The best way for me to access the not so pretty parts of my mind is to write it out. Free flow writing, without judgement or filtering for about twenty minutes and BOOM! There it is. It’s almost as if I try to tackle the not pretty head on it’s too daunting and I hide. But if I sidle up to those thoughts, I can get up close and personal without scaring them or me. No one really likes delving into this part of their brain, but if you want to be the best possible version of yourself, and I do, then facing it is necessary.
So writing works. But for most people, when you go to put pen to paper, big fat blank. So how to get started? Because once you’re started, I guarantee you can keep going for twenty minutes. If you can’t ask yourself how much your thinking about what your writing. Less thinking, more writing. The idea is to catch yourself by surprise remember.
My favourite way to get started is to ask one of the following questions:
- What has come up for me this week? This can be good or bad things, if I’ve been particularly happy it’s useful to explore what’s driving that so I can bring more joy into my life.
- What’s missing in my life right now? First thing that comes to mind and go!
- What do I want to change?
- What’s keeping me awake at night?
- What’s draining my energy or not serving me?
- Did I achieve what I set out this week? How do I feel about what I did achieve?
To be honest, I usually start with the first question and if that’s not flowing then I pick a second question to get me to the four page/twenty minute mark. Something comes up every week. Not always life changing and profound but always interesting and useful. Sometimes it’s just a good way to put some baggage to rest. No more carrying that burden around. And in these parts, we love liberation!
Tell me, what does your reflective practice look like?
An Independent Maven 