Journaling - The Write Stuff For You?

Thank you.

I started a journal when I was twelve yrs old, and wrote down everything from how I was feeling, even the bad and worse times of my life. At age nineteen I had 15 journals finished, when one of my relatives got hold of them it turned my life upside down.
I'm 48 yrs old and I still write journals/diary but I watch what I put in it now. I sometimes let my husband and daughter read them, but it depends on what I have written at that time. Now I keep my journal/dairy on my phone with a password.
Maybe one day I will have the courage to write a story about what I had to go through growing up to help others.

@marjou Dating your work is important. If you are doing journaling by writing, also, some people incorporate the artwork into their writing journal. I have a friend who gets fairly sturdy paper, and by the time she has mostly filled a book, the pages might be warped from watercolors, or bled through if she was real enthusiastic, etc. You get the idea.

I really appreciate you sharing your process. Learning something about yourself in the process was exciting, and a nice gift, wasn't it? In weeks or months to come you might revisit the feelings you had this time, and create something new again!
Ginger

"To try" on 9/8/2020. @marjou Here is your first step and you have quite brilliantly documented how you felt and the steps of gathering information and materials and then it seems like your work of art just happened. Art reflects who you are in many ways. Experiencing self-compassion and a dose of loving-kindness meant just for you is quite admirable on your first art journal. Let's not forget about it and all the positive thoughts and sensations you experienced.

And so....my dear.......are we going to be receiving another page in the journal now that you have the key to the door and a desire to create.

May you be content and at ease.
Chris

Good morning to you all.

I have a question for you. Would you talk about your journaling process, and how it is going? I recently came into some health issues, and find myself reluctant to write. The "why" of it, not sure! Also, I have been looking at bullet journaling, although it is pretty foreign to me. Does someone here use that as a method of recording, and find it useful/rewarding?

School is starting again in most areas. For some, it is in-person, for many it is still virtual. But big box stores have the supplies! I drool over pens and paper every year, and have to refrain from busting my budget. How about a new notebook or journal as a treat?
Ginger

If writing sentences is difficult, jot down a few descriptive words such as anxious, worried, confident, glad. Noting and naming your feelings helps you process them.

@david33, I started journaling very young too when those little diaries came with keys. Don't know if my mom ever read what I wrote growing up but feel so badly for you that a relative read yours . The whole purpose for me in journaling is to put on paper "what is going on with me at the given moment". For that reason, privacy is my top priority and they are not intended for another's eyes.

When I started using sprial "school ruled notebooks", I found they provided the solution to what I might not want another to read. The ability to tear out pages later, which I continue to do, makes the spiral notebooks very user friendly too. The highly decorative journals proved intimidating for me and "too pretty to use".

Ginger's suggestion of dating journal entries is one I never used but can see the merit in doing especially if some are intended for sharing with others.

Like you, David, I had many, many journals covering decades and began the process of re-reading with the purpose of further editing.
While much was saved that pertained to family events and early childhood experiences worth sharing, sections of troubling, frightening, unhappy events found their way to the wastebaskets.

Another thing I discovered in journaling was that I much prefer the tactile experience of using pen to paper vs writing on the computer. My thoughts don't flow as easily when sitting in front of the screen and keyboard. Now, I write in just two journals: one for daily gratitudes and another for "whatever". Smiles to all who find journaling both an outlet and form of personal discovery.

Journaling is easier than keeping a diary. With a diary, you are supposed to write something every day. With journaling you are supposed to write regularly--every other week, every week, every other day--whatever works for you. Date your journal entries. Go back and read them every so often. You will start to find solutions to problems and, perhaps, even new ideas.

Memories,those little white dairies made out of imitation leather with the tiny keys. How well I remember them. Tossed mine out when I got married a million years ago.
Like fiesty76 I’m old school, and function better with pen and paper.
I think it’s just our generation. We did not grow up with calculators, and computers. We had to use our brain.
Funcountess

@funcountess I still refuse to do a journal or diary on a computer. But also have yet to discard any writings. Over the last few years I have attempted to corral them in to one place. As long as that one place is "all my possessions". Poems, essays, journal books, writing prompts, and seem to mingle and find their way into little pockets of storage. Sometimes I reread it and think about events surrounding that piece.

I am toying with the idea of a bullet journal. Anyone else?
Ginger