Journal Power: Confusion

This word, confusion, is confusing in itself, so I looked it up on Wikipedia. 

Confusion (from Latin confusĭo, -ōnis, noun of action from confundere “to pour together”, or “to mingle together”^[1] also “to confuse”) is the state of being bewildered or unclear in one’s mind about something. 

Now, does it strike you as odd that “pouring together” also means to make an issue less clear? That “to mingle together” results in confusion? 

I wonder if being bewildered and being confused are the same thing. No, I don’t think so. I’m bewildered by things like the size of the Universe, by the structure of a shell, by masterful artworks. Bewildered by their beauty and power; bewildered that such things exist. 

But confusion, it seems, carries a more negative feeling. It’s kind of okay to be bewildered and maybe it’s even good. Makes us respectful. Makes us remember that there are some things we can’t comprehend. 

Confusion is chaos, madness, a tangle that messes up your life. Confusion generally hurts and is something we want to avoid as much as possible. We are constrained to clear up confusion, and mostly unwilling to let it lie. 

There will be times in everyone’s experience when confusion reigns. The birth process itself is a mass of confusion; and then think about childhood traumas, adult challenges, inter-personal affairs – all rife with confusions and subsequent pain. 

Let’s journal to get a grip next time confusion rolls in like a deadly fog. 

1. Pour it out without censorship. Free write descriptions of what you are experiencing.
2. Look over your writings and select words and phrases that stand out to you.
3. Use that list of select words and phrases as starting places for further journaling.
4. Write about three things that are not confusing in your life. Describe them thoroughly and revel in their simplicity.
5. Journal about your dream of a world without the confusion that concerns you. 

If you journal often, or if you read this blog a lot, the above series of journaling exercises will be familiar and true. You might also want to supplement with a meditation/journaling process: 

1. Sit on a comfortable chair or pillow with your spine as straight as possible. Close your eyes and breathe consciously for a minute or two. Don’t try to think about anything and let your confusion just sit there being confused. 

2. Open your eyes and begin to write in your journal. Let this be stream of consciousness writing. Don’t write for long, or you’ll slip out of meditative awareness. A minute or two will be fine.

Maybe the worst thing about confusion is that it makes us feel inferior, as though we’re ignorant of something we should know. Use your journal as your Inner Coach to help you turn up the missing pieces. 

###

I'm available to coach you through your process of journaling to unravel confusions in your life. Just a little help can make all the difference. Options here, or just email me!