"I journal for reflection, uncovering my hidden thoughts and emotions with compassion"

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Season of Self Love, your daily dose of inspiration and encouragement.

[00:00:05] I'm your host Nyomi Banks and I am thrilled to be here with you today.

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[00:01:06] Hey good morning good evening good afternoon today it's Wednesday April 24th, 2024 and I

[00:01:13] want to welcome you beautiful people to another episode of the Season of Self Love podcast.

[00:01:18] I am your host Naomi Banks and today we will be diving deeply into journaling,

[00:01:25] a life-changing habit that I find deeply fulfilling and today's affirmation is

[00:01:30] I journal for reflection on covering my hidden thoughts and emotions with compassion.

[00:01:36] So as we celebrate April's beauty a month that represents and develop in rejuvenation

[00:01:42] let's look at how journaling can help us on our path to self love and self discovery.

[00:01:51] Not all journaling involves recording your daily activities it's an insightful

[00:02:00] very insightful tool for introspection that helps you to gradually reveal the fastest of

[00:02:07] your feelings and your experiences and I want to want you to think about how writing can help you

[00:02:12] to connect with your inner self and change the way that you handle your emotions and problems

[00:02:18] as we go through this episode all right. So we're going to take a quick break and when we

[00:02:21] come back we're going to dive more into this topic about understanding the affirmation of

[00:02:26] journaling and how to reflect reflection in uncovering our hidden thoughts and compassion

[00:02:32] all right it's your Gertie Gaddis nightmare right here only this season of self love podcast

[00:02:37] it would be right back. Get ready to bloom and blossom this April with season of self love

[00:02:44] it's a month filled with daily affirmations designed to uplift and empower you on your

[00:02:48] self-love journey. Join us as we delve deeper into these affirmations and learn how they

[00:02:54] can positively impact your daily life. Hosted by the insightful Naomi Banks each episode

[00:03:00] promises to be an incredible affirmation experience. Thus, we're thrilled to have our

[00:03:06] resident therapist Dr. Will Washington joining us to provide expert guidance and support.

[00:03:12] Tune in daily to the season of self love podcast and let's discover together the power

[00:03:16] of self love affirmation and personal growth. Don't miss out on this transformative journal

[00:03:24] subscribe now and start dreaming into the best version of yourself

[00:03:28] the season of self love podcast where every day is an opportunity for growth and self love

[00:03:36] all right welcome back it's your Gertie Gaddis. I'm Banks here with one of the season of stuff

[00:03:40] with a podcast and today we're talking about understanding the affirmation of

[00:03:45] my journal for reflection in uncovering my hidden thoughts and emotions with compassion

[00:03:52] yes so what we're going to do is before we get into this topic of hand we're going to

[00:04:00] do a nice little guided a nice little guided meditation all right all right here you go

[00:04:09] okay give yourself some time to center yourself and become totally present in your surroundings

[00:04:15] take a deep breath in

[00:04:25] take a deep breath down

[00:04:29] now you can feel the support beneath you keep you rooted in the present moment

[00:04:36] I want you to bring openness and curiosity into your being as you inhale

[00:04:41] and I want you to let go of any stress or outside distractions that you may be carrying with each breath

[00:04:50] now I want you to close your eyes

[00:04:53] yes now I want you to imagine that there is a soft caring light around you

[00:05:00] as you explore your buried thoughts and emotions

[00:05:04] a gentle curiosity and understanding and I want you to let this light be your guide

[00:05:14] any thoughts or emotions that have been brewing beneath this surface

[00:05:18] should come to mind I want you to give them a warm welcome and acknowledge their presence

[00:05:23] without passing judgment now inhale deeply once again while expressing your thankfulness

[00:05:31] for this chance to spend time with yourself

[00:05:35] let go of any uncertainties or anxieties and understanding that you are worthy

[00:05:42] of kindness and introspection now I want you to bring this attitude of self-compassion

[00:05:50] and centering with you as we get ready to start today's reflection

[00:05:55] so when you are appeared open your eyes slowly and start journaling with the fresh perspective

[00:06:03] and comprehension so as you return to your surroundings I want to allow the calm and steady

[00:06:09] energy from this meditation to accompany you during your journaling in your introspection time

[00:06:17] back if you are new here to the season of syphilis this is something that we do every Monday to Friday

[00:06:27] is that we do a nice little guided breathing or meditation before to kind of help center us

[00:06:33] before we get into the topic of hand and today we're talking about understanding the affirmation

[00:06:37] of I journal for reflection and uncovering my hidden thoughts and emotions with compassion

[00:06:46] and with writing in our journal is similar to conversing with your inner most self it enables

[00:06:52] you to compassionately accept a fate and face your feelings without passing judgment

[00:07:00] you see you give your thoughts a home outside of your head when you write them down

