The Journal Ritual You Didn't Know You Needed

The Journal Ritual You Didn't Know You Needed - Gratitude Journal

Self-Care is doing the inner work to discover what makes you uncomfortable because the more you know about yourself, the deeper you can heal & the more you can grow.

Everyone who knows me well, knows that I am obsessed with journaling. Literally, I can remember the very first diary I ever got as a little girl. It was red and it had a pretty deep gold lock on it. It was so precious and I was absolutely so fascinated by it.

A private little book where I could pour all of my thoughts and secrets I didn’t want to share. It felt so satisfying to hold secrets with my little red companion. I also was very specific about the pens I wrote with. For a while, I even was obsessed with mechanical pencils, I loved the way you had to click the top three times to get just the right amount of led for my hand to glide across the pages.

It was bliss to me.

Even today, you can never find me without some kind of notebook in hand. There are so many benefits to journaling, you can read them here. I am always jotting down ideas, thoughts, plans, realizations, etc. When I learned the importance of de-cluttering the mind with journaling, the impact on your mind it is when you write something down and how morning pages can change your life…I became unstoppable.

In 2018 I wrote my first guided journal which was so personal to me at the time.

So then in 2021, I went through some major life changes and I was craving an up-level in my life. I actually started a new journaling ritual that stepped up my journaling in an entirely new way.

I included gratitude journaling every single day.

After a few weeks, I noticed a difference in how I felt after I journaled. I felt more powerful, more ‘together’ and more in control of my thoughts and mindset.

I’m a double Capricorn, so I appreciate structure and guidance along a path. I love guided meditations, guided workouts, guided recipes and guided journals. It feels good to me to have direction and freedom to do it my way and at my pace. So, naturally, I had to create a beautiful journal for you (and for me) with my exact journaling ritual process so you could do it, too.

Here’s my journal ritual breakdown:

1. I always light a candle to set the mood. The mood is everything and the lighting from the candle just sets an ambiance that has you feeling calm. cozy and supported. You want a safe space to express your emotions. This is my absolute favorite candle ever.

2. I always need a cup of tea next to me when I am spending time with my journal. I love a lemon ginger tea the most, something about that combo always feels good to me. Because a warm cup feels so warming and comfortable. It just puts me at ease and preps me to open up my heart in the deepest way. It really gets you into your senses.

3. When journaling, sometimes I need to start the flow by writing out what I am grateful for. It helps for me to slow down my mind and get into the zone of appreciation and happiness. It warms my heart up a little so that I can fully get into letting out my soul onto the paper.

4. Then I take a moment to read the guided journal prompt. I close my eyes, take a deep breath and allow my soul to answer the question. Typically when we go to journal, our mind is ready to go, expressing all the fears, worries and what needs to be fixed. But try to move past/through that and see if you can bare your soul and share from the heart. Write as much as you can, the more the better. Even if you feel afraid to put certain things out on paper, it is a very cathartic and cleansing process. You’ll forge a deeper bond and connection with yourself when you do.

5. With each journal prompt, I add in an affirmation for you to recite to yourself throughout the day. Affirmations are thoughts geared toward increasing your self-love and confidence. They just feel so good when you let them really become your truth. I try not to just say it once and forget it. I repeat the affirmation in my mind all day long because the only way to reprogram your mind is through repetition and consistency.

In my new guided journal, The Daily Bliss, I created 111 journal prompts and affirmations as a daily personal reflection to inspire self-love, nourish your soul and realize your worth. I also have space for you to everyday write down a few things that you are grateful for. It’s a beautiful ritual to embark on every single day to help you connect to your inner self.

Your new journal can accompany you everywhere so you can always practice a little self-love and self-care on the go. When you feel an anxiety attack hit, a negative thought spiral, get in a tiff with a co-worker or feel frustrated by the world around you. Your journal will be your ability to connect back to your own bliss within. That feeling when you pour into your own cup instead of giving so much of yourself, you feel depleted.

I’d love to know, do you like to journal?

Morning Rituals: 6 healthy wellness habits you should do every single morning

Mornings. For me, the morning is the most important part of the day. Something I have learned over the years is that how you spend your mornings, determines how the rest of the day plays out.

If I force myself to wake up early, fight my natural bodies rhythm, I wake up feeling forced (very masculine energy based). However, when I am intentional about preparing myself for a morning routine that feels good, I bring an energy that impacts my entire day.

