WEBVTT - Make journaling useful

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is about some useful things you might write

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<v Speaker 1>in a journal. Many people journal in order to process

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<v Speaker 1>emotions and solve problems, but certain approaches make those things

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<v Speaker 1>more likely to happen than others. Today's tip, like a

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<v Speaker 1>few others this week, comes from Tara Schuster's book By Yourself,

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<v Speaker 1>the Lilies and Other Rituals to Fix Your Life from

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<v Speaker 1>someone who's been there. As I mentioned in the other episodes,

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<v Speaker 1>that is not the exact name of the book, but

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<v Speaker 1>it's close. Tara talks about ways to become a Ninja

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<v Speaker 1>of self love, how to take care of yourself so

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<v Speaker 1>you can do great things in the world. She notes

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<v Speaker 1>that journaling has been helpful for her. She writes in

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<v Speaker 1>her journal almost every morning. It helps calm her and

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<v Speaker 1>helps her process what's going on. How does that work?

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<v Speaker 1>As she writes, a journal is not a place to

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<v Speaker 1>record the daily events of your life. It's not a

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<v Speaker 1>place to describe the sushi you had for dinner last night,

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<v Speaker 1>although if it's really good sushi, go ahead and do that.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a place where you can get in touch with

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<v Speaker 1>your core, with what you believe. Some of us have

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<v Speaker 1>very limiting beliefs, but are totally unaware that we've set

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<v Speaker 1>such a low bar for ourselves. Journaling is the gift

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<v Speaker 1>that gives us a chance to uncover what is true.

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<v Speaker 1>The truth is that you can heal your past traumas,

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<v Speaker 1>you can build the life you want for yourself. But

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<v Speaker 1>you're going to have to do the work. All that

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<v Speaker 1>sounds good but might not be helpful when you are

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<v Speaker 1>sitting there with a pretty notebook and a nice pen

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<v Speaker 1>and trying to figure out what to say. So here

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<v Speaker 1>are a few writing prompts that Tara suggests for getting going.

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<v Speaker 1>You might begin today here are ten things I like

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<v Speaker 1>about myself. Now, perhaps that is a tough thing to

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<v Speaker 1>do when you are feeling down, but it will be

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<v Speaker 1>a good reminder as you go about your day. Or

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<v Speaker 1>you might begin today, I am grateful for this very

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<v Speaker 1>small thing that happened yesterday. Did someone send you a

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<v Speaker 1>nice email? Did you see some pretty flowers at the

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<v Speaker 1>deli around the corner? Write it down? Or dearest journal

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<v Speaker 1>I have a question I have been mulling over in

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<v Speaker 1>my brain, and I thought you might have an answer. Really,

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<v Speaker 1>you are just tapping into your own wisdom. But sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>this framing can help. Or here is what I want

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<v Speaker 1>people to say about me when I'm not around. This

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<v Speaker 1>a useful tool for figuring out the kind of person

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<v Speaker 1>you are working towards becoming. Or if nothing else mattered,

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<v Speaker 1>not money, not other people's expectations, not kids, not jobs,

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<v Speaker 1>nothing my dream day would look like. Try to really

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<v Speaker 1>get the details here. Visualization can help you figure out

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<v Speaker 1>what you want in life. Or there is something I've

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<v Speaker 1>always wanted to deal with but I haven't for some reason.

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<v Speaker 1>Here goes. As Tara notes, it's amazing, but most of

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<v Speaker 1>the time we actually know what we most need to tackle.

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<v Speaker 1>We just need to commit to it. Any of these

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<v Speaker 1>writing prompts can make keeping a journal a very useful exercise,

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<v Speaker 1>so why not give one a shot. As Tara writes,

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<v Speaker 1>you can't control the narratives of the outside world, but

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<v Speaker 1>you can control the story you are telling yourself in

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<v Speaker 1>your journal. I suggest you make it a good one.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple

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<v Speaker 1>po Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Yeah,