*** Journaling the Journey Through Grief

Many who grieve find comfort and healing through the journaling process. Writing truly does cause thinking. And thinking is the beginning of new awareness. And awareness is the beginning of transformation.

When the love of your life is no longer physically present in your everyday like, there is definitely a huge empty space in your life. Often there is a great need to express yourself.

Journaling can really fill that need in a safe and secure way.

Your journal can become your closest confidant.

You may ask if journaling is an isolating process.

There can be a tendency to withdraw. There can also be a tendency to get caught up in circular thinking.

But journaling can also lead to profound insights about yourself and your personal growth process. The problem is that it is often difficult to feel the concreteness of your healing through the traditional journaling process.

Journaling is most often a free-flowing experience. This free flowing expression of your inner life can be cathartic but still leave you feeling stuck in your feelings. Insights may come, but they may be experienced as confusion and lack of clarity.

During grief it can be difficult to tap into the vastness of the discerning mind. A bit of structure can be a great help.

What I mean by structure is working with more of a sense of process as you journal. This could be considered more of a coaching approach to journaling.

This structured journaling can be the foundation on which you build and grow into the new you that seeks to emerge through your pain of grief.

When you begin to consider journaling as part of your path to healing, remember that you do have choices.

· You can purchase a blank journal and simply start writing.
· You can use a blank journal and begin each entry with a question for focus.
· You can look for a journal which provides an interactive approach to the journaling process.

Journaling is truly a powerful healing and growing process, but you need to find the journal that works best for you. Research your options.