When you create routines, habits and rituals, you can set your days up with purpose and intention that will lead to a blissful life. It is a non-negotiable for me and I refuse to skimp out on my morning routine. So, I thought I would write a blog post, to accompany my most recent podcast episode (you can listen to the episode here).

HOW I PREPARE FOR MY MORNING RITUALS:

I get myself ready for my morning the evening before. Sometimes, when I need some good rest, I drink my hot Calm magnesium drink to help me to fall asleep faster. I also keep blue light glasses with me at night when I am watching tv, on my laptop or my phone before bed. When you are staring at blue light at night, it tricks your mind/body into thinking that it is daytime and messes up your natural circadian rhythm. I also make sure I get good sleep by investing in good bedding and wearing comfortable pajamas.

6 habits I do every single morning and why:

01 | Hydration.

The minute I wake up, I brush my teeth. That’s just a natural instinct. And then I go directly to the kitchen and make myself this electrolyte enhanced water drink. There are a lot of morning powder drinks I have loved over the years but so far, this one takes the cake. It’s NOT an energy drink, its just a drink that is specifically made for hydration. It has so many vitamins that are good for the body, magnesium, potassium, zinc, etc.

I used to wake up and go straight for the coffee but I decided to switch it up and make sure I get my hydration in first and then have my coffee. I’ve found that I actually consume less coffee and have more overall energy throughout the day. It’s been an incredibly significant shift in how my days go. I love this stuff.

02 | Set intentions for the day

After I do all of my morning hydration, I head over to my altar and light one of my Blissful Living Ritual candles so I can set my intention for the day. Intention setting is key for me in the mornings, it just helps me to focus my brain on what I want to create for the day. Often, it will be a sales goal or sometimes, it may just be to have more calm. It really doesn’t matter what intention you set, the most important thing is that you put your attention and focus on what it is that you want to create and manifest.

In Feng Shui, lighting a candle is activating. It’s sparking a fire to you goal or intention and the energy of fire is activating. So, I have always been a fan of lighting candles as a way of manifesting what you want. It’s a full mind/body/spirit ritual.

03 | Morning journaling

Then, I get right into my journal. Journaling for me is everything. You can read more about my experience journaling here and here. I am a huge fan of the morning pages, free writing for 3 pages straight. Sometimes I will write 6 pages because there is just so much to get out of my head. I believe so much in the importance of decluttering the mind first thing in the morning before you begin your day. It just helps so much so that you are able to use your mind to be mindful and present, not in overthinking and future tripping.

If you have a hard time with journaling, you can check out my Blissful Living 30-day guided journal.

04 | Dress up for your dreams

Dress up for the life you want to attract. If I could tell you to do ONE thing in the morning that would completely change your life, it would be this. Getting ready every single morning is a way of telling the Universe you are ready for your best life. When I wake up a mess, get lazy around getting ready, it impacts my whole day. I don’t feel as inspired to do all of the things I want to do because I just don’t feel it.

However, when I spend my morning intentionally, put on a cute outfit, do my hair and makeup, put on my jewelry and put myself together I feel ready for ANYTHING that comes my way. It’s what I call “dressing up for your dreams” because the Universe is more likely to bring you opportunities when you are out there in your radiant light and magnetism.

When you are moving around feeling dumpy, not proud of yourself, hiding your light…you aren’t in your feminine magnetism which is your power of attraction! This for me, is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your life.

05 | Get in your daily greens

A green smoothie or green chlorophyl. Back in July of 2021, I began making my green smoothie recipe every morning and it completely changed me and my body. I get my nutrients in and feel full by the time I have my smoothie because I’ve had so much hydration and filled myself up with things that are healthy and good for me.

06 | Make the bed like a hotel

I make my bed, every single morning. And I do not miss a day. Well, every so often I do miss a day and boy can I feel the difference. My grandmother really pressed this ritual into me. She taught me how to make a bed perfectly so that I would feel organized, calm and able to focus on the day. And when you get back into bed for the evening, its a beautiful experience.

Studies have shown that a cluttered, messy home impacts your focus, attention span, sleep habits and more. So when you can do one small thing to make your home feel more tidy, put together and organized you are doing it as a gift to your mind and your overall well being. It will set you up for a beautiful, powerful day.

Hope you enjoyed my morning ritual tips, to take it even further I recorded a podcast all about the specifics of my morning routine, my favorite morning hacks and a few more things you can do to start your day up with strong rituals!

Love you, Ashlina