Happy new year!  May you be blessed beyond your wildest dreams with wealth, health and wisdom.

Welcome to Health & Wellbeing Magazine's Spirit Keeper monthly column.  This is the place where you will discover tips and practices for creating, developing and maintaining a personalised self-care practice as a Spirit Keeper.

In this column from July 2025 to June 2026 we will be focusing on different exercises (rituals) which are spirit centred, mind centred and body centred.  Each month will also come with a monthly challenge.  If you are new to this month's Spirit Keeper column, I recommend reading past articles to find out what a spirit keeper is and the subjects already covered around self-care practices.

The subjects being covered from January to June 2026 will be:

• Mind centred practice – Journalling and Emotional Intelligence
• Mind centred practice – Releasing and Spiritual Intelligence
• Body centred practice – Movement and Spiritual connection
• Body centred practice – Massage and detoxification
• Body centred practice – Dancing and Spiritual connection
• Body centred practice – Body and nutrition

In this month's column we will be focusing on the mind centred practice of journalling and how this can help you develop your emotional intelligence.  This tool is particularly suited to kinaesthetic visual learning styles.

Metaphorical Story Demonstrating the Power of Journalling & Developing Emotional Intelligence

Yasmina lived in a village nestled at the foot of the Whispering Peaks.  Her mind was like a perpetual whirlwind, much like the unpredictable gusts which swept down from the jagged summits of the mountains behind the village.  Her thoughts, untamed and often ferocious, churned within her, creating an inner landscape of shifting sands and sudden storms often leaving her feeling lost and overwhelmed by the cacophony of her own mind.  Yasmina felt she was unable to grasp the fleeting moments of clarity which occasionally broke through the chaos of her thinking.

One day, seeking respite, she climbed up the mountain side to the hermitage of Dhrona, the village's oldest and wisest sage.  Dhrona had eyes like ancient pools which reflected endless skies.  He listened patiently to Yasmina's tale of inner turmoil and how she felt overwhelmed by anxiety and fear. When Yasmina had finished, Dhrona simply offered her a small, leather-bound book and a quill. "This," Dhrona began, his voice a soft melodic murmur, "journalling notebook is a Vessel of Echoes. With it, you shall perform the Sacred Visual Kinaesthetic Practice of Recalling the Stream."

Yasmina was puzzled. "But what is it for?" she asked, turning the smooth leather covered notebook in her hands.

Dhrona smiled. "Your mind, dear Yasmina, is like a rushing river. Each day, it carries stones, leaves, and shimmering fish (your thoughts, feelings, and experiences). But without a net, they are lost to the sea. This journalling notebook and quill are your net. Each stroke of the quill as you write is a conscious reach into that river of thinking.  By writing you capture your mind's contents into the physical realm.  This is not merely writing; it is a sacred dance between your inner world and the tangible world, a grounding of the ethereal."

Yasmina began her journalling practice hesitantly. Each evening, by the flickering lamp light, she would open the Vessel of Echoes, her journalling notebook. At first, her hand felt clumsy, the words stumbling onto the page like reluctant travellers.  However, she persistently recorded the day's events and any thoughts or feelings she was aware of:

• the sting of a sharp word and the feeling she was left overwhelmed with.
• the warmth of the sun on her face and how it felt.
• the frustration of a task unfinished.
• Observing strangers being kind to one another etc.
• Three things she was grateful for.
• Insight into challenges she faced.

Dhrona had told her to record it all, without judgement, as a humble scribe who observes the world.

The daily writing was her emotional processing, a slow, deliberate act of giving form and substance to the formless.  Weeks turned into months. The journalling notebook, the Vessel of Echoes, began to fill, page by page, a tapestry of her daily existence. As she consistently dipped her quill into the inkwell and wrote, her memory and emotions became words and visible.  Yasmina began to notice subtle changes in the way she responded to daily events. The raging river of her mind and her thinking, though still powerful, no longer felt like an adversary.  With intention and focus, she was learning to navigate the stream of thoughts currents and quirks and was able to observe how her thinking affected her feelings and behaviours.

One evening, whilst idly paging through the journalling notebook and reviewing earlier entries, Yasmina suddenly saw it. A recurring dark cloud, a sudden dip in her spirit, always seemed to follow her visits to the bustling market. "A trigger," she whispered, recognizing the pattern which had been invisible until now.

Later, she noticed her most productive days were often preceded by a morning walk through the Silent Grove. "A coping strategy," she realized, seeing the connection between movement and clarity.

The journalling notebook, the Vessel of Echoes, became her most trusted companion. It allowed her to track the shifting hues of her mood, charting the highs and lows like a sailor plotting a course. Yasmina began to discern the hidden behavioural patterns which dictated her reactions, understanding why she responded in certain ways. This deepened her self-awareness, revealing the intricate machinery of her inner world.

