Journal Prompts & Practices for Belonging
When was the last time you felt a sense of belonging?
The need for belonging is as essential as air and water.
We all need to feel that we belong; to our bodies, our purpose or calling, to one another, to our families, ancestors, communities, world around us, and to the rituals we practice daily.
Belonging is your birthright; it is your birthright and it starts from within.
“The truth is: Belonging starts with self-acceptance. Your level of belonging, in fact, can never be greater than your level of self-acceptance, because believing that you’re enough is what gives you the courage to be authentic, vulnerable and imperfect.”
The irony is when we accept who we are and where we are in life then change happens.
If you want to explore are heal from issues of belonging in a lasting way, grab your journal and explore these writing prompts.
7 Journal Prompts for Cultivating Belonging
What can I learn from the season I’m in right now about belonging and self acceptance?
What did my ancestors do well that I wish to emulate and where do I want to do better (for myself, others, and for the Earth as a whole)?
What does my boy need in the moment? How can I be a better listener and responder to my needs?
Where have I built walls that actually keep me outside of belonging? How can I lower that wall just a little bit today?
What brings me the greatest sense of presence and peace? How can I use this knowledge to self soothe?
What parts of myself are harder for me to love and accept? Why is this?
Where have I experienced true, unconditional belonging before? Where have I experienced untrue belonging (see below for definitions)?
Answers may come in surprising or unusual ways, by way of intuitive knowing, sensations, or emotions. Signs or symbols may appear in the dreamtime or in your waking life as you go about your day.
Trust any synchronicity. Trust whatever arises as a guide for you and simply hold some curiosity.
Healing is a journey that takes time and persistence, especially for those who had to build walls to survive long ago. Know that a𝗹𝗹 your hard work—developing bodily awareness, shifting limiting thoughts and beliefs, allowing yourself to receive support d guidance—is not for nothing!
Before we close, I want to make a distinction between true belonging and untrue belonging.
True belonging is all inclusive and is equivalent to the concept of unconditional love and acceptance, meaning that all of you—the fullness of your human experience—is welcome and embraced.
Untrue belonging on the other hand is when there is the perception that all of you is welcome, but it is not actually the case. You are asked, overtly or covertly, to sequester certain aspects of parts of yourself in order to “fit in” in a certain circle or place.
Know this: the world needs the fullness of who you are. Everything wild in our world exists in its own right. Every energy has a place and is needed and necessary—which means that YOU are needed and necessary, exactly as you are, friend.
4 Bonus Practices To Cultivate Belonging
Create
Humans are here to witness the magic of the wild world and bless it through food, music, writing, movement, art, handcrafts, photography, or virtually other form of creativity you can think of. The practice of creating with your hands alone will help pull you into greater relationship with the land, seasons, your ancestors, your local community spaces, and your own self more than anything else.
2. Challenge Your Beliefs
When you have been cast outside of your family, community you can often “swallow” whole the belief that, “I do not belong. I am unworthy” Your body stores this information as a form of trauma and it can surface later as physical, mental, or spiritual illness - or all three.
The mind, body, and spirit are intimately connected and so challenging the current beliefs you hold about the world and your place in it can do wonders to begin the important and tedious work of unraveling what is true from what is false.
3. Practice Unconditional Self Love
Loving yourself is truly a devotional act. It is a sacred task to care for the body and being you have been given to carry you through your human journey. The better able you are to care for and forgive yourself, the better able you will be to share the many gifts you and only you possess. This ripples out; the more you love yourself the more fulfilled you will be and the more the world will benefit from your authentic bright light.
No one ever admired someone for their ability to burn themselves out, let’s face it. What is radical, and truly a powerful political act, is your ability to unapologetically prioritize your well-being. You cannot give from an empty cup. Lead yourself first, lovely. It’s okay to set boundaries and honor yourself. In fact, by doing this you help others do their work too.
4. Prioritize Self Healing
You are on a unique and transformative journey called life. The more you can find your way to healing practitioners, inclusive circles and spaces, the more you - and everyone and everything in your life - will benefit. Investing in your own process is crucial to healing and embodying a sense of belonging. The benefits will be felt in profound ways.
…Imagine what would be possible if you felt you belonged exactly as you are in this world.
