Putting pen to paper, to express your feelings, thoughts and ideas is a highly beneficial habit that is worth cultivating. Allowing the pen to lead the way, and the writing to flow on the pages of a personalized notebook, is an excellent form of therapy.
The practice of keeping a notebook is a practical and powerful method of collecting your thoughts and expressing your true feelings in private. Writing can be effectively used as a mental, emotional or spiritual practice, and also as a way of achieving your goals, and enriching your life experience.
While there are 3 primary types of therapeutic writing – free writing, pen writing and letter writing – here are 8 ways in which you can practice every day.
1. Journalling
The daily purpose of writing in your notebook can free your mind of clutter, and help you align it with the things that you want to achieve. To take control of your thoughts, commit to writing down whatever pops into your head first thing in the morning, in your catch-all journalling notebook.
Before bedtime, writing down your memory of the day is a great way to let go of any concerns that may keep you awake.
2. Dream Journalling
When you wake up in the morning, it’s a good idea to reach for the notebook that you keep on your bedside table, before you get out of bed. Writing down a detailed description of your nocturnal dreams allows you to keep a daily record that you can refer back to.
Use a dream dictionary to help you interpret the symbolic meanings of the dreams that you write about in your beautiful and special customized dream journal notebook.
3. Setting Intentions
Another therapeutic writing technique that positively sets you up for the day is the practice of setting intentions. When you write down how you would like your day to pan out, in your notebook, you activate your receptivity to follow the direction. You can set powerful intentions, in your stylish personalized notebook, for a great day ahead, or for specific occasions and events.
4. Uplifting Affirmations
Writing is a therapy that is often used in the practice of self-empowerment. To support a positive mental attitude it can be helpful to write out words that form an uplifting affirmation, or mantra. You only need a handful of words to create a short and sweet affirmation to repeat out loud.
Affirmations are positive statements that can help to transform a negative thought into a new belief. This type of therapeutic writing can help overcome limiting self-beliefs and self-sabotaging habits.
5. Goal Setting
You can easily turn a chic notebook into a life planning, goal setting diary. Use the notebook to collate information that supports the goals that you want to achieve in life. Write out your achievements, dreams and ambitions, so that you can clearly see what your next plan of action should be.
A notebook is an essential writing therapy tool that can be used for goal setting in your career or your personal life. By recording and preserving your wishes and life dreams in a notebook, you are setting up the process of motion towards your goals. Use your notebook to write down practical daily, weekly and monthly goals, and to-do lists. Having a goal-setting notebook allows you to easily track your progress, and to maintain your motivation.
6. Brainstorming
A notebook is invaluable when it comes to brainstorming creative ideas for work, projects or life goals. There is something very therapeutic about filling up pages with wonderfully random thoughts that pop into your head.
If your work involves creativity, it’s a good idea to carry your notebook around with you wherever you go. You just never know when an awesome inspired idea will grab your attention. Jot down tidbits of information, elaborate on the details, and transcribe all of the words that flow from your imagination. You can also use your notebook to download brainstorming ideas in illustrations like a mind map.
7. Poetic Expression
If you love poetry, it’s a lovely idea to get into the habit of writing down your heartfelt feelings in a beautiful bespoke notebook. Choose your favourite pen, and evoke the spirit of your creative muse, as you write down your thoughts in elegant cursive writing.
It can feel therapeutic, liberating and empowering to freely express yourself in words that you may not usually use on a daily basis. Put pen to paper, and allow your hand to write automatically across the pages of your notebook. You may be surprised to discover that your mind has something specific to convey in words.
8. Storytelling
Everyone has their own unique story to write and share with others. If you’re creatively minded, you may find it therapeutic to express your thoughts and feelings in the form of a short story or an autobiography. You can use your notebook to jot down storytelling ideas that you can develop into chapters, or to collect poetic words and expressions that you can later use to pepper the sentences of your story.
Using your stylish personalized notebook for the purpose of storytelling writing therapy is also a great way to remove writer’s block, and to creatively kill boredom. Have fun writing down your favorite words, words that perfectly reflect how you feel, or making up new words. You may even discover that your notebook writing inspires a brand new career.
