The Ultimate Guide to Shadow Work Journal
You'll be surprised at how much of our current attitudes and mindsets are influenced by our past experiences — our shadow self! Find out how you can break free using shadow work and journaling.
Do you have parts of yourself that you're too afraid to face? Maybe you have some personality traits or negative emotions that you suppress because you don't like them. But did you know this is actually holding you back from self-improvement?
This is where shadow work comes in!
If this is an unfamiliar term to you, read on to find out more about shadow work, and how you can use journaling for it.
What is Shadow Work?
There are many components to understanding what shadow work is. But don't be intimidated; we're going to do our best to break everything down for easy reading.
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Coined by psychoanalyst Carl Jung, the shadow self is, in short, the parts of your personality that you repress and keep hidden away. Usually, the shadow self is caused by experiences in your childhood (usually hurtful ones) that you've never properly worked through.
This results in biases and mindsets that hold you back, as well as destructive feelings like jealousy and guilt! It might even negatively affect your relationships.
For example, if you have an unhealthy need to be perfect all the time, it might be because of an experience in your childhood that instilled this belief in you.
What Exactly Does Shadow Work Entail?
So what exactly is shadow work all about? Well, it's about rediscovering this hidden side of yours and accepting it! It's not easy (after all, you hid this side of yourself away for a reason), but it's about facing your past, mending old wounds and addressing unresolved conflicts.
Here are some benefits of shadow work that will make the effort worth it.
1. Deeper self-understanding
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Shadow work isn't just about addressing your shadow self; it's also about delving deep within yourself and becoming more aware of what makes you, you. Your strengths, flaws, fears… shadow work will help you explore and better understand yourself.
And when you embrace your shadow, you will become whole and grow to be at peace with yourself!
2. Personal growth
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To become a better you, you first have to accept the bad parts of yourself before you can work towards fixing them.
Shadow work helps you address your hidden biases, mindsets and fears that have been holding you back. When you stop limiting yourself, you'll be surprised at how much easier it is to step out of your comfort zone and reach for greater heights.
3. Improved relationships
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As mentioned earlier, your shadow self might influence the way you approach your relationships, whether romantic or platonic. With shadow work, you'll be able to approach your relationships in a healthier manner.
Furthermore, being able to embrace your own flaws means that you'll become more accepting of others'! You'll find that it'll become much easier to understand and empathize with others.
4 Ways To Use Journaling In Shadow Work
Shadow work requires lots of introspection, mindfulness and self-awareness — which is why journaling is an excellent way to practice it!
So, here are 4 ways you can use journaling in your shadow work!
1. Identify your mindsets and biases
In order to soothe and embrace the shadow, we first need to identify it by recognizing your shadow beliefs. These are negative beliefs that are reflections of the shadow self, and these beliefs or mindsets often hold you back from achieving greater things.
Some examples are:
- I'm not good enough
- I'm unlovable
- I'm never going to succeed
- Why should I bother trying?
- It doesn't matter what I feel
When you catch yourself recanting statements like these to yourself, pause and write it down in your journal! Over time, you may notice several recurring statements — these are the shadow beliefs that you will need to address.
2. Stay mindful of your emotions
Our emotions (especially negative emotions) often stem from our shadow selves. Whenever you feel a negative emotion like shame, jealousy, guilt, take a break, open up your journal and take a look at why you feel such a way.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What am I feeling?
- What is the situation that triggered this feeling?
- Why am I feeling this way? What am I thinking?
- What do I do when I feel this emotion?
Consider downloading a digital journal app like Journey and draw up a table in your journal entry as such:
When you step back and force yourself to interrogate your emotions, you'll be surprised at what you'll discover! Being mindful about your emotions and their triggers will bring you one step closer to self-awareness and acceptance.
3. Look into your past experiences
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As mentioned earlier, the shadow self is often a product of childhood experiences. This is why it's important to look back into your childhood and identify any possible defining moments or memories.
Here are some journal prompts that can help you:
- What memories bring you shame?
- Write about a time where someone let you down or betrayed you
- What were your parent's/guardian's core values while you were growing up?
- Write about a time in your childhood where you felt incredibly hurt?
Looking into your childhood can leave you feeling raw, sensitive and emotional. For some, this might even be an incredibly painful process. Remember to validate your feelings, take a break if things feel too overwhelming, and answer these prompts in a safe and private place.
Speaking of being private, you may not feel comfortable having your shadow work journal entries out in the open. After all, they do contain your deepest secrets. But with Journey's multiple security and privacy features, you can keep your shadow work journal behind lock and key!
With Journey, you can set a passcode, use Apple Face ID, Apple Touch ID and Android Biometric.
4. Be kind to yourself
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It can be difficult to face all the negative qualities and flaws about yourself. You may even feel ashamed about the jealousy and anger that you feel.
However, the key to shadow work is to suspend all self-judgement! Go into this process with self-compassion; validate your feelings and be kind to yourself.
At the end of every day, take a few moments to write some kind words to yourself in your journal. You might even want to upload some positive and uplifting quotes into your digital journal entry to give yourself that needed mood-boost.
Shadow work isn't an easy process, but it's an intensely rewarding one. We hope that this has encouraged you to start shadow work, and we wish you luck on your journey!