The true magic unfolded with unwavering commitment. The very act of taking the time each day, of sitting with her thoughts and feelings and painstakingly recording them, instilled a profound self-discipline. This newfound discipline didn't just stay within the pages of her journal; it seeped into every other area of her life—her work, her relationships, her daily routines.

The relentless gusts of stress which had once battered her soul began to subside, replaced by a steady inner feeling of calmness. By externalizing her worries, she found they held less power over her thinking and mind. Her mind, once scattered, grew sharper. Reflecting on past decisions and future possibilities in the tangible space of her journal honed her critical thinking skills, allowing her to approach problems with newfound clarity. Yasmina had even noticed her memory improving, as the act of recalling and writing solidified experiences which might otherwise have faded.

Most remarkably, Yasmina discovered a blossoming resilience for living life in the present moment. The journalling notebook became a living testament to her endurance, triggers, coping strategies and developing emotional intelligence. Looking back, she saw how she had navigated past storms, identifying the inner strength she never knew she possessed. Each page was a step on her journey, a recorded victory, a lesson learned.

Eventually, Yasmina returned to Dhrona, with the now well-worn Vessel of Echoes journal clutched to her chest. She no longer felt lost. Her mind was more like a meandering and still river.  She was more capable of navigating the river of her thinking, emotional states and feelings as a skilled sailor, her hand steady on the tiller.

Dhrona asked Yasmina what she felt she had learned from the sacred practice of journalling.

"The Sacred Visual Kinaesthetic Practice," Yasmina mused, "is not just about writing. It is about building a bridge between who I am and who I can become."

Dhrona simply nodded, his ancient eyes twinkling. "You have not just filled a book, dear Yasmina. You have illuminated your own soul."

Photo by Atlantic Ambience

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (EI or EQ) is the ability to manage, recognise and understand your own emotions and to influence, recognise and understand the emotions of others. It is a fundamental set of social and emotional skills which determine how effectively you navigate life's challenges and, whether or not, you are able to build healthy relationships personally and professionally.

Spirit Keepers understand the importance of continually evolving their own emotional intelligence as this helps them to be compassionate towards another as a healing facilitator and empathetic towards loved ones' personal healing journeys.

Emotional intelligence is typically broken down into four core domains:

• Relationship Management (Social Skills): The ability to use awareness of your own emotions and others' emotions to build rapport, resolve conflicts and manage interactions successfully.
• Self-Awareness: Recognising your own emotions, strengths, weaknesses and values; and how they affect your thoughts, emotional states and behaviour.
• Self-Management: The ability to control or redirect disruptive emotions and impulses, and to adapt to changing circumstances.
• Social Awareness (Empathy): Understanding the emotional makeup of other people and recognising their feelings and perspectives as being important to their own story and meaning of life.

Importance Of Emotional Intelligence for Healing & Wellbeing

Emotional intelligence is crucial for mental health and wellbeing because it dictates our inner and outer responses to adversity and stress both of which affect human connection. It provides the necessary tools for both preventing emotional injury and actively promoting recovery (healing).

Better Decision Making

• Integrating Emotion & Logic: Emotional intelligence is not about ignoring feelings; it is about using them as valuable data. It helps you recognise when emotions are clouding your judgement (e.g. making a fear-based decision) and when they are providing useful intuition (your "gut feeling"), leading to more balanced and effective life choices.

Deeper Self-Understanding

• Identifying Triggers & Patterns: Self-awareness enables you to identify the specific people, places, or situations (triggers) which reliably disrupt your emotional balance and recognize recurring negative behavioural patterns. This is the first step in being able to make smarter choices and changing them.
• Self-Acceptance: Understanding your emotional landscape fosters self-compassion. Instead of judging difficult emotions, a high-EQ individual accepts them as valid information, which is a core component of emotional healing.

Enhanced Resilience & Stress Management

• Coping Strategies: By accurately identifying feelings (Self-Awareness), you can choose the most effective coping strategy. For example, recognising "anger" allows you to employ a cooling-off strategy, whereas mislabelling it as "anxiety" might lead to ineffective avoidance.
• Lower Risk of Mental Health Issues: Studies link higher EQ to lower rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout, suggesting it acts as a protective factor against psychological distress.
• Self-Regulation: High EQ allows you to pause between feeling an intense emotion and reacting impulsively. This skill prevents emotional escalation, reduces chronic stress, and helps you remain composed during crises.

 Healthier Relationships & Support Systems

• Empathy: The capacity to genuinely understand and share the feelings of others strengthens social bonds. Strong social connections are essential for wellbeing, providing critical emotional support and reducing feelings of loneliness during challenging times.
• Conflict Resolution: Strong relationship management skills allow you to navigate disagreements constructively. Instead of reacting defensively, you can communicate needs and listen to others' concerns with tact, preserving relationships rather than damaging them.