[00:07:05] this is a procedure that can help you to identify patterns in your beliefs

[00:07:09] and actions which can lead to self-healing in progress

[00:07:16] all right first let's talk about affirmation exploration and in this statement

[00:07:24] I journal for reflection uncovering my hidden thoughts and emotions with compassion

[00:07:30] it reminds me of that kindness that is necessary to step on a path of self-discovery

[00:07:37] you see we make room for insights and healing when we engage our hidden areas with kindness

[00:07:43] so let's talk about how to begin a journey routine that encourages this kind of thoughtful

[00:07:49] investigation all right so to begin the journey routine this encouraged thoughtful

[00:07:59] investigation and self-reflection and here's some things that you can follow all right here's some steps

[00:08:05] first set aside time dedicate a pacific time each day for journaling this can be in the morning to

[00:08:14] set intentions for the day or in an evening to reflect on your experience for me I've been known to do

[00:08:22] both in the morning when I go into my golden rose room that is where I write to set my intentions

[00:08:31] also especially when I go through my meditation and what I've seen through my visualization

[00:08:37] I will write that down as well a lot of times I would do it before I go to bed I would

[00:08:43] write about my experiences on what that day has brought for me

[00:08:48] um second is to create a relaxing environment find a quiet and comfortable space where you can

[00:08:54] focus without distraction light a candle play soft music or even incorporate any elements that

[00:09:00] help you to relax and sing to yourself again a few weeks ago I talked about creating

[00:09:10] making your whole house that that's something that I've done that I'm able to go in each room

[00:09:16] in my house except for my daughter and my mother's house those are only two rooms that I'm unable to

[00:09:21] go into and to have a relaxing moment you know for myself but in I've set it up to in each in every

[00:09:30] room of my house from my living room my family room to right here in the studio to even outside

[00:09:38] in the backyard um oasis like even by the garden like different spaces where I can find to where

[00:09:44] I can relax my bedroom my bathroom that I make it to where is a space to where you can have

[00:09:51] that relaxation where you can have that moment with yourself whether it's just staring outside of the

[00:09:58] the living room window or looking outside the the family room looking outside of that window

[00:10:04] into the pool these are things that and even the color coordination that I have throughout the home

[00:10:11] is is very relaxing it's very relaxing that's something that I truly believe that you that

[00:10:18] we all should do is make it to where you know when you're walking throughout your home is

[00:10:23] it's just a it's a vibe it's like a relaxing vibe um transitional you know it's just a

[00:10:32] transitional vibe that goes throughout my whole entire home um yeah I was gonna I was gonna share

[00:10:38] something I'm gonna keep on going all right the next one is to start with a guided meditation

[00:10:44] as we did earlier begin each journaling session with the short guided meditation to center yourself

[00:10:50] and tap into your thoughts and emotion the next one is use prompts for reflection consider

[00:10:58] using journey prompts to guide your thoughts and encourage deeper exploration some prompts my

[00:11:04] could include like what am I grateful for today or what emotions am I currently experiencing so doing

[00:11:12] that it helps you kind of give you that that that step up that first step up our next one is write

[00:11:19] freely allow your thoughts to flow freely onto the page without judgment write honesty and openly

[00:11:25] exploring your filling thoughts and experience without censoring yourself leave the judgment

[00:11:30] out the door this is the moment that you can truly be real raw and uncut with yourself in that book

[00:11:37] in that journey but when I say I have several different I guess I have about 20 I do

[00:11:46] a lot of times when I'm just in a in a mode I ain't gonna say a move but in a mode to where

[00:11:57] I can be in my family room and I might have a thought so let me share this with you so let me go back

[00:12:10] even though it's always good to be in a quiet space or you know waiting you know prepare yourself

[00:12:17] a lot of times thoughts comes in your mind at that moment in your time and I'm one

[00:12:21] that I go for it I'm one I will find out like I said I have books in each one of my rooms that

[00:12:27] I just take that book and I get the writing down writing it down whatever that I'm feeling at that

[00:12:33] moment at that time especially if I just came from out of a frustrating phone call or something

[00:12:38] like that that I need to release I also allow my journal to be a sign of releasing things

[00:12:45] as well releasing energy releasing words releasing trauma releasing that that book right there

[00:12:55] man that journaling book that's that's a healing process that's right there that's healing in itself

[00:13:02] that is the most powerful tool that you can use

[00:13:08] man that's a powerful tool to journey number six is reflect review take time to review your

[00:13:14] journal entries and periodically to identify patterns incisive areas for growth reflect on

[00:13:21] your journey in celebration progress the next one is practice self-compassion approach your

[00:13:28] journaling practice with self-compassion and kindness and embrace your vulnerabilities and

[00:13:33] honor your feelings as valid and important so by incorporating these steps into your

