Journaling With Intention: When to Write, When to Release

Karin Wolfe, HHP, CBS
Jan 14
3 min read

I’ve never been much of a journaler.

I had a few diaries when I was a little girl, but as an adult, journaling was never something I naturally gravitated toward. And yet, many of my clients do journal—and when done with intention, it can be a powerful way to release emotions, say the things we can’t or won’t say out loud, and make sense of what’s happening within us and around us.

Writing can be incredibly healing.

But there’s an important piece that often gets overlooked.

Woman journaling by a lake as part of an intentional emotional healing practice.

The Energy We Leave Behind

When a journal becomes a place where anger, frustration, judgment, resentment, unforgiveness, or pain is poured out day after day, that emotional energy doesn’t simply disappear.

Yes—some of it leaves your body, which is good.

But the rest now lives on the pages… often kept right beside your bed or tucked into a nightstand where you sleep.

When we understand energy, we understand that this matters.

You’ve released it from your body—but now it’s sitting next to you as you rest. And that isn’t always supportive.

When a journal becomes saturated with what we might call heavy or unresolved energy, it’s often best not to keep it.

It’s best to release it completely.

A Practice I Use With Clients: Speed Feeling

The method I find most effective is something I use with my clients called Speed Feeling.

It’s simple.

It’s direct.

And it works.

Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Choose What Needs to Go

Select one person or one event that has you emotionally upset—or something you simply feel ready to release.

Step 2: Use Paper and Pen Only

Take several pages of blank paper and a writing instrument.

This must be done by hand.

No computers. No phones.

There is something incredibly powerful about allowing energy to move from your heart-space, down your arm, through your hand, and onto paper. When we run this process through technology, it loses some of its potency.

Step 3: Write Fast. Write Messy. Write Honestly.

Now begin writing everything you can think of about that person or situation.

How do you feel?
What did you see?
Did you hear something that hurt?
Can you smell, taste, or physically feel anything?
What words come up?

Anger. Hate. Fear. Jealousy. Rage. Sadness. Confusion.

Whatever comes out is right.

Don’t censor it.

Don’t organize it.

Don’t slow down.

Write fast. Write over the words. Scribble. Let it be messy.

This is not about grammar or clarity.This is about getting it out.

Lean into the feeling and keep going until the emotional charge feels complete.

Step 4: Don’t Read It

This is important.

Do not look at what you wrote.

Do not try to read it.

You just expelled the emotion—there’s no reason to take it back in.

Step 5: Burn It (Safely)

Crumple the pages up. Take them outside. Place them in a safe, fireproof container and burn them until nothing is left.

As the paper burns, you may say a simple prayer or intention, such as:

“I release these emotions to the universe so that I may be free of them. May this energy be transmuted into something lighter and more supportive. And so it is.”

Allow the process to complete fully.

You can repeat this practice as often as needed, for any person or situation. And if, during the process, another memory or emotion surfaces—keep writing. Let that go too.

Journaling With Intention

While I don’t personally keep traditional journals filled with emotional processing, I have found value in guided, intentional reflection.

Recently, I began using a planner that approaches journaling very differently—one that feels less like emotional storage and more like conscious navigation.

It’s the 2026 Zodiac Planner by Moon Omens.

Karin Wolfe with Moon Omens 2026 Journal.

I want to be clear: I’m not a product pusher. But when something genuinely supports reflection, growth, and awareness, I feel it’s worth sharing.

This planner sets an intentional journey throughout the year, inviting mindful contemplation, release, and expansion—especially for those who resonate with astrology, crystals, and healing plants.

In their words:

“The 2026 Zodiac Planner is a living companion designed to help you move through the year in alignment with your soul, the Earth, and the greater rhythms of the Universe.”

Created with love and deep intention, it serves as a gentle guide—one that supports presence, clarity, reflection, and conscious growth rather than emotional accumulation.

Moon Omens 2026 Zodiac Planner