One of the main ways I've used my personal blog for years is as a brain dump. A brain dump is a method of releasing all the clutter that's in your head at the time. Whether that be a rant or a moment of stress or a way to sort out intense emotions. Submissive Journaling isn't all neat and orderly, it can be a huge mess of emotions that you just have to get off your chest right that instant. And that's where a brain dump comes in.
Have you ever had a moment where you felt you just needed to get your emotions out or you would explode but didn't want to do it in an inappropriate place or get you in trouble for your outburst? Brain dumping is a great practice to get into to relieve stress and sort out those emotions. My blog used to be full of brain dumps and it often gave KnyghtMare and our M/s relationship a bad rap - simply because I was venting and only sharing what was stressing me out at the time. The negative comments I was getting as a result pretty much killed my desire to blog any longer - after 10 years of blogging. Now I journal privately and I'm far healthier because of it. It hasn't stopped me from brain dumping because it has shown me that it helps me process a lot of things.
What is the idea behind brain dumping?
A lot of journaling is just talking about your emotions and thoughts, but when it comes to brain dumping there's no organization and it's not about making sense or looking pretty. It's just about getting relief and venting in a healthy way. Managing stress is a popular topic in the news and popular media and there's no way you could skip journaling on any of those news lists. Experienced journalists know that some fo the best ideas come when you just let your mind flow out onto the page. Clearing the clutter in your head will also open up your ability to work through problems and find solutions to reach your goals in submission and your relationship.
Morning Pages
A method of brain dumping that has become quite popular among journalists (those who journal) are morning pages.
Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages – they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow. - Julia Cameron Live (retrieved 10/3/16)
I have just started Morning Pages as a method of journaling and brainstorming at the beginning of the day. I'm a morning person so I probably have more productive Morning pages than someone that has to crawl out of bed and have 2 cups of coffee before starting their day. But anyway, Morning Pages are for me alone and they allow me to write about anything on my brain at the time; be it work or personal or world news. It's just enough pages that I feel refreshed when I'm done and sometimes I have some kind of revelation, big or small, from what I've just written.
Get started with your on brain dumps!
- Don't worry about punctuation or grammar (or penmanship if you're putting pen to paper).
- Write what you feel.
- Write what you want.
- Write when you want.
- Doodle, scribble or draw out your feelings.
- Do write about things you are grateful for.
- Write about how you plan on solving a problem.
- Write about your hopes and dreams.
- Step into the other person's shoes and write from their perspective.
- Re-read your journal entries and reflect over patterns you see that are either working for you or against you.
Activity
Take a 10 minute break and start writing. Review the list above before you start and just write. See what happens when you let your mind flow and words just flow, no matter what they are.
