Shadow Work Journals by Selena Michaels: This Isn’t About Healing Pretty—It’s About Healing Honestly

I didn’t make these journals because I had it all figured out.

I made them because I didn’t.

Because some days, it feels like I’m duct-taping my emotions together with memes, iced coffee, and denial.

And I know I’m not the only one.

These Weren’t Created to Be Cute

This isn’t gratitude journaling.

This isn’t “list five things that make you happy” energy.

This is shadow work—the real kind. The ugly, sobbing-on-your-floor kind.

When I started doing the work myself, I realized what I needed wasn’t available:

Something dark. Honest. Messy.

Something that didn’t talk down to me.

Something that let me unravel on the page and called it progress.

So I made it.

For the Girls (and Gays and Theys) Who Are Tired of Pretending They’re Fine

These journals aren’t about fixing you.

They’re about giving you a place to finally be seen.

If you’ve ever had to smile through panic.

If you’ve ever been the “strong one” until it broke you.

If you’ve ever spiraled and still showed up to work the next day—

These are for you.

You’re not too much.

You’re just trying to make sense of everything you were never allowed to feel.

You Don’t Need a Therapist to Start (But I Hope You Have One, Too)

I’m not a licensed professional. I’m someone who’s been in therapy, out of therapy, in survival mode, and deep in freeze response. I’ve shut down. Blown up. Ghosted people I love and disappeared into my own head for weeks.

So no, this isn’t clinical.

But it is personal.

These prompts are the ones I used when I couldn’t find the words.

The ones that helped me unpack the stuff I didn’t know I’d buried.

The ones that finally let me feel without judgment.

Why Shadow Work Isn’t Just a Buzzword—It’s a Lifeline

Shadow work is about meeting the parts of you you’ve shoved into a box.

The ones you were told were “too much,” “too angry,” “too emotional,” “too needy.”

It’s not pretty.

It’s not aesthetic.

It’s not for anyone but you.

But it’s where the real shifts happen.

And sometimes, writing it down is the only way to survive another day.

Representation in Mental Health Spaces Isn’t Optional—It’s Essential

Too many healing spaces ignore what it means to live at the intersection of trauma, identity, and survival.

I created these journals for people like me—people who’ve been dismissed in therapy rooms, misdiagnosed, or simply too scared to speak out loud what they really feel.

Black women. Queer millennials. People who grew up parenting themselves.

People whose pain was never seen as valid.

People who need more than vague affirmations and Pinterest quotes.

What You’ll Find Inside My Shadow Work Journals

Prompts designed to go deep, not just skim the surface

Safe space for emotional chaos, clarity, and catharsis

Guided sections with enough structure to start—but freedom to feel

Humor, heaviness, and healing in one

Journals that see you and let you show up as you are

Who These Journals Are For

If you’re looking for:

“Shadow work that doesn’t sugarcoat it”

“A journal that feels like it was made by someone who’s actually been through it”

“Mental health support with dark humor and no fake vibes”

“Healing tools that actually work when I’m in a shutdown or spiral”

“A space to write down things I’ve never told anyone else”

Then welcome. You’re safe here.

Two Journals to Start Your Healing—On Your Terms

✍️ Healing Is My Toxic Trait

The one that started it all.

For the overthinkers, the avoiders, the ones who process pain like a second language.

This journal isn’t trying to fix you.

It’s giving you the flashlight to look at your own darkness.

Read if you want:

A place to unpack how you learned to survive

Prompts that blend shadow work with honesty

A journal that will call you out and hold your hand at the same time

🌀 I’m Fine. This Is Just How I Spiral.

The chaos-coded sequel.

You know that moment when you’re completely unwell but making jokes? Yeah. This one’s for that version of you.

Read if you want:

Emotional depth that meets you where you are

Humor + heartbreak in one

A safe space to spiral and still be proud of yourself

Healing Isn’t Linear. It’s Looped. Messy. And Yours Alone.

You don’t need to be a perfect person to start doing shadow work.

You just need to want to know yourself better.

To stop abandoning the parts of you that are still hurting.

To find your voice, even if it shakes.

You’re not alone in this.

I made these because I couldn’t find them.

Because I needed them.

And maybe now—you do too.

Buy Selena Michaels’ Shadow Work Journals Here