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Journaling - The Write Stuff For You?
Just Want to Talk | Last Active: 12 hours ago | Replies (474)Comment receiving replies
I've journaled for most of my 70 years. Now I can't even accomplish that. I always found writing a way to put into words what I dare not say. I've asked a friend to burn my journals when I die. There are things written that should not be read, we're never meant to be read. I also wrote short stories. That has also ended. So now I write to you. If you write don't stop, keep writing, no matter what you tell your journistic is what you need to truly say.
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@done24 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Can your do a voice to text type of journaling, I wonder? Or simply record in voice mode if able to. That would still get your words and thoughts out.
My dad started journaling in high school, all the way through his life. He was on the USS Enterprise on Dec 7, 1941 as a radioman. So, he saw lots of things all his life. And wrote it all. down. Each entry began with the identifiers, as I call them. Day of week, time of day, weather, and where he was writing at. I follow that same tradition. My entries may be long or short, but I have done them all in journals. Also, poetry and haiku, which have a separate section. When he was nearing the end of life, I asked him for his journals, but he said they were much too personal, as they documented his life as a mechanical engineer involved in the Cold War, plus health issues including my mother's decline into dementia and Alzheimers Disease. No clue where they ended up.
Ginger
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Sounds as though journaling has been an important part of your life. I came across Julia Cameron's* "The Artist's Way," through a friend, and found journaling useful when I just wanted to look back to see how I handled a situation or in times of crises. No judgements, just writing it all down. Perhaps you'd find it useful to get a copy of Cameron's book and do the workshop and see if it offers any assistance. Or perhaps you're already familiar with it.
*Cameron was married to Martin Scorsese in 1976, and her husband left her for Liza Minelli, then appearing with them in 'New York, New York.' " Cameron teaches courses on film making (at Northwestern University in Evanston) and workshops around the country.