Journaling - The Write Stuff For You?

@witsend000 Give yourself 5 minutes to write something down. Positive, negative, the weather, your pet, dinner for the day, anything. When you get to the end of the 5 minutes, stop. No matter what. And the next day set a timer for 7 minutes, do it again. You may find that you are looking forward to writing down something each day as it goes forward! Extend your timing and eventually just write! Make an appointment with yourself to write or be creative to get the negative things addressed. We don't want you to explode, or implode!

How does this sound?
Ginger

Sounds good Ginger 👍🏼

Also, thank you Theresa for the link to 30 prompts to journaling. I saved it to my reading list so I can refer to it later.

Thank you all for your suggestions and shared experiences!

I guess I’ve always felt that if I’m not doing something productive, then I’m useless…which is the thing I most fear being. I guess in my mind “productive” means working at something or helping someone else with something. I’ve always felt like hobbies, exercise, etc were a waste of time….not in general, just for me. Like the only way I can “earn my keep”’or something is to give way more than I take.

Maybe I should allow myself time to do things like journal, even if it’s just for myself? Just so I don’t wind up so tight I completely lose my mind?

Oy, Miss Witsend! It is very altruistic to put other people first all the time. But in doing so, it’s way too easy to neglect yourself! Ever flown in a plane? The flight attendant demonstrates the air masks and tells you to put it on yourself first, before putting it on your child, right? Our reaction is Save my child first!! But that’s not the right thing to do. By taking care of your oxygen supply first, you are able to then take care of your child and make logical decisions.

For me, my creative side IS my oxygen! I never feel guilty for taking the afternoon out to make books/journals, paint, sew, make paper, etc… it’s my time. I do my work in the morning and play in the afternoon.
Echoing what you’re saying about winding up so tightly that you’ll lose your mind…well, if I don’t create, I am wound up tighter than an 8-day spring! I even had my little pan of watercolors, paper and a water brush in my hospital bed. I sketched my first chemo infusion while the nurse hooked me up! It’s a visceral thing for me to be able to express myself in some form, whether it’s writing, painting, fiber arts, sewing, etc…it comes from within!

Having a creative outlet is a valuable part of taking care of yourself first! I planned on writing a whole little schpeel about creativity and its benefits but found this instead. This article pretty much sums up what I wanted to say.

It https://tscpl.org/art/why-is-creativity-important-in-everyday-life

So unleash your inner child and have some fun for yourself during the day. It’s a way of rounding out your sense of self. Give yourself the permission to write, sew, exercise, create! You’ll start feeling better about yourself when you see some positive products emerge from your creative efforts!
If writing isn’t your thing, although it is a wonderful outlet, do you enjoy sewing, or knitting, drawing, quilting??

Interesting article. I never knew that “creativity” meant “to grow”. Cool.

You sound very smart and creative 👍🏼

What do I enjoy?….yikes! I don’t know 😕
I’m not skilled at anything really and I’m certainly not creative. I try things sometimes but always end up frustrated and disappointed (even angry) with myself. I don’t know what it is, but if I feel like something I did was subpar, I get really upset. I try to keep it to myself but sometimes others notice, especially my husband. Is that OCD, perfectionism, or am I just that bad at things? Lol.

Work first, play later…good plan 👍🏼

Oh, I don’t mean you always have to work first and then play! Sometime I eat dessert first! 😁 With creativity, you play whenever the inspiration strikes.

I understand perfectionism. That was me for most of my life. I’ve learned that my fear of failure held me back from reaching a creative potential. I broke through that barrier after realizing that doing something, even if it’s not perfect, is better than doing nothing! Then, by continually practicing what I was learning to do, I got better at it and now I have my own style of creative outlet. It’s really healthy for people to do something of a creative nature for themselves. It feels fulfilling and it does help you grow!

