Keeping a journal has been around for centuries. Ladies have kept diaries, which are the same as journals, for many years. In the beginning I only wrote about once a week or so, when I had a pressing day or event that I needed to get out of my head. For the last couple of years, I have journaled every day. I write in the morning, when I am fresh. Writing in the morning frees up my mind of negativity for the rest of the day. I purchased a storage box to keep them all in and I have all of them.
Some people pay a therapist, I buy journals and pens to write with. My journals are my therapy. Writing my feelings, thoughts, ideas, etc., down early in the morning is my way of dealing with stress and it works for me. When I started keeping a journal back in the 80s, I wrote in the evenings right before bedtime. Through experimentation, I have found that mornings are best for me. A few years ago, I read a book "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron and she suggests writing in the morning. She named this process "Morning Pages". If I had read her book earlier in my life, I believe my journaling would have been even more helpful to me. She also recommends writing every morning, something that I found works better for me, also.
Even if you don't consider yourself a good writer or even any kind of writer, don't dismiss journaling. You don't have to be precise, grammatically correct, or even good. No one will read this except you and those you choose to share with. (I don't share mine with anyone. They are my thoughts and may or may not make sense to anyone else.) Julia recommends writing three pages every morning and I admit that is good idea. However, I only write what I feel like writing. Sometimes that is only one page and sometimes it might be five pages. I write until I have it all out of my head and effectively brain dumped all issues onto paper.
A lot of people journal but they call it by different names. For example: gratitude journals, diaries, log books, blessing books, etc. It all comes down to keeping a journal. Writing down your thoughts, ideas, and feelings hoping to clear your head for the day ahead.
Give it a try. You don't need fancy or expensive journals. I have written in notebooks that cost less than a dollar, loose leaf paper in a binder, cheap journals from the dollar store, and more expensive bound journals from a book store or office supply. Just grab some paper and a pen and start writing. At first it will seem alien to you, it may even feel forced, but after a while it will become routine and part of your daily life.
Keep this in mind as you write:
1. Write the first thing that comes into your mind.
2. Even if you write "I can't think of anything to write", write that.
3. Don't plan your writing, write any way you want.
4. Don't read what you have written (until at least a year from now). It may affect how you write the next day or feel about your writing,
5. Even when you don't feel like writing, do it anyway. Make it a morning habit.
Before you say that keeping a journal is not for you, try it. Stick with it for a month or two. Make yourself write. Write your thoughts down and then forget about them. Keep them to read at some point in the future, but don't read them within a year of writing.
Do you journal? If not, will you try it? Are you willing to move out of your comfort zone to write and reflect on your true thoughts, ideas, and feelings? Share in the comments about your experience with keeping a journal.
XOXO
Some people pay a therapist, I buy journals and pens to write with. My journals are my therapy. Writing my feelings, thoughts, ideas, etc., down early in the morning is my way of dealing with stress and it works for me. When I started keeping a journal back in the 80s, I wrote in the evenings right before bedtime. Through experimentation, I have found that mornings are best for me. A few years ago, I read a book "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron and she suggests writing in the morning. She named this process "Morning Pages". If I had read her book earlier in my life, I believe my journaling would have been even more helpful to me. She also recommends writing every morning, something that I found works better for me, also.
Even if you don't consider yourself a good writer or even any kind of writer, don't dismiss journaling. You don't have to be precise, grammatically correct, or even good. No one will read this except you and those you choose to share with. (I don't share mine with anyone. They are my thoughts and may or may not make sense to anyone else.) Julia recommends writing three pages every morning and I admit that is good idea. However, I only write what I feel like writing. Sometimes that is only one page and sometimes it might be five pages. I write until I have it all out of my head and effectively brain dumped all issues onto paper.
A lot of people journal but they call it by different names. For example: gratitude journals, diaries, log books, blessing books, etc. It all comes down to keeping a journal. Writing down your thoughts, ideas, and feelings hoping to clear your head for the day ahead.
Give it a try. You don't need fancy or expensive journals. I have written in notebooks that cost less than a dollar, loose leaf paper in a binder, cheap journals from the dollar store, and more expensive bound journals from a book store or office supply. Just grab some paper and a pen and start writing. At first it will seem alien to you, it may even feel forced, but after a while it will become routine and part of your daily life.
Keep this in mind as you write:
1. Write the first thing that comes into your mind.
2. Even if you write "I can't think of anything to write", write that.
3. Don't plan your writing, write any way you want.
4. Don't read what you have written (until at least a year from now). It may affect how you write the next day or feel about your writing,
5. Even when you don't feel like writing, do it anyway. Make it a morning habit.
Before you say that keeping a journal is not for you, try it. Stick with it for a month or two. Make yourself write. Write your thoughts down and then forget about them. Keep them to read at some point in the future, but don't read them within a year of writing.
Do you journal? If not, will you try it? Are you willing to move out of your comfort zone to write and reflect on your true thoughts, ideas, and feelings? Share in the comments about your experience with keeping a journal.
XOXO
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