Journal Gently: Helping Introverted Women Find Healing After Grief, Hurt, and Trauma Kari Bartkus, Spiritual Director for Christian Women

When you are struggling with depression or anxiety, it can often feel heavy. Overwhelming. Hopeless.
The worries and fears you carry around can impact every aspect of your life. The sadness can overshadow every other thing around you.
I know, because I’ve been there. Have you?
And in addition to counseling or coaching or seeing a doctor, journaling has also proven quite beneficial for those experiencing depression or anxiety. There’s just something about getting things down on paper that allows you to express what’s stirring inside of you, to release some of the heaviness, or to adopt a more playful or curious attitude about something that feels very serious and heavy. 
So today, I want to review five guided journals designed specifically for those experiencing depression and anxiety. I’ll share more about each one and how it is created so you can discern if it might be a good fit for you or a friend of yours. 
Kari
 
>> 5-Minute Journaling Session for Anxiety
http://lovedoesthat.org/anxietyjournal
 
RESOURCES MENTIONED: (Amazon affiliate links)
Depression Relief Journal, by Maggie C. Vaughan
No Worries, from Bella Mente Press
My Anxiety Journal, by Sophia Joyce
Put Your Worries Here, by Lisa Schab
21-Day Prayer Journal for Anxiety and Depression, by Dr. Garrett Nogan
 
RELATED EPISODES:
·       Episode 122: Feeling Anxious? Try This 5-Minute Journaling Session
·       Episode 123: A Conversation with Marla Beech: Journaling as a Daily Practice
·       Episode 135: Identifying Signs You're Not Doing Well (And What You Can Do About It)
·       Episode 142: [Journal Reviews] Guided Journals and Devotionals for Advent
·       Episode 147: The Flip-Out Rule in Journaling
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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop
>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently
>> Grab your copy of my Courageous Care book
http://lovedoesthat.org/care
 
Music by DappyTKeys

It wasn’t that long ago that I led my Journal Gently Mini Workshop, and during that time, I led women through three different journal prompts that focused on perspective.
And here’s the kicker: I only offered five minutes for them to write about each one.
But you know what? So many of them were surprised at how much they were able to cover in only five minutes.
And I want you to discover that, too.
Today, I want to address the myth that we have to journal for twenty or thirty minutes for it to have any impact on our lives. The truth is, five minutes can make a huge difference.
Let’s talk about why, and then let’s explore some ways to get that five minutes to write, even when life is hectic.
Kari
 
>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop
 
RELATED EPISODES:
·       Episode 118: Tips for Journaling In Front of Others
·       Episode 137: 3 Easy Ways to Journal When You Don't Know What to Write About
·       Episode 146: Introduction to Journaling: Creating Your Own Journaling Routine
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>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently
>> Grab your copy of my Courageous Care book
http://lovedoesthat.org/care
 
Music by DappyTKeys

Have you ever had someone offer some sort of support or help to you that you didn’t necessarily want, but you didn’t know how to say no without hurting their feelings?
When you are hurting or struggling or need some extra help, you do get to have a say in the matter. You can choose which counselor you want to meet with. You can decide which friends to confide in. You can determine which activities are healthy for you and which ones are not. You look at what’s available to you and make a choice.
In short, you have the power to choose.
Not everyone is going to understand your choices, and that’s okay. The important thing is that you are letting God lead you in those decisions and that you are staying close to Him. You don’t want to make decisions out of guilt or fear or because you’re mad at someone. But you do want to make smart, healthy, God-honoring decisions when you are hurting. And sometimes that means saying no to someone else.
Today, I want to help you learn how to politely decline an offer of help—especially when it comes from someone you love. 
Kari
 
>> Grab your copy of my Courageous Care book
http://lovedoesthat.org/care
 
RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:
·       Episode 11: How to Ask for Help When You Need It
·       Episode 49: Finding Your Stretcher Bearers: The People Who Can Help Carry You Through a Difficult Season
·       Episode 70: What to Do When You Don't Have Anyone to Encourage You, When It Seems No One Cares
·       Episode 78: Tips for When You're Afraid of Being Misunderstood
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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop
>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently
 
Music by DappyTKeys

Have you ever wondered what it was like to experience a spiritual direction session? What happens? What do you talk about?
While some coaches will air live coaching sessions, I can’t very well do that, for two different reasons. One, I don’t do live spiritual direction sessions, since I focus on written spiritual direction. And two, spiritual direction is often deeply personal, and many women would hesitate to air that in front of an audience.
But I still want to help you get a glimpse of what written spiritual direction can look like. So today, I am going to share with you some letters that a client and I have written to each other. 
Cindy has graciously given me permission to share these, and to use her real name, because she has experienced the power of spiritual direction in written form, and she is passionate about helping others experience that, too.
I invite you to pay attention to anything that it stirs up in you: any questions, any desires, any beliefs. Write those down in your journal and talk about them with God. 
Kari
 
>> Sign up for Written Spiritual Direction
http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection 
 
RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:
·       Episode 33: Written Spiritual Direction: How Letters and Messages Can Create Space for God
·       Episode 66: [Written Spiritual Direction Session] Loneliness
·       Episode 87: [Written Spiritual Direction] When Temptation Comes Your Way
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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop
>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently
>> Grab your copy of my Courageous Care book
http://lovedoesthat.org/care
 
Music by DappyTKeys

A few weeks ago, I led the first Journal Gently Mini Workshop. During this time, I took one piece of the Journal Gently program and expanded it to an hour of teaching and writing exercises. We focused on perspective and the role it plays not just in our journaling but in our healing, as well.
 And today, I’m going to play a short section from the mini workshop where I talked about one very specific requirement of our journaling practice. A lot of things about journaling are flexible and personal, but this is one thing you can’t do without.
If you found this part of the workshop helpful and are interested in joining the full 8-week Journal Gently program, you can do so at lovedoesthat.org/journalgently.
Without further ado, here’s your behind-the-scenes look into the Journal Gently Mini Workshop. 
Kari
 
 
RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:
·      Episode 54: 4 Simple Ways to Start (or Keep) Journaling
·      Episode 144: How to Create Both a Short and Long Journaling Routine
______
>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop
>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently
>> Grab your copy of my Courageous Care book
http://lovedoesthat.org/care
 
Music by DappyTKeys
 

“Mom, I need a tank top!” 
“Okay, borrow one of mine.”
“Mom, I’m out of body wash.”
“You can use my soap until we get you some more.”
“Mom, I can’t find my brush.”
“Go ahead and use mine.”
My daughter is now at the age where she is starting to share and borrow some of my things. And most of the time, it’s completely okay.
But I will admit that there are some things she asks to use that I am a lot more reluctant to say “yes” to.
Like some of my art supplies.
Or my favorite chocolate.
Or my seat on the couch.
Why is it that I hold these things more closely than the others?
It’s a question I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. And I’ve been paying more attention to other places where I might be feeling possessive, too.
So I thought I might explore this idea together with you today. What are you feeling possessive of—and why? And what might God be inviting us to do with it?
 Kari
 
RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:
·      Episode 130: Is Your Hurt Preventing You From Loving Others Well?
·      Episode 135: Identifying Signs You're Not Doing Well (And What You Can Do About It)
·      Episode 98: Grief Has A Way Of… Well, Getting In The Way: A Personal Letter From Me To You
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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop
>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God
http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently
 >> Grab your copy of my Courageous Care book
http://lovedoesthat.org/care
 
Music by DappyTKeys