Think of your thoughts like a game of Where's Waldo. There are so many busy, colorful & distracting characters, it can be a challenge to know where to look for what's important.

Journaling allows you to examine & sift through all the non-Waldos in the form of extraneous, or superficial thoughts, in order to focus on the heart of the matter, which may, or may not be a guy in a striped shirt & beanie.

Getting to the heart of the matter with journaling can take some practice. One way to start is by taking a deep breath and grounding yourself by noticing the feeling of your body in your seat and the pen(cil) in your hand and asking yourself how you’re feeling.

Allow for a moment of silence. Perhaps close your eyes a moment. Then, start writing a stream-of-consciousness answer the question, “What’s coming up for me?”

Don’t edit. Don’t judge. Don’t lift pen(cil) from page for 10 minutes, or the duration of one page.

Were you able to go from surface into someplace deeper? When you’re done, ask yourself, “how do I feel now?” Noticing how you feel before and after journaling is a great way to celebrate, and thereby reinforce, the micowin of creating space for yourself and committing to that mindful moment of introspection.