Hi Girls!

If you're interested in journal therapy or life coaching, I would love to meet you. You can book a free Meet & Greet call here: www.roguemindliving.com/roguemindcoaching

In this episode of The Rogue Mind Journaling Club Podcast, I focus on the words drainage and containment. Both words have conjure pretty specific images of natural disasters and medical problems, but both are also beautifully applicable to journaling.

When our thoughts overwhelm us, when we are emotionally flooded, we need an outlet, a place for our emotions to go so we can free our body of the flight-fight-freeze response. When we stay there too long, it can have actually physical effects on our body like headaches, indigestion, and illness. Our journal is the container and the act of writing is the drain.

This grounded journaling method can be really helpful in moments of intense flooding or just afterward to help you process what just happened.

1. Place your palms on your legs and press firmly. This practice grounds us, pulling us out of our minds and back into our body.
2. Take three long deep breaths. Breathe in to the count of 4, hold for 4, breathe out for a count of 7.
3. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and pick up my pen and write stream of consciousness until the timer goes off and then stop right away. This signals a safe boundary to your nervous system.
4. Close your notebook and press your hands firmly down, mimicking the opening exercise. Take three more deep breaths, but this time visualize the most beautiful and safe locked container. Visualize putting your journal into this container where you can return to them if needed, but where they stay contained.
5. Put the cap on the pen, closing the session.

Connect with me on Instagram @roguemindliving to let me know how it goes for you! Check out my content about journaling, my journey, and the transformations possible with life coaching.

May you find solace in your journaling practice this week, so you can live joyful, not anxious.

Love,

Katie