Mindful Writing and Relaxation Practices to Calm your Mind
A progressive muscle relaxation practice and therapeutic mindful writing prompts for reflection and emotional release
At the start of my master coach training earlier this year, my classmates and I attended a weekend retreat where we all made vision boards that are intended to help guide us as we go through the program.
The finished board sits in front of my desk where I can see it every day. At the top of my vision board are the words “Find More Calm” and those words have become a central part of my goals for the training and for my life.
As part of my daily mindful practices I focus on finding calm and one of the ways I do that is through meditative journaling.
My meditative journaling practice is different from my morning writing practice. In the mornings, I always do a gratitude writing practice along with setting an intention for the day. If I have time, I may respond to some journal prompts or do some free writing.
In the evenings, though, after I do a relaxing mindful yoga practice, I often like to add some meditative journaling.
What makes journaling meditative or mindful? It starts with connecting to your breath and focusing on staying in present moment awareness. I also like to sprinkle in some curiosity and playfulness.
I recommend doing some mindful movement, such as yoga, before writing, as well as some form of breath meditation. I also love to do a progressive muscle relaxation and follow it with writing.
Here is a progressive muscle relaxation exercise for you to try, and I’ve also given you some ideas for calming and therapeutic writing exercises that you may find helpful. It’s important to remember, though, that any kind of writing is beneficial and you don’t need to stick to any particular form. Just pick up your pen and start writing!
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise
Sit comfortably in your chair (or lie down on a flat surface such as a bed or couch) and make sure your clothing is not tight or restrictive. Notice your breath flowing in and out through your nose.
Start with your right hand and make a fist, clenching tightly, then releasing your hand. Notice the feeling in your hand and forearm. Repeat with your left hand.
Progressively move through all the muscle groups in your upper arm and biceps, doing one at a time and then both.
Next, move through your shoulders, neck, head and facial muscles.
Once the upper body has been tensed and relaxed, it’s time to move onto the lower body. Your legs, thighs, shins and feet may be tensed and relaxed individually.
Once all muscles have been relaxed, lie quietly for a few minutes and enjoy the feeling.
5 Therapeutic Writing Exercises
When you have some pent up emotions that you’d like to release, here are some therapeutic writing exercises to try:
1) Unwritten letters – If you’re having difficulty expressing your feelings to someone, write them a letter. The letter will not actually be sent, but the process of writing may make you feel better. Write down all your feelings and then either keep the letter in your journal or dispose of it.
2) From a distance writing – Try experimenting with writing in the third person and describe the events that have taken place as if they happened to someone else. This allows you to create some distance from your thoughts and feelings and perhaps be a little more objective.
3) Future autobiography – Write about an alternate future. Where would you like to see yourself? Where are you living? What are you wearing? Who are you with? Write all the details and be creative. Anything goes!
4) Letter from your future self – Write a letter to yourself from 2, 5 or 10 years in the future. What would your future self like to say to your present self? What is she thinking and how is she feeling?
5) Mission statement – This is a focused statement outlining your desired life purpose. It may help you discover the next step you want to take in life. Do you have a clear sense of purpose? What do you want to achieve? Creating a mission statement may help you create a more positive outlook.
Reminder: You do not need to have any experience to start writing. It’s a practice, just like yoga or any other mindful activity. However you write is just perfect for you.
Enjoy the experience!
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I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
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What is stopping you from living your best life? Get out your journal and a pen and take the new quiz on my website to find out:
Are you interested in learning more about life change & mindset coaching from a mind/body perspective? Please email me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com for more information or to schedule a free introductory consultation to see if coaching is right for you. You can also visit my website coaching page.
"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
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