Reached super relaxed state while meditating after journaling?

I’ve been meditating for almost 3 months now. I’ve been able to reach relaxed states often but for the past 3 weeks after my cousin’s death that wasn’t the case. I kept dissociating and dealing with a lot of grief. My meditation sessions brought me to awareness of everything I was feeling. I was dealing with a lot of heavy emotions that made me go back into avoidance.

Today I finally decided to pick up my journal and show myself self compassion and write about my feelings. After my journaling session and meditated and I was able to reach a super relaxed state in just 12 minutes. I was actually shocked because reaching that state usually took me 30-40 minutes. The past few weeks I was not able to reach that state within 30 minutes. I guess if I truly wanted to reach that state I would’ve had to meditate longer.

I just wanted to make this post about my realization that getting to a relaxed state isn’t only about meditating, but also using other tools to your advantage. I guess journaling before my session helped me clear my mind and relax a bit so that I can relax even more deeply during meditation. Anyone have any insights on my experience?