From the above, you can now appreciate why developing emotional intelligence is important as a healing facilitator and Spirit Keeper.  The above also extends to all life on Earth.  Many new documentaries are coming out about inter-specie communication, and these stories demonstrate the power of emotional maturity as being a key component to living mindfully and with presence which naturally honours all life.

What is Journalling?

Journalling is a simple yet powerful contemplative writing practice with numerous proven benefits for mental and emotional health and wellbeing.  One of the most famously promoted works of this is the book entitled "The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron.

Journalling is a sacred practice which employs the sense of movement and touch (kinaesthetic) and visual (writing).  The words you write create sounds which are auditory in nature.  In many ways it is a sensory practice which engages the mind and uses the body to help with developing emotional intelligence.

It serves as a personal, judgment-free space for self-expression which leads to greater clarity and emotional processing.   Here are the key benefits, backed by research:

Emotional & Psychological Clarity

Emotional Processing & Regulation: Journalling provides a mechanism to process deep emotions, including difficult ones like grief or trauma. Organising chaotic thoughts into a coherent narrative can help you make sense of experiences and achieve a sense of control and emotional balance.

Enhanced Self-Awareness: By putting thoughts and feelings onto paper, you gain distance and create a space of being able to objectively analyse your mental emotional landscape. This helps you identify patterns, triggers, and recurring thinking, story lines and emotions which you might not notice otherwise.

Reduced Rumination: When you write down obsessive worries or negative thoughts, you can often "let go" of them, freeing up mental space and interrupting the cycle of rumination.

Stress & Anxiety Reduction: Writing down stressful events, worries, and concerns acts as an emotional release valve. This can help offload the mental burden and reduce overall stress levels. Studies suggest regular journalling can significantly decrease symptoms of anxiety and stress.

Practical Life Management

Problem-Solving & Goal Setting: Writing out challenges allows you to reflect and analyse situations more objectively, break down complex problems, brainstorm solutions, and weigh pros and cons of the situation. It is a powerful tool for strategic thinking.

Tracking Mental Health Progress: For those managing mental health conditions or in therapy, a journal can be invaluable for tracking moods, behavioural patterns, triggers, and the effectiveness of coping strategies over time.

Promoting Positivity & Resilience

Boosted Mood & Positivity (Gratitude Journaling): Focusing specifically on things you are grateful for, positive experiences and happy moments can shift your perspective, cultivate an optimistic outlook, and increase feelings of overall life satisfaction and happiness.

Improved Self-Discipline: Committing to a regular journaling practice, even for a few minutes a day, helps you carve out consistent time for self-reflection and self-care.

 Increased Resilience: Journalling helps you reflect on challenges, recognise your strengths and weaknesses.  It is a wonderful tool for reframing difficult experiences, which builds your ability to cope with future setbacks.

Strengthening Cognitive Functions: Engaging in reflective and contemplative writing can stimulate the brain, potentially improving cognitive functions like memory and critical thinking skills.

Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom

Starting Your Journalling Practice

This section is all about how to get started.  You don't need a specific structure.  You can just start writing whatever comes to mind ("free writing").  However, if you are looking for a focus, you could try:

• Expressive Writing: Focusing on your deepest thoughts and feelings about a specific emotional event.
• Gratitude Journalling: Listing three to five things you are thankful for each day.
• Mood Tracking: Noting your mood and any factors which may have influenced it (sleep, activity, food, words, movies, music etc.).

For this exercise you will need a good quality notebook, pen (or a set of coloured pens), a quiet space and good lighting.  You may wish to set an intention prior to writing by saying a prayer or lighting a candle with your intention before settling down to write in your journalling notebook.

Summary & Conclusion

Journalling is a wonderful tool for intentional reflective and contemplative practice of the mind and how it simulates emotional states, feelings and behaviours.  Journalling is a healing tool which stimulates physiological changes within the mind and body and is, therefore, a powerful tool within the Spirit Keeper's self-care toolbox.

Monthly Challenge

If you are an active practising healing practitioner, I would recommend having a specific time where you journal about challenging moments within your daily experience as a means of gaining insight into where you need to release a perception or emotional tie to a particular narrative within your mind's story.  This will allow you to tap into intuitive answers when working with your clients as well as making them feel heard and acknowledged due to your stronger emotional intelligence and empathy.

Next month …

In next month's column we will be focusing on the mind centred practice of releasing and Spiritual Intelligence.  Spiritual intelligence develops as you learn to live with more presence in the present. Releasing internal narratives is a powerful way to return to the present.

Until next month. From one kindred spirit to another – be safe, be well, be authentically you.

In gratitude

Kathleen