In my last blog I spoke about how having a Spiritual Practice is super helpful for the ADHD mind body, I also promised you more info on how to begin one of your own…
A regular spiritual practice grows our ability to pause and slow down, inviting some much needed stillness into the first and /or last moments of our day. From this introspective space we drop away from the chaotic, busy ADHD mind long enough to tune into a wellspring of calm and wisdom that resides within all of us.
This still, safe refuge, just beyond our conscious thinking mind, brings not only a sense of peace but also a sense of perspective, insights and wisdom.
Like a Prefrontal Cortex for the Soul, connecting with our inner, wiser self creates the pause, self awareness and direction we need..
Another massive benefit of harnessing this limitless inner resource is that it’s a part of us that’s perfectly whole, fully functional and unaffected by our diagnosis or our past. Or, as one of the members of my ADHD community so eloquently posted…
‘…because inside and deeper down there is no ADHD, there is just you…’
In this blog and the ones to follow I’ll share the tools I use myself to build a spiritual practice. These tools are a hybrid taken from such places as 12 step recovery groups ( whether A.A or ‘Anon’ programs & Codependency) M.B.S.R Meditation as well as the therapeutic work I’ve done for CPTSD. ( Complex, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ) I’ve taken parts from all these resources, tweaking them to fit my ADHD mind, ( which means they ought to work well for you too )
All of the Spiritual Tools I’ll share are Agnostic ( not religious or God centered in any way) so they’ll work for anyone willing to give them a try. They are, simply put, practical tools to reconnect us with your inner, wiser self that resides beyond the usual chatter of our regular work- a-day mind…
Today I’m going to walk you through the Practice of Reflective Journaling which is one of the mainstays of my own daily spiritual practice. As the name suggests Journaling is like a Journey or a Pathway that leads directly to your inner, wiser self. I’ll be sharing the same 3 step format I use myself to give you somewhere to begin your practice. Though this 3 step format works well for me, keep in mind that the best ‘systems’ for our types of minds are always ones that flow from your own unique, innate way of being. Flowing with the current versus against it! So please do take what you like and leave the rest, adapting this format for your own needs.
My 3 step Format for Reflective journaling for ADHD.
Using any spiral bound or plain notebook, note down the Day and Date. ( this will be super useful later when looking back at old entries, as it helps identify patterns in moods, reactions, health & relationships)
Step One: Jot down your Feelings…
( If you’re anything like I was when I began, you may find yourself unable to name your feelings ) No worries, this ability will grow with practice. I find a good starting place to become more attuned to our emotional feelings is to name our body sensations first. ( its like ‘Feelings 101’ )
EG: I’m feeling tired, achy, stiff, heavy, light and/or energetic etc.
From there it gets easier to name our emotional feelings such as: sad, depressed, angry, overwhelmed, frustrated, grateful, loving, excited etc.
Feel free to also include a narrative if it helps you start to warm up and start to time your feelings. ( I do this myself)
I’ll often begin my journal by simply writing down what’s happening in my life today and what’s going on with the weather, the news, with my family and then as I settle down into the practice I begin to tune into what’s going on with the inside me me, my body sensations, my emotions and so on.
Step Two: Identify your Needs…
“Feelings are like sign posts that point towards your needs, meeting those needs moves you forward in healthy ways that honors them both.”
Using the feelings you noted down to identify needs.
For example if you’re feeling cold your need is for warmth.
If you’re feeling sad the need could be simply to cry/ let it out and/ or you may find you need comfort or reassurance.
Once you’ve identified your Feelings and your Needs we move on to the last step.
Step Three: An Action and/or an Ask.
Lets say you identified through the process so far that you needed reassurance or perhaps connection, clarity, support or rest?
This step helps you to meet that need.
If you need reassurance for instance, what or who will meet that need? Can you give it to yourself? Can you ask a friend or family member? Read a book, piece of prose or listen to some music? Or can you bring it to your God/Higher Power/ The Universe?
Once you know, what or who can meet this need, you have your Action step or an Ask and can go about taking steps to meet that need.
That’s it. Feelings, Needs, Ask/Action… Done! 🙂
This valuable spiritual of Reflective journaling slows us down, helps us pause to access our wiser, calmer, inner self, grounding us fully in the present moment, allowing us to ‘check in with our feelings and our needs’ before taking off at break-neck speed into our day, which I turn gives us all a chance to choose more enlightened actions. Like I said, a Prefrontal cortex for the Soul!
My final tip for success in starting your own Journaling practice is to Keep it Simple. I can’t tell you how many of my past clients already had at least one ( most often even more ) beautifully designed and curated Journals that they’d been ‘waiting’ to begin, but could never get past the first perfectly polished page!
Though they were all thoughtfully laid out in ways that were supposed to break the process down with prompts etc, they too often only served to box them in, triggering their perfectionism and shutting them down.
So keep it simple and be willing to make a messy start with as plain a notebook as possible, refining this over time.
Please do let me know how it goes and/or please share your comments below on what gets in the way of creating a Journaling practice for yourself.