Journaling can be a great tool to help you through your divorce and recovery process. I know not everyone likes to journal or write. Hopefully if you can realize the benefits from journaling, you might be willing to give it a try.
Let’s face it, divorce is challenging. Your thoughts and emotions swing from high to low to the bottom of a pit. I often hear people say they feel like they are on an emotional roller coaster.
Divorce hits us with an overwhelming number of details that demand our immediate attention, an overload of incoming information, and decisions that need to be made about things you have never had to consider before now. It can be difficult to wrap your mind around all that is happening, and the pace in which it is happening.
Keeping a journal can be as simple or involved as you want to make it. A spiral notebook works fine. You decide what is important, what might be useful to you, and how often you will write. I have listed some ideas of what you may want to include in your journal entries below:
- Your thoughts that day
- Your feelings
- Anything significant that happened
- Advice you were given
- Summarizing for yourself what has transpired to help put it in perspective
- Things/people for which you are grateful
- Words of encouragement, hope or inspiration you read/heard that day
As you go through a divorce you are often depressed. You may also feel emotionally and physically exhausted. You might simply move through the process as if in a fog. Keeping a journal may help you keep track of things you need to do or important details you may need later.
You may be saying to yourself, this is such an awful time of my life, why would I want to remember it? There can be tremendous value in keeping a journal.
Benefits of Keeping a Journal for Divorce Recovery
- Can help you process your thoughts and feelings
- Can provide better understanding
- May bring revelation, clarity
- May uncover something from the past that needs further attention
- May uncover dreams, passions that you buried during your marriage
- A safe place to vent, have a pity party, release anger
- Can write a letter of things you would like to say to your ex-spouse
- Can see your growth and progress over time
- Can begin to write goals for your future
These are just some of the benefits of journaling. If you ever have a friend go through a divorce in the future, it can be helpful to get out your journal and offer support, encouragement, empathy for what they are experiencing. Should you encounter another challenge in your future that seems overwhelming, you can refer back to your journal to remind yourself how you overcame your divorce.
Another helpful tip in moving forward from divorce would be to include positive affirmations at the end of your journal entries. It is not enough to rid ourselves of the negative messages we receive and tell ourselves during divorce. We must also replace those negative thoughts with positive ones. Even if you do not believe them at the time, write down positive affirmations about yourself, your life, and your future.
If you have never been one to journal in the past, why not give journaling a try? Set a goal to try it for two weeks. The frequency is up to you. I think you will find some value in the process.
If you are someone who currently journals, try incorporating some of the ideas above into your entries. By all means, don’t forget the positive affirmations!
Shelley Grieser is a Christian Life Coach specializing in Divorce. She works with men and women across the country who are on their path to recovery from divorce, to empower them to create a future they truly desire. Please visit her website at: http://www.ahopefilledfuture.com for more information. |
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