Each month I host a free 'Journaling for well-being' workshop. It's 30 minutes of support and inspiration for your journaling practice. We focus on two techniques:
1 - Wild writing, a free-style journaling method.
2 - Utilising guided prompts around a particular theme.
The theme for the session was 'befriending your inner voice'.
We all have an inner voice - some days it may appear louder than others. What we hear all day every day has an impact on our work, our relationships, our happiness and our overall well-being.
Imagine that voice in your head was your greatest cheerleader, encouraging you at every step of the way or offering compassionate words when things got tough. For most of us, that is not the case. Instead, our inner voice takes on a harsh tone, and tells us we’re not good enough or we should be doing more.
According to the National Science Foundation, we have between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative and 95% play on repeat. The repetitive nature of our minds means we hear those messages over and over, and are not able to distinguish truth from falsity.
Befriending your inner voice helps prevent you from getting stuck in a spiral of negativity and enables you to empower yourself to do the things you want to do.
The first step to doing that is building awareness of that voice. Try these journaling prompts to help you dive deeper into your inner voice, and challenge yourself to turn an unhelpful inner voice, into an empowering one.
Where does your negative or unhelpful inner voice come from?
What triggers your unhelpful inner voice?
What does your inner voice say to you in those moments?
To what extent do you believe these messages from your inner voice to be true?
What fears are at the heart of your inner voice?
In what ways could your inner voice be trying to protect you?
How does this ‘protective’ perspective change how you feel about your inner voice?
What messages from your inner voice leave you feeling fulfilled and empowered?
In future, how can you encourage your inner voice to speak from a place of compassion and love, rather than fear?
What messages from your inner voice would help you feel confident and happy today?
Join us next month for another journaling workshop on 7th August where we will focus on relationships and boundaries.
Want to explore your inner voice further? Have a listen to this practical Inner Voice Masterclass with Viv Groskop and Dr Ethan Kross.
If you find these prompts useful, why not come along to one of my free journaling workshops which take place monthly throughout the year - the details can be found here.
Alternatively, you can download my free journaling toolkit to get your started.