This right here is powerful. Think about it. Everything you feel, how your body processes food, and what color your eyes are is influenced not just by your parents but nine generations back.
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We can likely understand the physical aspect of this since we’ve been taught about the genetic physical markers that influence our physical health and appearance. This is saying that that also influences our mood, emotions, and mental health - and it goes back as far as nine generations.
Somebody better shout! Get Curious. with this five-day journal challenge, which asks you to explore your past to better understand your feelings, actions, and behaviors.
5-Day Journal Challenge
Day 1 | Document your birth story. If you can, ask your parents how they felt during the pregnancy with you and at your birth. This may be a hard ask, and they may say no, but it is worth the ask. If you cannot, try to pull together as much as possible about your birth story. Here’s a guide for what information to collect:
Start with the facts. This is the who, what, when, and where. Include who was present, your birth type, where you labored, where you were born, and your stats. Use your medical records for a basic timeline and to document how it went down.
Color with details. Set the scene. What was the weather like? How did labor start? How long was your mom in labor? What happened after she gave birth? Consider the five senses. Ask other family and friends who may have some emotional insight into the state of things for your parents during this time. They might remember details that they don’t or won’t share.
Add all the feels. This is where you can process and analyze. What did you learn? What things come up as ah-ha moments for you? Are there themes or emotions that run through the story that help you better understand your family and yourself? What are those things?
Day 2 | How many emotional and mental traits do you share with family members in different generations? What are the traits? How might that inform what you can learn about generations before you?
Day 3 | What inherited emotional traits do you love? How do these traits align with the person you want to be? What behaviors can you assign to what you’ve uncovered?
Day 4 | What inherited emotional traits do you dislike? Why don’t you like them? How do they misalign with who you want to be? What can you do to support being the person you want to be in spite of these traits? What behaviors can you assign to what you’ve uncovered?
Day 5 | What did you learn over the past five days that has been beneficial? What new tools did you discover? How did you support yourself through the curious process?