I Balanced My Full Moon Mood Swings With This Self-Care Journal & Now I'm In Control

As of Thursday, June 28, the Strawberry Moon, aka the full moon in Capricorn, is in full swing, my friends. And I don't know about you, but I'm feeling all sorts of feels. The energy of June's full moon is said to reveal everything you've been attempting to hide from yourself, and that means some buried emotions are about to bubble straight to the surface, whether you like it or not. However, because I, like many people, don't really like feeling totally out of control, I used Spirit Daughter's full moon journal to help me navigate through some of the emotional turbulence I've been feeling from the Strawberry Moon —and I'm happy to tell you guys that it actually turned out to be incredibly helpful.

If ~Spirit Daughter's full moon journal~ low-key sounds like another language to you, allow me to explain: Spirit Daughter is a Los Angeles-based spiritual brand run by Jill Wintersteen, a woman who is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to all things astrology. Wintersteen creates new and full moon workbooks each month for Spirit Daughter that serve as a tool to help people align with the current cosmic energies, such as the power of June's Strawberry Moon.

The journals provide practical information on current astrological events from a trusted source, which can ultimately be used to align with the lunar energy and help manifest exactly what you want.

Wintersteen sent me this journal in the hope that it would help me open up to and accept the powerful energy of the Strawberry Moon. "The full moon in Capricorn always proves to be a potent time to turn inward," Wintersteen tells Elite Daily. "Capricorn is known to be a sign of solitude; her energy urges us to look within for answers which we would normally seek outwardly."

According to Wintersteen, the full moon in Capricorn is a time to connect with your core beliefs, the very things that make you unique. The Strawberry Moon, she says, can help teach you to rely on yourself above all else — but first, she adds, you must fully know, and embrace, your own identity.

This is exactly the guidance Wintersteen provided me with, within the beautiful pages of Spirit Daughter's full moon journal. Each page contained insightful, thought-provoking details on the full moon's vibrations, as well as prompts that urged me to turn inward and reflect on what matters most in my life.

I decided to start my full moon journaling session by burning some palo santo to purify my space.

I wanted my emotional slate to be wiped clean so I could go into my full moon reflection without any lingering stagnation in my being or in my environment.

One of the pages in the journal provided me with a mantra, which encouraged me to use the full moon's energy to let go of whatever wasn't serving me, and make room for my purpose on this Earth.

Before I began journaling, I allowed myself to meditate on this mantra for a few moments, because honestly, it really resonated with me. I used deep inhales and expansive exhales to guide my attention and focus to the present moment, rather than worry about what had happened earlier that day or what would happen later in the week. My goal was to simply savor the here and now, for exactly what it was.

As you might imagine, it felt a little overwhelming at first to look inside myself in such a deeply introspective way. But Wintersteen encouraged me to not only embrace that intensity, but to use it to direct the flow of my energy. "There is great opportunity to make pivotal decisions this full moon about what steps are needed to help you build the life of your dreams," she says. And I guess, when you put it that way, you can't exactly pass up the opportunity, can you?

And so, it was time to write. The journal, in total, contains nine writing prompts. Each prompt asked me to write about everything from my most important responsibilities in life, to how I focus and distribute my energy, to how I connect to my family and friends.

The prompt that stood out the most to me, though, was one that asked me to reflect on and list my core values, "the things that are most important to you."

To be honest, I can't even remember the last time someone or something asked me to list my core values, not to mention the fact that it's not really something I ever actively think about on my own. But I can genuinely say that it felt incredible to channel such a raw, vulnerable aspect of myself. June's Strawberry Moon seems to have made me feel more certain than ever that I value these things — gratitude, compassion, adventure, kindness, work ethic, presence, etc. — with a fierce intensity, and that I will always value them, no matter what chaos may come my way.

The next prompt asked me how I could nurture these core values in tangible, concrete ways. I loved this idea because it's not enough to just say you have these principles that you stand by; you have to find a way to translate those values into real-life actions. For example, I wrote that I would make it a point to physically write down five things I'm grateful for every single day from here on out, which is my way of nurturing my core value of gratitude. Additionally, I wrote that I will start to turn off my phone as much as possible to help nurture my value of presence.

The full moon journal also asked me how I make time for self-care, to which I responded that I attend therapy weekly, meditate daily, and always make sleep a priority. While I know deep down that, when I slack in these areas, my life begins to feel chaotic and out of control, the Strawberry Moon reminded me just how important these things truly are to me. Sometimes that's all it takes to settle a bout of turbulent emotions: a simple, but meaningful reminder.

The Strawberry Moon and Spirit Daughter's journal ultimately taught me that I have a lot of work to do. However, challenging myself to engage with these writing prompts instilled a fiery, much-needed sense of purpose and conviction in the core of my being. After taking time to pause and write about what matters most to me, I'm ready to use this newfound energy to grow and listen to the voice of my soul and intuition, even when it's scary. Especially when it's scary.