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Looking after ourselves

florencefifty
Senior Contributor

What think you about JOURNALING?

I never understood the point of journaling, because no-one's going to read it.

 

However, I read a very compelling response to that, and I'm sold. Someone said that they used to journal when they were very young. Their first journal entry was:

 

if I was a ghost, I’d only haunt horrible people so I could try to make them good.  I wouldn’t just scare people even though that would be funny.

 

They tried getting into it with an audience in mind... but then they found that they wanted it to be perfect, BECAUSE they were trying to impress an audience.

 

Writing can be VERY restrictive and revisionary if you let it. However, the whole charm of mental health journaling is just to let your thoughts out, without worrying about your technical prowess, or how your language sounds, or whether you're using perfect grammar and spelling...

 

There's a real freedom in writing like nobody's reading... kind of like dancing as if nobody's watching, or at least pretending as such.

 

And you might notice, I tried to write this thread without editing it. I hope it didn't make you throw up or anything.

 

Seriously, though, it's good once in a while.

15 REPLIES 15

Re: What think you about JOURNALING?

Yeah ... Nah ... @florencefifty no vomit here.

Re: What think you about JOURNALING?

Hi Florence fifty,

 

I used to journal a lot many years ago to get me thoughts down on paper and at some point to write a letter to myself and the people who had been part of my life. My journalling contained a lot of how I was feeling about what had happened in my life in an effort to put responsibility where it belonged. And yes I did review over time to see how I had grown in my journey. I still journal but it has changed because I can't change the past. But I can write about how I am feeling and where this comes from without getting stuck in my feelings. And seeing in journalling that some of my perceptions about myself have been part of what has been projected by others. And have also impacted my life in such negative ways that they have been the cause of my struggles. 

Journalling will be part of my life into my future.

Re: What think you about JOURNALING?

I like this
I started doing it with repressed memories I have had in the past
I also started to do it because I knew it as performing in life. There was so much fake.
Life was dull because I was dull. I realsied this only through reflection and so I made choices.
Now the purpose of reflective exercises is to articulate WHY I do what I do.
Journalling was a weird concept to me for a while but now I see it's validity.
I don't even call it journaling. I call it personal development

Re: What think you about JOURNALING?

Hi @florencefifty @Flying_Hams @Rianne @Appleblossom 

I love journalling.

I have been doing it on and off since 2003 so a while.

I was a teenager then and I used it to deal with my emotions as well as writing poetry. It helps me to get my thoughts out, understand myself and my ideas better and also to understand my goals and where I'm heading. I find that I'm clearer in my mind after I write like all the stuff just empties onto the page and I can be more present in my day. I hardly ever read back over it but when I do I usually laugh.. 

Keep on journalling 🙂 

Re: What think you about JOURNALING?

I like to journal. Just don’t do it often enough. I find writing to be really helpful. Gets the words inside my head outside. I also sometimes write and give it to my support people when I need them to know stuff that I can’t say out loud. 

Re: What think you about JOURNALING?

I believe there is a lot of good in journalling, to free one's mind and trace out issues and gain clarity. I have only managed to do it periodically.  Am a bit like @Bow in that regard.  @florencefifty hope you did not mind my joke ... I struggle with ambivalnece and writing things out does help sort all that out.

 

Re: What think you about JOURNALING?

@Appleblossom .

 

I don't mind at all 😂.

Re: What think you about JOURNALING?

Thats a relief. @florencefifty was not sure if it fell flat... you kind of had an opening for humour in the end of your post.  I can be too serious ... finding the  light side...

take care

Re: What think you about JOURNALING?

I tend to journal when I’m really depressed but then I see it as a heap of drivel so I try to draw instead. I worry if anyone ever reads what I’ve written I’ll be scheduled.

 

I would like to journal more when things are going well just to provide a balance.

 

@florencefifty @Appleblossom @Bow @pinklollipop15 @Flying_Hams 

 

Thanks for your contributions everyone. This is an interesting thread.

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