is more to life than just this? Do you feel stuck in your headspace and want to get out of it?

I have experienced this feeling before, many times.

Sometimes I feel stuck with overthinking a problem and trying to come up with a solution. I know that there is no way to move forward if I keep on doing the same thing. If I feel stuck in the headspace, I know I need to do something else to move myself out of this mental cage.

Albert Einstein once said, “The only way to keep on balancing is to keep on moving.” Below are some tried and tested ways in my own personal life to get energy flowing again. It may not immediately lift you up to the Heavens, but at least they may help you get out of the rut, and you are still alive on the ground.

1. Declutter and Organize

One way to move away from our headspace is to declutter and organize. Our physical environment is a reflection of our inner world. When we feel stuck with a situation or problem, take a look at your physical home or work area. Is there one area today that you can tidy up?

Sometimes we perceive decluttering is such a big task and the thought of it may overwhelm some of us. Just start small. Maybe it’s just tidying up the books in one shelf. Maybe it’s just finally throwing away that old phone that doesn’t work anymore.

Ask your spiritual support team to come help you. There is no too small or too big of a task. When we ask for our spiritual support team to come help us with decluttering, we find that it is easier to let go of things that no longer serve our highest purpose anymore.

2. Close Open Loops

Closing open loops is definitely one of my go-to ways to allow myself move forward. Are there any tasks or projects that you have begun but haven’t gotten around to finish yet? Are there any emails sitting in your inbox waiting for you to reply?

When we started a task but haven’t finished for whatever reason, the energy flow of this tiny task becomes stagnant. Imagine when these incomplete tiny tasks pile up. They are like pebbles building up in a river and suddenly they completely block the flow of the water.

Is there something on your to-do list that you keep on procrastinating but needs to be done? Sometimes some items on our to-do list can actually be removed since they are not high priority.

Again, the key here is to start small. Is there someone waiting for your reply on an invitation, or on one question that you haven’t made a decision yet? Indecision is also a decision. Indecision keeps us stagnant, and unless we either say yes or no, we cannot move forward.

One time I was trying to come up with a creative idea but I felt stuck in my headspace. There was nothing coming up through my meditation. I then had a feeling that I should finish checking this pile of expense reports sitting behind my desk for a few months. Once I got those done, I had a feeling I needed to reply to all these emails that were sitting in my inbox waiting for my reply. It took me three days to close these open loops, and then the answer I was previously looking for arose.

3. Change of Scenery

In the pre COVID-19 age, it was easy to organize a change of scenery through traveling to a different country. Nowadays, we may feel more stuck than ever especially if we are staying and working at home more often. In a way though, more people are reaching out to nature, going for walks and hikes in nature, and spending more time in open spaces like the beach.

Lucky for me, even when Museflower was closed and during the lockdown period, I had the whole Museflower to walk around. My favorite go-to spot for a change of scenery is our labyrinth at Museflower. Sometimes when I feel bored from working or feel uninspired, I go to walk in the labyrinth.

Of course not everyone has a labyrinth in their backyard (though you can try out a free online finger labyrinth walk organized by Veriditas here: https://www.veriditas.org/Finger-Labyrinth ).

If you are going to work via the same route every day, see if you can switch it up by going another route. If you are staying at home every day and can’t even go out, try to move around some furniture and see how your feel.

Try a change of scenery in your daily life and see what happens.

4. Move Physically

Exercising is a great way to release stress, but even just moving physically can help to shift your energy to a different state.

If you don’t feel like going for exercising for whatever reason, try intuitive dancing. Intuitive dancing is a great way to listen and connect with your body. To begin, choose your favorite tunes. You may want to be alone in a space to do this if you feel self-conscious with other people around.

Close your eyes and start playing the music. Listen to your body and allow your body to guide your movements. It is not a choreographed dance. You are just moving to the rhythm of the music and your body. Let your body be the compass. You may be surprised.

5. Laugh

This is my favorite way to get myself out of a slump. Laughing is a bit similar to moving physically. The vibration of our laugh moves through our entire body and lifts our energy instantly to a higher frequency.