[00:13:39] journaling routine you can cultivate a practice that encourages thoughtful investigation

[00:13:45] self-awareness and personal growth I want you to remember that journaling is a tool for self-discovery

[00:13:52] and reflection so allow yourself the space and the grace to explore your inner world

[00:13:57] with curiosity and compassion I know a lot of people say well ain't that like uh writing your diary

[00:14:05] yeah it is um growing up I've never known a man to have a diary I was known of girls to have

[00:14:12] diaries I remember having a diary myself I remember my daughters having diaries themselves

[00:14:17] that's something that I've always told them that if there is a conversation that they

[00:14:21] couldn't have with me that they could share it into in their um in their diary now as they are

[00:14:28] older and they are grown and they are no longer living in my home I tell them that same way

[00:14:32] that you wrote into in that diary that's a part of your journal write those things in your journal

[00:14:37] but now instead of just writing something that's bad that you can't get out that you

[00:14:41] can't get off your chest when speaking to someone you know in real time but also this is

[00:14:46] where you can set intentions in it that you can set out how you want your day to go in the

[00:14:51] morning or even speak about how it ended during the day or also to speak about anything that

[00:14:58] you are feeling in that moment in a time in the middle of the day it was a show that I talked about

[00:15:06] a few months ago about taking a break like you work for an hour you take a break for I think

[00:15:13] like that 10 minutes a lot of times when I am sitting here and I'm preparing for either the

[00:15:19] shows or you know a blog or even you know getting things together from my mom with her

[00:15:25] insurance and stuff like that sometimes it can get very overwhelming so what I do is I get up

[00:15:30] and I go into my golden rose room and sometimes I'm able to just stare out the window and visualize

[00:15:36] but then at that moment I want to put that on paper and so I would take out my journal and

[00:15:42] I will write it down on paper I'll write it down in the book so the thing is is just truly

[00:15:51] knowing what to do with your journaling to sharing the words that you have within yourself

[00:15:57] and write them down it is it's a conversation with yourself but it also a conversation that

[00:16:03] you can go and look back at that's one thing that I did the very first book that I've written

[00:16:11] I actually use social media as my journal everything that I created in my journal I

[00:16:17] shared it on social media two years ago and I created an entire book for that

[00:16:25] with different prompts and everything and it's called Good Morning My Sexy People

[00:16:31] where I have one page where I'm giving my you know my or what's happening throughout my day or

[00:16:37] why this affirmation means something to me you know and that and then on the other page

[00:16:42] it is had with prompts and different questions and things like that where you can journal yourself

[00:16:48] that's what I did with my first journal I created a book for it but that's something that I did

[00:16:56] that I felt a need for that I felt that you know that it can better help others as well as this

[00:17:02] happened to me even to this day I still go back to that to that book and I write in it

[00:17:08] it was amazing that I was able to read a lot of the posts that I had posted before

[00:17:13] it was very therapeutic for me and that's when I knew okay hold on I need to share this with others

[00:17:21] so I literally took my journal from inside of my book took them and posted it on social media

[00:17:29] and took it from social media to put into a published book

[00:17:37] yes a published book

[00:17:42] so when I tell you about writing your thoughts your desires write them and when you go back and

[00:17:50] read them especially when you have when you have grown when there's some growth this has happened

[00:17:55] for you and you go back and you read some of that stuff amazing amazing and what I mean amazing

[00:18:05] because it's like I can see the growth in real time I can see where I was at a year ago or three

[00:18:11] months ago a damn three weeks ago and what my thought pattern is now yes

[00:18:22] so writing in your journal amazing great tool great great tool all right this is what I wanted

[00:18:31] to do I will take a quick break and then we're gonna come back and we're gonna finish

[00:18:33] off this conversation all right it's your girl you got his number banks here on the season of self love

[00:18:37] podcast and we'll be right back Washington Wells Institute focuses on healing always for me if I

[00:18:45] look good then I feel good if I feel good then I share the good if I share the good

[00:18:51] then I celebrate the good if I celebrate the good then I live the good so I can be paid to

[00:18:57] be my greatest but I have to learn the good to be the good so what does it take to be the greatest

[00:19:04] it's as simple as a free 15 minute consultation be kind to yourself and heal always

[00:19:15] I'm really welcome back it's your girl you got his number banks here on the season of self love

[00:19:19] podcast and today today we're talking about understanding the affirmation I journal like

[00:19:24] reflection by excuse me by uncovering my hidden thoughts

[00:19:32] and emotions with compassion I'm sorry all right so let's talk about the self love journey

[00:19:39] all right so as we discussed blossoming in April it um I want you to keep in mind that every

[00:19:45] entry that you make into your diary your journal remember is a seed to sow a personal

[00:19:50] development see these statements are your sunshine of water and it's assisting to sustaining you as a

