I’m really good at finding things.
I have a strong visual memory, so if I see it, I can generally remember where it is.
I once had a colleague laugh when a family member called me at work to ask for help locating some important paperwork:
“The last time I saw it, it was in a stack of papers next to your bed. Look maybe halfway down the pile.”
And that’s exactly where it was.
This weekend I was on the hunt for something that eluded me for two days.
Once upon a time, I decided I was going to stamp metal ornaments for holiday gifts, so I bought a full set of letter and number stamps. They are perfect for the pottery project I want to create in class tonight and I just couldn’t lay my hands on them.
They came housed in red rectangular boxes and I kept them with my craft supplies. I could close my eyes and see them in the bin stored in our attic.
Except that we moved two years ago.
And my craft bins are no longer together in the attic. My sewing supplies are in the basement, my knitting and crochet supplies are divvied up between my girls, my quilling supplies are in my youngest’s room, my embroidery and calligraphy supplies live in my bedroom closet. And I checked every one of those places, but could not find those stamps.
I finally found them in the attic of the garage in a stray craft bin tucked away in a corner. It was the exact bin I pictured seeing the stamps last and that’s exactly where they were!
I’ve discovered that journaling helps me improve my memory.
The more I write things down, the more vividly I remember them.
Within the pages of my journals, I’ve written conversations, described trips, recorded memories.
And as I read them, the details come flooding back. And with them, the feelings.
Worry and overwhelm that time I overloaded my grocery cart, forgetting that I’d have to carry all my groceries in plastic bags on the train and then up the big hill to my apartment.
Gratitude and relief when I made it home with all my bags intact!
Awe at seeing the Rocky Mountains for the first time and realizing WHY they were called the Rocky Mountains.
Heartbreak when my last grandparent died.
There was a long stretch of time when I didn’t journal regularly. My children were small and I was busy and tired, and I really did expect I was going to remember all the cute and wonderful things they did.
And not only do I not remember, I missed out on years of getting to know myself.
And I lost myself for a while.
But as soon as I started writing again, I found myself.
I’m so grateful this practice does so much for me.
I just hope it can now help me locate the black lace wrap my daughter wants to wear to Homecoming this weekend. I have until Saturday!
Weekly Journal Prompts:
Use these prompts as written or as inspiration to uncover what you need in your life this week.
Write about a time you felt blissful and happy. What were you doing? What were the circumstances? Who else was present?
Write about a time you were disappointed. What happened? How did you bounce back from your disappointment?
Write about a time you felt overwhelming awe. What caused it? How can you capture those feelings and carry them forward in your life?
What other emotions can you recognize and name? Tell a story about a time you felt those feelings.
One Journaling Idea I Love:
Feelings Wheel
According to Brene Brown’s research, people can, on average, only recognize three emotions as they’re feeling them: happiness, sadness, and anger.
But there are so many more! In her book, Atlas of the Heart, Brown talks about 87 different emotions and experiences that all humans can access.
How can we get better at accurately recognizing and naming our emotions?
I love to use a Feelings Wheel in conjunction with my journaling. The inner circle names the primary emotions and the middle and outer circles go into more depth and nuance, helping us to identify exactly what we’re feeling.
Better Me in 2023 - Starting in Just Eight Days!
I invite you to join me for Better Me in 2023, my new journaling program.
We’ll dive into journaling to look at different areas of our lives and how we want to improve throughout 2023.
We’ll learn and grow.
Ease our anxiety.
Be more organized and productive.
Take better care of ourselves.
Improve our relationships.
And so much more!
We’ll journal separately and together, and hold space for each other as we explore.
And I’m so excited to get this party started that we’re not waiting for 2023 to get here!
We start in November with a deep dive into gratitude.
And use December to reflect on where we’ve been and to launch ourselves into the new year.
New themes every month!
Pick the months you want to join us,
Or you can sign on for 6 months or the whole 12 month journey!
Download a copy of this PDF.
Register for the adventure. (Registration links are at the bottom of the PDF and also underneath the flyer image below.)
Share the information with a friend!
I can’t wait to journal with you! 💛
Register for 1 month, 6 months, or 12 months!
Happy Journaling!
Great post! I have had lots of occasions where I've had to buy a replacement for the whatever-it-is I hadn't been able to find... and then I'd put that replacement thing in the best place my brain could think of to store it. And guess what? THAT place would always turn out to be where I would find the original whatever-it-is....
Curiously I've not ever reverse-engineered this, in that I've never gone through the process of working out in advance 'IF I had to buy a replacement whatever-it-is, WHERE would I then store it?'. I clearly have work to do!