Why to Journal..

“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.” Christina Baldwin

Who should keep a journal? What are the benefits to keeping a journal? When would someone use a journal? Where would someone use a journal? Why would I or anyone else want to keep a journal? How do I journal? All of these questions do not actually have a specific answer to them, they are very open-ended questions. They’re also all questions that people spend too much time pondering when it comes to journaling or writing in general. Anyone who has done any kind of journaling in their life has most likely seen some kind of benefit. The word journaling can mean different things to different people. Here is what this post is referring to when the word journaling is mentioned…

Definition of a journal according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary: “a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use.”

A journal doesn’t mean that everything needs to be kept in one area, one notebook, on one electronic device, but can be scattered. This all depends on the journal keepers personal preference and how they function best. I’ve personally never figured out how scattered-ness can help anyone be focused and have never been able to see good results from that myself, buy hey, there are many that have and do and see good results in their lives. Journals also do not have to be kept private and not all journals are. A blog can be used as a journal and that is almost never kept private. I personally am more honest when I keep my journaling private and I feel this is the case for most people as well. A journal is a sacred place for most and it is a place only for themselves and their journals to communicate.

Some Benefits of Journaling

There are numerous benefits that can result from keeping a journal of some kind. To name a few benefits that are possible…

A study from the journal of Advances in Psychiatric Treatment has a great piece that shows some of the benefits of writing. “Most of the subsequent expressive writing studies involves participants writing about traumatic or emotional experiences for 3–5 sessions, often over consecutive days, for 15–20 minutes per session, although many report being upset by the writing experience, they also find it valuable and meaningful.” In this study there is a lot of good information of how people with physical and mental challenges were able to see benefit from expressive writing. In a really good book about writing and creativity in general, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron recommends that people do the “Morning Pages” to start if they are struggling to write anything or for healing in general. “What are morning pages? Put simply, the morning pages are three pages of longhand writing, strictly stream-of-consciousness: “Oh, god, another morning. I have NOTHING to say. I need to wash the curtains. Did I get my laundry yesterday? Blah, blah, blah …” They might also, more ingloriously, be called brain drain, since that is one of their main functions.” Cameron points out that there are no correct ways to do the morning pages, they are simply a way to start building a habit. And also a great way to get off some stored tension as well. Either of these methods are great for a start and are very healing because they allow expression of stored emotions and thoughts. The paper is not going to judge us so it is one of the safest places to share any thing.

How to Keep a Journal

The chances of success in everything in life can be improved upon by keeping a journal. Whether one is looking to log their exercise and diet routines, write business plans, write personal goals, self reflection, expressive writing, or anything else in their lives, journaling is a great activity for them. There are many different ways to keep a journal depending on the purpose of keeping one. It could be used as notebook, a diary, a scrapbook, art platform, the options are limitless. A great use of keeping a journal is to capture the ideas. One of the most popular self development authors of all time, Jim Rohn, discussed journaling often and how it improved his life. In his short and effective audio lecture, How to use a Journal he states that capturing ideas is essential. “What we do not somehow capture today, is lost forever”, “There are a lot of things in life that we trust, but my experience has taught me, that the human memory is not one of them”, “There are so many sources of information and insights around us, for you to capture these information and ideas fully, it is essential that your journal always be at your side.”

In all fairness some people have great memories and their memory can be trusted. For the most of us it is best that we keep some kind of notes. You never know what might be that life changing idea or piece of information that you come across. Not being able to recall such valuable information would be a tragedy.

Some Personal Uses for Journaling

A few years ago I decided to finally start to journaling. After years of hearing how beneficial it is over and over again I finally decided to start doing it. Here is a list of things that I personally use my journal for…(not all are done daily)

Every time I use my journal I feel great after it. There was once a time when I felt it was a chore to journal and I still would. This I do not recommended as it was basically a waste of paper and ink. Forcing myself to journal added a stressor into my day and I felt so blank and dull. If someone were to read my entries it is probably noticeable which ones were forced entries. I have noticed over the years that being as honest as possible inside the pages of a journal is most beneficial. I started out being a little secretive with the journal at first, which was a novice move and I left after making those entries feeling unaccomplished. I choose to keep my entries private for the most part. If I were to die and someone was to read through it then lovely, hope they learn something. Although I use my journal in numerous places here is an example of how I like my surroundings to be when I go to write, and an example of the kind of music I like to hear while writing…

Here is a sample list of Steven Halpern’s album, Deep Theta 432HZ. Check those out..

(https://www.stevenhalpern.com/prod/432/deeptheta432.html

Having things around you that you enjoy can add to your experience. In my picture there, besides my journal and a pen, is a candle, a shungite pyramid, and a sheep skin that I will be laying on to write. I will also listen to some kind of music most of the time. Or go in silence. The less distractions around the better. I tend to do a fair amount of healing in my personal entries. Lets say someone made me really irritated today. I will write all of the negative stuff I can think of about the situation, how I wanted to be violent, rude, whatever. I will then end on a positive note and forgive both of us involved and list many things that could have made that situation worse and express gratitude that it didn’t get that far. There is always a lesson in everything so I will also list what I perceived the lesson to be and why I am grateful for it. After doing this I am able to clear all the emotion about the situation. I used this method for a speeding ticket I received one time and I couldn’t believe the effect it had on me. I actually didn’t mind donating money to the system and paying the ticket, weird I know. Another thing I like to do is pick someone that is in my life and write down everything I can think of about them that I am grateful for. This works even better after an altercation of some kind or if they are currently ignoring me or are mad at me for whatever reason and haven’t forgiven me yet. It feels great to remind myself why they are in my life and why I care so much about my relationship with them and wishing them nothing but the best. Okay, one more practice that I like to do… in James Altucher’s book, The Power of No: Because One Little Word Can Bring Health, Abundance, and Happiness, he writes about becoming an idea machine, “I wrote down ideas every day for articles I could write and businesses I could start. Bit by bit I started to get paid to write. If you don’t exercise the idea muscle, it atrophies just like any other muscle. And it atrophies quickly. You must work the idea muscle every day to turn into an idea machine.” I’ve done this many times for different topics. It’s results are pretty great, really gets me thinking. For example I choose a topic such as what my next blog post could be. I make a list of 10-15 ideas and choose one. And then I use the others at some point if they’re good enough. The point is to give it some thought and know that not every idea will be a good one, in fact most won’t. It’s the practice that counts. I also like to write with my non dominant hand every now and then, it’s a true test of patience because I cannot write nearly as fast as my dominant hand and this forces me to process the information for a longer period of time before getting it all on the paper.

Things to Keep in Mind

Every one of us has different tastes in style. It’s important to pick a journal to write in that you find attractive enough to use regularly. If it was given to you as a gift and you will use it, great! That’s happened to me twice and they have both been lovely. You may find it better to write with pen that does not smear easily as this can ruin whatever you wrote down over time. Of course if it comes down to missing or capturing something then just get whatever it is down and you can fix it later if you choose. Here are a few important things to remember for effective journaling…

As Anne Lamott once wrote in her great piece of work, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, “You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.” It’s ok to write whatever you wish about whomever or whatever you wish. It’s your life and those are your pages. No need for shyness. Remember, your writing is powerful.

Happy writing!

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