Too often the significance of moments and things in our lives are only understood retroactively, and certainly journaling is one of those things in my own life. Although now, I am facilitating workshops and hosting retreats that are centered around journaling as a tool for processing and connection, my understanding of the value of this incredible tool wasn’t always present in my world. So before getting into the extreme value that journaling holds now in my own life, let’s start from the beginning of my own journaling story.
High school was some of the most memorable years of my life, but they were also some of the toughest emotionally. Being an empathetic person simultaneously in the raging hormonal years of adolescence, certainly made for emotionally overwhelming years. I spent most of my time in my bedroom when I wasn’t at school or cheerleading practice. With the bedroom door closed, I often found myself writing song lyrics as I listened along on my Discman and writing teenage romantic fantasies of crushes and celebrities in my notebooks. My favorite was to stay up late enough for everyone else in the house to be sound asleep, to then switch on my bedside lamp, and scribble away into the late night hours.
I can remember specifically receiving my first true journal from one of my friends for my 16th birthday, and that provoked me even more to treasure my thoughts and keep them on paper. Truthfully speaking, journaling became a ritual in my own life as a necessity in those angsty years. It was the place I felt I could write the words that I couldn’t speak, it was the place I felt understood, and a place I felt I could feel all the things fully with a closing sigh of relief. Even beyond high school, journaling remained present in my life.
When did I first start journaling? What motivated me to start a journaling practice?
As the years went on, and I started my collegiate journey and beyond, the stacks of journals continued to multiply as journaling became a truly familiar practice of my own. It became one of the consistents in my life, and although the way in which I integrated the practice into my days varied, it was always a touch point for me to come to and feel understood in ways most people never made me feel. Navigating through relationship worries, school stresses, family pressures and so on, became so much of my journaling writings throughout my undergraduate and chiropractic schooling years. It became second nature, and it felt natural for me to simply write when I had my journal close by.
Some years ago, while sitting in my bedroom of the community house I was living in, back in my hometown of Philadelphia, I found myself with all of my journals on my bed. I was in a transitional time of my life, shifting from being an in office chiropractor to a mobile one and working on a newer food business venture with a friend. A lot of what was going on in my days was exciting and new but also a bit nerve wracking and unknown. The beauty of this transition out of the office is that I had a lot more say over my schedule and time, and ultimately had a lot more time to reflect and reconnect to myself. And with my journals surrounding me, rereading my own story made for the perfect place to begin the reconnection.
Never before having read through my journals consecutively, starting from my teenage years, that day was certainly a revealing journey. After spending the day with my own words, that existed in different eras of my life, I was able to clearly see some repeating patterns that I cycled and were cycling through. At that moment, I understood the importance of not only keeping a log but also reflecting back on it. It was a moment I realized some of my own unconscious behaviors that perpetuated circumstances I had been in, repeatedly.
I was like, “Wow! Who knew that 16 year old Hava’s ways would be showing up in my 30’s?”
In what ways has journaling been a support in my growth and evolution? How do I foresee it being incorporated in my life moving forward?
This in part, was where the tables turned for me, when I knew there was something I wanted to share with others around the power of journaling. This was when I grew to understand the importance journaling had in my own life, not only the act of doing but in the opportunity to grow and evolve as a human.
So I leave you with some questions for you to journal on, as a way to connect to the importance of the moments that got you here and now.
What were some of the challenges I faced during my teenage years, and how did I cope with them?
Have I ever revisited old journals or writings from my past? If so, what insights or patterns did I discover upon reflection?
Can I recall a transitional period in my life when I felt a shift in perspective or direction?
About the Author
Dr. Hava Rose inspires comfort and ease within the scope of whole being and wellness. With over 10 years experience in chiropractic medicine and over 5 years leading workshops and retreats centered around journaling for community and corporations, Hava approaches total well being creatively by inspiring people’s highest potentialities through journaling, meditation and communal connection. These spaces imbue alchemical transformations that allow humans, teams and leaders to discover deeper connection to themselves and empowerment through their communities.
To connect with Hava and her upcoming events and offerings, be sure to stay in touch with her by subscribing to her newsletter at drhavarose.com. You can find her this spring in Nicaragua for her Journaling Retreat, The Write Echo World Retreats in Nicaragua happening May 19th-24, 2024, bringing you a full retreat experience that pillars itself to journaling and cultural immersion.
