How To Free Your Mind While Freeing Your Body

Another great, healthy way to express your mind when stressed, that you may not know about is meditative journaling. Mediative journaling is a great practice for all of you, who love poetry, creative/expressive writing, journaling, and just being creative in general. For myself, and hopefully for others, I feel this practice is a great way to express your thoughts, without force.

I first discovered this practice through a summer community college course. The class was called Meditative Journaling. Reading this title made me very intrigued, so I read further, and it explained that this class was a great way to find peace. And who doesn’t want more peace in their life? So, I wanted to give it a try!

Starting from the location of this class, I knew I was in for an adventure. We did not meet in a classroom, but at a local park. It was kind of funny because on the first day, I got lost trying to find the park and my fellow classmates. But eventually I did find where I was suppose to be and everyone introduced themselves. Then our professor gave us all individual notebooks that were going to be our meditative journals.  

Once she gave us our journals, she explained how to practice meditative journaling. First, we needed to find a place, specifically in nature, where we felt ease or peace.  Once we all found our spots, we stayed there for about 30 minutes. Within those 30 minutes, we observed the nature around us and wrote about what we saw. 

I always notice the trees, so I would write about how green they were, how they always seem to be saying hi in the wind. Then naturally, while I was focused on explaining something else, my real life issues would easily explode onto my page. And whatever came to mind, I just wrote down, without judgement or criticism, I wrote it all. 

I always feel this practice is extremely freeing in this sense, because usually when people, and myself try to write something, we try and force it out. And when things are forced, they’re never as good, and often they fail. That’s why I love this practice because when you’re not focused on creating something, and you’re focused on something that already exist, that’s when you can create something. In the silence, observing, and appreciation of it all. 

Also, not censoring myself is what truly helps me get my thoughts and feelings out. When you are too critical of what you are writing and you try to make it sound “cool,” again, that’s when you’re forcing something and it will never work. Often the feelings you’re trying to get out aren’t cool, so of course, your writing isn’t going to sound cool. It will sound however you feel, sad, angry, hurt, whatever you’re trying to express out of yourself. This is why I find this mediation so healing and therapeutic.

I am a big hiker, so when I learned about this practice, I started incorporating it on my hikes. Thus, when I reach the summit of a mountain, I take my photos, get some water, and then sit down and start typing on my phone. 

I first start by noticing the mountains, and acknowledging how far they go on, and the endless green that surrounds me. I continue to write about the beauty I see, and then naturally I write down what’s bothering me in my everyday life. Then I start to intertwine how the nature I see relates to my life. By focusing on something outside of my thoughts, my thoughts naturally come to me, instead of forcing them to come out. This is why I really love this journaling/meditating practice. It naturally allows me to free my mind.

After I finish writing, I feel so at peace with nature, myself, and the world in general. All my thoughts I had been thinking are written so perfectly on my phone, explaining how I feel about certain situations in my life. I feel so relaxed. 

In addition, this is how I’ve recently been writing my poetry. I will usually find myself again, on top of a mountain and I will admire/observe the pure beauty and impressiveness of our Earth. Once I start talking about the mountains, my life just pours onto the pages of my journal or phone. Then, when I’m back home, I will go back and finally edit my work. 

I feel mountains are the best place to do this meditation. Personally, mountain tops are the places that I feel most at peace, but many people find the ocean, lakes, gardens, snow, any place outside peaceful. Wherever you feel free, is where you need to practice this form of meditation. 

Also, the other biggest piece of advice I have to truly embrace and to get the most out of this experience, is to NOT judge yourself with the thoughts and feelings that come up. I challenge you, that when a thought or feeling that comes up that you don’t like, write it down. Then, ask yourself why you think that thought or why you feel that feeling. Keep asking that question until you get to the real root of why you feel or think that why. But when you ask the question, don’t harp on it. Let it sit with you, and sit in that feeling and silence for a bit.n Then, naturally in the silence, the answer will come to you, like in meditation, and you will just know that that’s the answer. 

And if you feel you haven’t come to the root cause, then keep asking yourself why you feel this why until you get to the root of the issue. Usually, it’s because you don’t feel worthy, or  enough. Jealousy and proving yourself has a lot to do with it as well, but again, these all stem from not feeling enough, not feeling worthy or deserving of what you truly want.  Which before I continue, I want to let you know, is not true, you are MORE than worthy and deserving of what you want. Anyways moving on, once you get to the true root of an issue, it doesn’t have hold on you anymore. And you will just know when you’ve reached the true root of your issue.

Part of the lessons in life I feel, are to find the lessons that you’re trying to get through. Thus, once you find the root of a feeling, you’ve come to the root of your issue, the root of a lesson. Then after that, you truly are free and can let it go, move on, and start living your life again, or until the next lesson you're meant to learn comes up. 

If you are interested in trying this activity out, all you need is a phone, or pen and journal/notebook. Then pick a hike, and or any spot in nature. And once you find a spot you feel called to, sit down, start writing, and enjoy the nature around you. You can do this activity anywhere in nature, the ocean, by a lake, a waterfall, by the woods, a cave, the forest, there’s so many places. Ultimately, I hope this practice helps you and allows you to have another healthy outlet to express your thoughts and feelings.