Speaker 1: 0:12

Welcome to Roots of the Rise with me, sarah Holt. Today we are diving into a topic that comes up all the time journaling. People often ask should I journal? And my answer is always absolutely, if it feels helpful to you. There's no single right way to do it, and today I want to share a few key types of journaling, plus some insights and tips you might not have heard before. There are so many different types of journaling, but today I thought I would cover five of the most common and useful types.

Speaker 1: 0:46

The first I want to talk about is kind of your basic daily diary, or something called line-a-day journaling. This is your classic write-about-your-day style of journaling, which is great for processing daily life. Some people like to write long entries, but I personally love the line a day format. It's a small journal where each page covers the same date over five years. You can find them on Amazon. I'll link a simple one in the show notes. I'm not affiliated, I just get one every five years. You jot down a short note each day and over time you get a snapshot of your life across the years. I keep one for myself and one for my son and it's a pretty simple and kind of sweet way to track growth and memories. I love being able to look back at these little snippets of everyday life. My husband has gotten so used to me calling out randomly and being like, oh, guess what we did two years ago or five years ago, whatever it is. So it can, just it can be kind of fun.

Speaker 1: 1:45

The second type I want to cover is morning pages, also called morning notes. So this is a tool to declutter the mind first thing in the morning. And really I think you can do it one of two ways. The first is to just write, you know, uncensored, unstructured, just let your thoughts spill out, which can be really great for clarity, for grounding. You can use it to explore something that's bothering you. But another way that you can use morning notes, or kind of in addition to all of that, is you can also use it to figure out okay, what do I want to focus on today, what do I really want to intend for my day to day, how do I want to start it, how do I want to end it, what is the priority for the day. And that part of it might be particularly helpful if you consistently find that at the end of the day you don't feel like you really got anything accomplished or that you did everything except that one thing you really quote unquote should have done. You know, morning notes can be a chance to really get clear on your priorities, what's important, and you know what's that. One big thing I need to do and three little things I want to do.

Speaker 1: 2:53

The third type I want to talk about is integration journaling. This one is about meaning making, so maybe you would do this after or during a retreat or after a powerful healing session, or even just a random moment that you have a big aha, or after a hard conversation. That's another time you might want to do this. Journaling in this way can kind of help you digest the experience, whether you need further emotional release or capturing that big understanding that you just came to. Integration journaling can help you internalize the growth and shift from just having the experience into, as the name implies, really integrating the experience.

Speaker 1: 3:41

The fourth type to talk about is stream of consciousness writing. Now, this can be kind of a standalone method that you can use whenever, or it can be a technique you use during any of the other types. You just set a timer five minutes is great and write without stopping. You can start with a specific question or just follow whatever comes up as you start to write. If you hit a mental block, like where you don't know what to write next, or just follow whatever comes up as you start to write. If you hit a mental block, like where you don't know what to write next, you just repeat the last phrase you wrote until something new comes up Like and I just can't believe. He said that, he said that, he said that, he said that and you know what else Like that. This can be especially helpful when you feel stuck in repetitive thinking. Writing can reveal angles and emotions that thinking alone can't.

Speaker 1: 4:32

Finally, there is a research-backed protocol that I want to mention. It's so effective. It's been studied in over 200 peer-reviewed papers. I learned about it from Dr Andrew Huberman, who is a neuroscientist at Stanford. He covers it in detail on his Huberman Lab podcast, which, of course, I will link in the show notes for you. I do highly recommend you listen to his episode, as there are a lot of nuances and I'm not going to go over this protocol in detail here because of that. It would take way too much time and he does it so well.

Speaker 1: 5:07

It's not really worth it for me to reinvent the wheel, but I did want to mention it because he goes deep into the science of that connection between the mental and the physical and he goes so far as to say that this particular journaling protocol should be included in your repertoire of essential practices for improving overall health. And you know he's a neurobiologist. He is incredibly well respected. So you're getting that advice from someone who would not say it well respected. So you're getting that advice from someone who would not say it if it wasn't scientifically backed up. So, again, please do listen to that podcast episode to get the full details on how to do this journaling protocol.

Speaker 1: 5:47

But, in short, what it involves is writing about a traumatic or challenging experience for 15 to 30 minutes on four separate occasions. For 15 to 30 minutes on four separate occasions, either four consecutive days or once a day for four weeks. There are specific guidelines that, again, I'm not going to break down here, but it's shown to have measurable benefits for both mental and physical health. So please do listen to that podcast and give it a go. I mean, just think how much you might be able to move the needle for your health if you just take I think you said between 15 to 30 minutes. Four times. How might that benefit you? Okay, and then I wanted to mention one other fascinating takeaway I took from that episode, which is that there is no measurable difference between typing and handwriting when it comes to journaling's benefits. That blew my mind. I was under the impression I don't know when or where I was told this, but I thought that you really needed to write things out, like handwrite them, in order for them to be the most beneficial or for it to be kind of proper journaling, so to speak. But apparently they've done research on this and that is not the case. So if you keep your journal in a Word document and you type it in, then you're good to go, which is kind of great. So I mean, for all those people who have never journaled because they just don't want to handwrite, you are now back on the hook because you can still journal even if you're typing. Really, it's about whatever makes you more likely to stick with the practice. So give it a go if you haven't.

Speaker 1: 7:30

I also wanted to just do a short note on pretty journals. There's this like pretty journal problem People who go out and they buy these gorgeous notebooks that then sit on a shelf unused because they feel like too pretty to mess up. I've met so many clients who hoard these beautiful journals but then like hesitate to write in them because the inside has to match the outside. They don't want to like make it dirty by everything that they unburden themselves with in it. But here's the thing Journaling is messy, and it's supposed to be, especially if you're using it to process pain or confusion or limiting beliefs. It might get emotional, you might stain the pages with your tears, it might be grammatically incorrect, there might be misspellings, and that is okay. That's exactly what it should be. This is a private space for raw truth, not polished perfection. So if pretty journals are holding you back, just grab a simple lined notebook, leave a couple of pages at the front so that you can kind of jot down key highlights or a table of contents once you've gotten it written, and then just write it, date it, fill it, use it.

Speaker 1: 8:46

Journaling is not about doing anything perfectly. It's about showing up for yourself, whether it's one line a day or only periodically, after you've had a tough moment or a big understanding, a big breakthrough. There is so much power in giving your inner world a voice. So experiment, find what works for you and don't get caught in the trap of thinking that there's one right best way. If you have questions or want to share your experience, I would love to hear from you. Email me anytime at rootsoftherise at gmailcom.

Speaker 1: 9:23

Again, I will link the Huberman Lab episode in the show notes. It's really worth a listen if you're curious about that evidence-based protocol. Thanks for tuning in today. Until next time, know who you are, love who you've been and be willing to do the work to become who you want to be. Just a quick reminder this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist and nothing shared here is meant to replace the guidance of a physician, therapist or any other qualified provider. Shared here is meant to replace the guidance of a physician, therapist or any other qualified provider. That said, I hope it inspires you to grow, heal and seek the support you need to thrive.