[00:19:56] developer so by using affirmation in your journal you maybe remind yourself of the

[00:20:02] principles and the objectives that will direct your journey towards self love so let me let me tell

[00:20:10] you um when I first started my spiritual journey journey like really actively doing my spiritual

[00:20:20] journey and I remember my sister bought me a book of affirmations I remember this book the

[00:20:24] book of affirmations and in each one of the book is like you um you were reading your answer

[00:20:29] different questions but then you um you will write your affirmations down and this is before I

[00:20:34] truly knew what affirmations was and so I was kind of mimicking you know different things and

[00:20:41] write them down um you know in there so as I shared in Monday show about using a lot of our core

[00:20:48] values in your affirmations um so now you can intentionally live in your life with of who you

[00:20:55] are of your core values and I just want to share that story because I remember uh I remember

[00:21:01] having a whole book on this just one affirmation that was just through like

[00:21:07] 20 times it was it was a mess it but it was the first step of me doing it I just had to share

[00:21:14] that because when I say start small start small um I can laugh at it now because I can see the

[00:21:21] growth from then to now I can see the growth from then and now even in when I'm generally

[00:21:26] in my journal as when I'm speaking and talking it's a difference and I love to see that grow

[00:21:34] I love to see that grow I just had to share that with y'all and for that one all right

[00:21:40] all right so what I want to do right now is I want to lead you through a very easy

[00:21:45] journaling activity um all right just a real quick and easy that's it nothing you know

[00:21:52] nothing too hard or nothing like that if you've never if you've never written a journal and you

[00:21:57] like I ain't never written nothing like once I graduated from high school or whatever that was

[00:22:01] it I wasn't writing anymore we got a lot of people that's like that so I want to help you to get

[00:22:07] to where you need to go to where you can just start putting those words down on that paper

[00:22:12] and allow you to see who you are all right all right so I want you to take out a pad

[00:22:18] a notepad a piece of paper pen all right all right so the first thing is I want to do is I want you

[00:22:25] to record a recie event something that happened whether it was earlier today yesterday um and even

[00:22:33] if you don't do it right now and you wait till later on on today do it before you go to bed

[00:22:40] so even through what happened today write that down okay all right next now I want you to

[00:22:46] consider how you felt about it and why you felt that way so whatever that event was whatever that

[00:22:52] situation was what was your feeling in that moment how did you feel in that moment write it down do not

[00:22:59] censor yourself write it down how if it's cursed words in it write them down whatever it is write

[00:23:07] them down now the next what did you learn about yourself from it

[00:23:18] what did you learn about yourself from it

[00:23:25] now what I want you to remember is I want you to remember to respond to each response with empathy

[00:23:32] as though you were speaking with a close friend

[00:23:39] so when writing in your journal have self-compassion for yourself

[00:23:48] give yourself grace

[00:23:52] I can't stress that enough we are our hardest critic

[00:23:57] okay

[00:24:00] so you when you're writing down in that journal and you yes please

[00:24:10] please

[00:24:12] okay

[00:24:17] all right

[00:24:19] so in the light of today's conversation

[00:24:22] I think about

[00:24:25] many ways of writing that it can be effective a weapon in your self-love toolbox so finding thoughts

[00:24:34] that is not just the goal that is not the only goal the other is to turn them into building blocks

[00:24:43] for development and tranquility

[00:24:45] so again I am glad that you all can come in sit with me today listen to me today here on this episode

[00:24:56] and with any luck this episode would encourage you to take up a pen pick up a pen and begin purposely

[00:25:02] compassionate journaling I want you to remember to check back next week you know a few weeks as

[00:25:09] we dive into another but yet tomorrow tomorrow as we dive more into this topic on self-love and

[00:25:20] about affirmation all right right and so until then I want you to keep writing and I want you to keep growing

[00:25:32] have a good one

[00:25:33] thank you for listening to the season of self-love podcast and we hope that you enjoy this fun field

[00:25:43] with inspiration empowerment and self-discovery remember practicing self-love as a journey and

[00:25:50] not a destination for more information and to stay connected with us visit our website at

[00:25:58] the season of self-love podcast.com and if you have any suggestions or questions or feedback

[00:26:06] feel free to shoot us an email at seasonofselfloveatgmail.com and don't forget to follow us on instagram

[00:26:14] and facebook for daily doses of self-love tips motivation and community support so join our

[00:26:21] facebook group the season of self-love to connect with like-minded individuals on their journey

[00:26:28] to self-discovery and self-compassion thank you again for being a part of our community and

[00:26:34] dedicating to nurturing self-love and embracing self-worth so stay tuned for more exciting

[00:26:42] episodes and guests in the next season and remember you are worthy of love kindness

[00:26:48] and all the happiness in the world so until next time take care of yourself and spread love wherever

[00:26:54] you go see you soon