The easiest way is to find a movie or TV show that is both inspiring and funny. I love watching Queer Eye for this reason. Or watch a heartwarming movie that you know it will make you laugh and feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Another way to combine laughter and movement is laughter yoga. I have experienced laughter yoga during one of our previous Museflower life festivals before with Tania Bloch and it was definitely one of the most memorable sessions. During the laughter yoga session, we played and moved and made funny sounds like children. After so much movement and sweating, we lied down on the ground in a circle, and first we were instructed to laugh. As we continued to make laughing sound, we started to laugh for real. But tears also came. And then we were invited to enjoy a moment of silence to deeply connect with our inner being.

I highly recommend trying Laughter Yoga if it’s offered in your local area.

On days when you feel bored, uninspired, stuck, it is easy to just want to curl up in bed and sleep. And that is totally fine. There is no judgment in this. The most important thing is to listen to your body and your intuition. What is your intuition and your body telling you to do right now? If the answer is rest, rest. Sometimes we do need the rest

Sometimes if you feel like you need to do something to get unstuck, try one of the above suggestions and see how you feel.

Sometimes we do need someone else’s support and again that is totally okay. We cannot do everything by ourselves. If you feel unsure of your next step in life, consider booking an online Soul Card Reading session with me to gain more clarity.

In the Soul Card Reading session, we look at our current soul lessons and what possible next steps and grounded actions we can take to help us move forward in our life. For more information on my offerings, visit

Enter – The sacred path of life.

I start with a heavy heart. So heavy. So slow.
I feel like I’m the Earth. I carry so much. So much burden, so much sadness.

I move slower and slower. Until I can’t move anymore, not a step further.

I let go and receive, right where I am. Be open now. It’s time to open the heart.

Courage arises. Clarity comes.
I continue to move forward in life.

Stop and receive. I listen. Listen to the inner voice within.

Time to slow down again. Repeat. Stop. Receive. Heal. Move forward.

Anger. A burst of fire, the desire to destroy everything. Everything that is dragging me down, ruining my life. Allow the fire to burn. Burn it all. I swing my fists. I stomp my feet. Let it burn.

All is left is truth. Essence of my soul. The light within me. A tiny flame now. Burning like a candle light to guide my way.

Moving forward.

Sadness again. I hold my heart. I want to become smaller and smaller. My chest is tight. My shoulders are tense. I want to get smaller. Smaller. Even smaller. And stop.

I freeze. All I can hear is my shallow breathing. Expand the breath. Breath deeper.
Deeper and deeper. Let go of the tension.

I stand up straight again. Moving forward, lighter.

At the center I am asked to breath deeper. Even deeper. Wider.
Expand. Take up all the air your lungs can fill.
Own your presence. Be YOU.

I bow to the wisdom of the four winds.

The East – Breathe deeper.
The South – Feel the light inside you burning
The West – Allow the emotions to wash over you, all is transient, like water flowing through. There’s no need to hold on. See with clarity.
The North – Mother Earth and all beings can live in harmony. It is Mother Earth’s purpose to help human beings transcend and ascend.

Love.

What should I do now? How do I go from here?

Just follow the path. The path is laid in front of you already. You just need to walk.
Step by step.

A sense of energy rushes through me. New ideas. New projects.

I see the exit. A shortcut by passing the
spiral.
But no need to rush. It’s not a race.

Moving on. Do you feel the riches in your heart? The wind whispers.

Oh how I wish I have a pen and paper to jot things down.
Embrace the writer in you. Write. Teach. Share.
With humor, with lightness.

Listen. Receive. Stop.
Heal. Breathe. Move on.

But I can’t. I don’t want to anymore.

Do you see? All the support you have?

My ancestors open their hands.
Hold my hand.

I reach out, one hand front and one hand back. I’m not alone. I’m walking with thousands. Before me. After me.

The path walked by my ancestors and to be walked by my descendants.

A few more steps to the exit. I look back. I thank the path.

My dogs await. By the exit. All my loved ones who have passed on. All the spiritual beings who have been helping me.

Tears. I have completed my task. I have fulfilled my destiny.
It’s time to leave the world and to return to home.

And I am not alone. So much love is waiting for me, beyond the invisible thin veil.

I thank the path again. So much gratitude. Bittersweet.

Finally, it’s time to move on. Thousands of loved ones waiting for me. My dogs, my cats, and rabbits. My family. My friends.

They cheer. They spread their arms, ready for a hug.

And so I say goodbye. My walk is complete.
With a heart full of the riches of love. I return home.
Back to Spirit.

All shall pass.