The goal is simple: get to know yourself better.
Living a busy and hectic life leaves you little time to reflect on your lived experience – and whether that's what you truly want.
One of the best ways to build a strong bond with yourself is by journaling.
It allows you to take a step back and look at the reality that your daily actions are creating. It's your chance to ask if this is really how you want your life to be.
When you want to reconnect with your inner wisdom and true desires, you're in the right place.
It always wants to know everything about how you're feeling and why.
And in a world where many of us feel uncomfortable talking about our feelings to other people and don't want to burden other people with out 'issues', a personal journal is worth its weight in gold.
When I'm feeling an uncomfortable emotion that I've been avoiding - anger, sadness, shame, anxiety etc. – getting it all down on paper always lifts a massive weight off my shoulders.
When I feel the need for real catharsis, I'll even rip out the pages and burn them!
With journaling it's the process f writing that matters more than the end result – you don't have to be a good writer to journal.
Other times I may be feeling something but have no idea why I'm feeling that way. This is when I use my journal to figure it out.
I once wrote a 7-page entry on how I thought feeling stressed was responsible for a seemingly unrelated pain in my right collarbone. My journal didn't complain even once!
Journaling is a voyage into your inner self.
And it allows you to discover things about yourself that you've long since forgotten (but still affect your daily life), as well as things you never imagined being possible for you.
This is important because a well-grounded relationship with yourself is the key to a life full of purpose and meaning.
And by creating an intimate connection to your inner life, you're better able to make choices that reflect your deepest longings and desires.
Hi! Have we met yet?
I'm Eva Hussain.
I do some things quite well, many things very badly, and one thing exceptionally well: writing.
For more than 25 years, I've kept a journal – a private space for me to record my feelings, thoughts and reactions to life experiences.
Most of my big life decisions have unfolded in the pages of my journals before I've even realised them consciously.
This personal practice has taught me to turn to and rely on my own innate wisdom. And now I'd like to help you do the same.
– Anne Lister