When people say they’re not creative it makes me sad. Everyone has potential to create! I found this really good article for you…see? You’re not alone in thinking you’re not creative!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/adventures-in-divergent-thinking/201901/when-you-say-you-re-not-creative
Writing as an outlet is very cathartic. As others have said on here, just write! Don’t be harsh on yourself when you’re pouring out your emotions on paper. It’s a wonderful way of self introspection. Writing your ‘story’ out on paper or even the computer, is like purging! I’m seldom angry, but when I’m ready to blow, I actually write letters to people with NO address so that it never gets sent. But once I get my feelings out of my head, I can move on.

You sound as though you experience a lot of negative self talk and tell yourself stories in your head. By purging these out on paper, you’ll gain a different perspective of those narratives. It might even make more room IN your head for positive affirmations. ☺️
Check this site out! There are daily affirmations you can recite to yourself, or better yet, these can be entries in your first journal. It will feel good to see them in your handwriting. https://positial.com/affirmations-for-women/#:~:text=51%20Positive%20Affirmations%20For%20Women%201%29%20I%20am,enough%203%29%20I%20deserve%20an%20abundance%20of%20love

I know you want to grow! What are you just itching to try>

I have journaled for years. When I start a discussion on Mayo Clinic, I often reflect my style of Journaling. The advantage of Journaling publicly is the expectation of interaction through empathy, suggestions, recommendations and support. Knowing that I'm writing to "someone" is comforting, engaging, and less lonely.
Unfortunately, and ironically, I've received some inappropriate PM requests.
If I perceive their concerns are authentic, PMing can provide some direct communication generally to answer specific questions related to the topic.
When I received a message, "I read your profile and I'd like to establish a relationship. "
Uh...nooo...spidey senses. Especially When I mainly communicate in the group Depression and Anxiety...boundaries. I am not going to open myself to phishing.
Anyway I journal:
Documentation
Purging and venting
Monitor my moods.
I can see patterns, trends, efficacy of meds. When I journal by hand, my handwriting even offers insight into its efficacy of meds and can reflect mood.
One time while in-patient, I covered a whole page in red pencil. "You know what Depression looks like?" Here it is.
Journaling is relative to the needs of the person--no right or wrong way.
At Christmas, my granddaughter gave me a journal. I believe she expected me to return it ASAP. NOPE.
Taking my time. Addressing each goal, prompt, and participating..
Starting to drift. Sleep texting is not fun. Thank goodness I had a window of opportunity to edit...not a pretty sight...eliminated gibberish. Good night.

@audriana It sounds like the journal your granddaughter gave you is one of those "tell me about your life" formats, or perhaps a guided journal with prompts? How funny that in these days of instant everything, she wanted it to be done right away!

Journaling is a safe haven for me, and perhaps many of us. Being able to voice what is inside, clamoring to get out, without judgment or response, is important. When I sometimes review or go back some time later, it might sound foreign to me "did I really do that?" "I don't recall that!" "what prompted me to feel/act like that?". That's one reason why I get wordy and detailed in my writings. The more words, the more time, the deeper it may go. Doing it by hand lets me see more of my mood. That's why I always put in the date/time/location of my writing. I have taken handwriting analysis courses to help me further understand what is between the words on a page.
Ginger

Thank you for sharing your Journaling journey.
My mother kept journals. After she died in 2013, I asked my brother where they were. "Idk"
As a teacher, I gave my students a prompt as a warm up activity. Some of them really understood the concept of Journaling.
Although I've never taken handwriting analysis, I could see overt changes in their demeanor. I always honored the sense of confidentiality. However, I did tell them that if I read something that raised my level of concern...you know... Responsibilities.

Many of you are looking for journaling prompts to give you some ideas. I came across 50 Grief Journal Prompts which will be helpful to all of us who deal with grief (of any type). The prompts are divided into the following categories: Memories, Qualities, My Future Plans, and My Life Right Now.

Writing about grief can be difficult, so I hope we can all benefit from these 50 prompts that are attached. As grief can take many forms (i.e., loss of job, loss of health, loss of a relationship through death or divorce) let's share the way we can use these prompts.

For me I need to spend more time journaling with my journals since I sometimes end up talking to someone about my problems in depth not thinking that it is a bad idea. So it's time I journal again.