You may want to journal Lectio Divina. This helps you slow down and better process your thoughts, prayers and reflections.

READ / LECTIO (5 min.)
Read the passage slowly, letting your awareness rest on each word.
Listen for the still small voice of God.
Be aware of any word or phrase that catches your attention.
Write down the word or phrase that caught your attention

REFLECT / MEDITATIO (10 min.)
Meditate and think on the word or phrase that caught your attention.
Use your mind to analyze the word or phrase.
Be aware of any emotion or memories the word may stir up.
Write your meditations down.

RESPOND / ORATIO (10 min.)
Respond to the word. Ask God why this word caught your attention. What is He trying to say to you?
Dialogue with God about what you are feeling or hearing. Write out your dialogue without editing it or worrying about spelling or grammar.
Take time to listen.

REST / CONTEMPLATIO (5 min.)
Simply rest in God’s presence. Wordless, quiet rest in the presence of God is called “contemplation.”
Short “breath prayers” are sometime helpful when you mind wants to wander.

RETURN
Keep returning to the passage and your reflections throughout the day / week.
Keep returning with the intention of prayerfully integrating the word into your life.

(3) Discernment through the Prayer of Examen.

Like the discipline of heart work and lectio divina, the prayer of examen is also a centuries-old tradition. The prayer of examen is an excellent practice for threshold times because it helps us discern where God is presently active in our lives and it helps us discern the present reality of our emotions. It also cultivates gratitude, a habit worth forming during threshold times when anxiety runs particularly high.17

My husband and I enjoy praying examen together each afternoon; as the work day ends and night closes in, we turn our attention to the day’s thoughts and emotions and ask God to reveal himself through them.

THE PRAYER OF EXAMEN: A Prayer to Discern God’s Presence in My Life

Transition into prayer: I become aware of God’s presence and love for me.

Review the day with gratitude
I review my day, noting how God has been present with me this day and I thank him. I ask him to reveal truth to me during my prayer.

17 For a scholarly work on this prayer see Timothy M. Gallagher, The Examen Prayer: Ignatian Wisdom for Our Lives Today (2006). The well loved and popular book on examen prayer Sleeping With Bread: Holding What Gives You Life, by Dennis, Sheila and Matthew Linn (1995) is excellent for families and younger children.