@liz223 Liz, this is what I am afraid of, that like your husband I will not be able to do it. Once I tried to get hypnotized for weight loss and there was no way I could go under. My brain just swirls too much. I definitely do plan to try though.
I have trouble sleeping so I have taken up saying a number of prayers while laying in bed, hoping for sleep to come. I will suddenly find my mind on something totally different and have to pull myself back. I guess I basically do have ADD like my son and daughter with mine being like hers, no hyperactivity or impulsiveness. She had to write an essay once and she wrote in on ADD explaining that it is not that you do not pay attention, but that you pay attention to too many things all at once. She often used her personal experiences in her essays.

JK

@contentandwell Your daughter must be an amazing writer! I just heard a podcast about writing in a journal for the first 20 minutes of each day (some of us might only be able to do 10 minutes). Just write about complaints, worries, what's going to happen during the day, etc. I might give it a try. Anyone else like to join me? Teresa

@hopeful33250 Thanks Tesesa, she does a nice job. The irony is that her English teacher in HS gave her a bad grade because he felt she didn't share enough personal information in her journal! I was furious. That prevented her from being in Honors English. I am different now, now I would make a huge thing about it, advocating for her, but I was pretty much a mouse back then. One of those regrets... A job I had after my 20 year "retirement" from IT where I pretty much liked to be a lone worker, helped me to be more self-confident, dealing with people a lot.
JK

Yes Teresa, I would like to start writing a daily journal. I usually spend my first 20 minutes to 2 hours reading and responding to email, social media or Mayo Connect types of electronic correspondence. I think it would be wise for me to privately journal what's going on with me first. I did journaling when I was younger whenever I was going through a difficult time in my life. I found it very helpful. Aging is a different kind of stress, some of it good and some difficult to accept. One of the best books I read a few years ago is, From Aging to Saging, by a rabbi. I'm going to order his book to read again. He had wonderful information about how to handle the aging changes in a positive way. Thanks for reminding me about journaling. Gail B

Good to hear from you, Gail. Yes, I used to journal on a regular basis as well, especially when I was in crisis mode (like going through divorce) but generally when things are mellow - I get away from it. But last night I was reading a post from Uplift and it was about tapping into creativity by writing for 20 minutes each day. Here is the link http://upliftconnect.com/rewiring-the-brain-for-creativity/.
Teresa

@hopeful33250

Teresa, I write in one journal what I did each day, and I rate my pain and my mood. I write in another journal my feelings about things. This is part of my nightly routine, along with reading a chapter in the Bible, have a couple's devotion with my wife, and sometimes catch up on emails and Facebook. If I tried to journal in the morning, I think I'd go back to sleep.

Jim

@jimhd I appreciate your sharing your journaling techniques, Jim. I hadn't thought of using two journals before, but that is great idea. I can see the value of dividing them up by category. I'm going to give it a try as well - I'm thinking perhaps of having a feeling journal and then a day-to-day activity journal. Could you share with us approximately how much time you spend each day journaling? Teresa

@hopeful33250 Teresa, I don't spend very long as a rule, just a few minutes on the diary, and from 2 minutes to 15 on the journal. I find it hard to verbalize my feelings. I do sometimes with the therapist, but often I don't know where to start.

I wonder if there's a website that addresses that issue of expressing feelings, maybe questions to ask myself, different categories of feelings. . . Or you and others might have suggestions.

Jim

@jimhd Jim: I'm sure there must be some good suggestions from others in our group. After doing a little research I found a webpage on Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/explore/journaling/. There are some interesting questions, there. If you click on "Know Thyself in 25 Questions" - it looks like there are some great thought starters. Also "22 Journal Prompts" has some great ideas. Anyone else have any suggestions?

Teresa

@hopeful33250. Thanks for the link and your response. We have been moving to our daughter's house in Rancho Mirage while her home in Yorba Linda is being remodeled. We have lived with our daughter, my stepdaughter, for 1.5 years now. It's stressful moving again even though it's temporary, probably for 6 months. Anyway, that's why my response is so late.

I started journaling during my divorce in 1977. It was so helpful that I continued for about 20 years. I go back and read the journals occasionally. Some parts are poems as I read them now. The book I mentioned in my previous post is an excellent one. Now, I will check out your link.