Mindspace Magazine Issue 1 | June 2016 | Page 21

Dear diary... Health & Lifestyle · Dear diary Can’t quite get to grips with the art of meditation? Bored of breathing exercises? Sometimes, vocalizing, describing or writing down certain situations can help one to become more mindful. Journaling has been found to be a great alternative when it comes to improving your mindful abilities as it helps you to become more reflective, more conscious, and more in the moment. Here is a list of four different journal types and their benefits, should you ever decide to take up journaling or simply feel the need to spice things up! 1 The ‘Dear Future Me’ Letter 2 Writing a letter is always so interesting, especially when you write one to your future self. Keep a piece of you alive and put your hopes and dreams on paper. Write about all the things you want to remember and all the The Dream Diary Sometimes your subconscious is trying to tell you something. A dream journal can help you figure this out. Note down all the dreams you feel are a sign and track them. If you suffer from nightmares, writing them down can help you escape from them. Nightmares tend to cling, but writing them down pokes holes in their shadows. things you wish you could do; in case your future self forgets. Do this frequently so that one day you can hold all the different versions of yourself and see how far you have come. 3 Birthday Journal 4 Every year on your birthday, write a journal entry about your day. What happened? What did you like? What was your favorite part of your special day? How do you feel being one year older? Take pictures and tape them in. One day you’ll be able to tell a story about your family and you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll be able to remember. Memory Journal Journaling can be good practice for your memory. What’s your earliest memory? Your second earliest? Note down the earliest memory that you can remember in this journal and try to work your way up to the present. If you feel like having an extra challenge, try to do it chronologically. Mindspace Magazine · Issue 01 · 21