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Journaling - The Write Stuff For You?

Posted by Ginger, Volunteer Mentor @gingerw, Jun 19, 2020

Long ago –okay, for me, it was long ago!- it was common for a young person to keep a diary, a place to write down the heartaches and giggles of growing up, the trials and tribulations of school, friendships, sports and activities. Sometimes it was a locked book, so that we felt secure knowing our secret thought remained a secret.

How times have changed! While I no longer keep a classic diary, it is no less important for me to write down thoughts, ideas, and heaven-knows-what, on a regular basis. Nowadays, the common name is a “journal”, and seems to appeal to every segment of society. There are an abundance of ways to do this, and so many reasons why. Although I prefer longhand, many people use a computer, and there are any number of prompts/styles/methods.

Let’s explore this together!

Do you journal? What prompted you to start? What would you tell someone who wants to start?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Jan 1 7:28am
In reply to @gingerw "@dougkeon There is nothing demanding us to reread what we have written/taped once we have committed..." + (show)
@gingerw

@dougkeon There is nothing demanding us to reread what we have written/taped once we have committed it to a medium. For me, just getting it out of my head has been tonic enough. A few times I have gone back and reread things, from several years ago. I am looking at the handwriting, and the hidden emotions there, beyond just the words. I have even taken graphology courses to learn about handwriting, to better understand what is going on "below the surface".

I am curious if you would try an experiment to simply journal and not go back to read what you have written. How would that make you feel? Is it worth a try?
Ginger

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@gingerw Great ideas for @dougkeon and for all of us, Ginger!

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dougkeon | @dougkeon | Jan 1 9:15am
In reply to @gingerw "@dougkeon There is nothing demanding us to reread what we have written/taped once we have committed..." + (show)
@gingerw

@dougkeon There is nothing demanding us to reread what we have written/taped once we have committed it to a medium. For me, just getting it out of my head has been tonic enough. A few times I have gone back and reread things, from several years ago. I am looking at the handwriting, and the hidden emotions there, beyond just the words. I have even taken graphology courses to learn about handwriting, to better understand what is going on "below the surface".

I am curious if you would try an experiment to simply journal and not go back to read what you have written. How would that make you feel? Is it worth a try?
Ginger

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Thank you for your advice. I will give it a try, and just see what happens by not reading it. Thank you.

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Ray Kemble | @ray666 | Jan 1 1:52pm

Have any of you long-time journalers made plans for what to do with your journals when … when … well, when the time comes? I've been journaling longhand for almost a half-century and now have a room-long bookshelf filled with my journals. They have served me beautifully, one day at a time, over all these years, but I'm not comfortable with just leaving them 'behind' to read by … by whom? I've no blood kin, so, in effect, I represent the end of my family's line. Are any of you similarly perplexed? –Ray (@ray666)

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2 replies
Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Jan 1 2:14pm
In reply to @ray666 "Have any of you long-time journalers made plans for what to do with your journals when..." + (show)
@ray666

Have any of you long-time journalers made plans for what to do with your journals when … when … well, when the time comes? I've been journaling longhand for almost a half-century and now have a room-long bookshelf filled with my journals. They have served me beautifully, one day at a time, over all these years, but I'm not comfortable with just leaving them 'behind' to read by … by whom? I've no blood kin, so, in effect, I represent the end of my family's line. Are any of you similarly perplexed? –Ray (@ray666)

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@ray666 Do you have a trusted friend, or the named executor for your estate? Direct them to destroy the journals by shredding or a bonfire. If there is any historical significance, consider donating them to a learning institution.

My father kept journals from high school and going forward. He was on the USS Enterprise at Pearly Harbor. I had asked him to gift me his journals when he passed. But sad to say, I have no idea what happened to them.
Ginger

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1 reply
Mentor
Miriam, Volunteer Mentor | @mir123 | Jan 1 3:43pm
In reply to @ray666 "Have any of you long-time journalers made plans for what to do with your journals when..." + (show)
@ray666

Have any of you long-time journalers made plans for what to do with your journals when … when … well, when the time comes? I've been journaling longhand for almost a half-century and now have a room-long bookshelf filled with my journals. They have served me beautifully, one day at a time, over all these years, but I'm not comfortable with just leaving them 'behind' to read by … by whom? I've no blood kin, so, in effect, I represent the end of my family's line. Are any of you similarly perplexed? –Ray (@ray666)

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It is worth talking to the archival librarian or staff if you have a state library or local university that might be interested. Do your journals cover political and historical events or are they purely personal? Are there letters or papers of interest that go along with them? No way to know if there is interest but worth asking. Lots of state libraries and archives have journals of ordinary folks that are of use to historians. The University of the state I live in collects certain material--literary history, counterculture accounts, land use and farming, etc. But if you don't want to share, Ginger's suggestion is a good one.

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1 reply
Ray Kemble | @ray666 | Jan 1 4:27pm
In reply to @mir123 "It is worth talking to the archival librarian or staff if you have a state library..." + (show)
@mir123

It is worth talking to the archival librarian or staff if you have a state library or local university that might be interested. Do your journals cover political and historical events or are they purely personal? Are there letters or papers of interest that go along with them? No way to know if there is interest but worth asking. Lots of state libraries and archives have journals of ordinary folks that are of use to historians. The University of the state I live in collects certain material--literary history, counterculture accounts, land use and farming, etc. But if you don't want to share, Ginger's suggestion is a good one.

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I have separate files chock full of letters. The one file that has been sought over the years contains my 31-year correspondence with A.W. Lawrence, younger brother of T.E. Lawrence, more popularly known as 'Lawrence of Arabia'. Biographers of the Arabian Lawrence have asked over the years if they might have access to the younger brother's letters. I have already arranged for the archiving of those letters. As for the rest? I'm still not sure. Dispose. or safekeep? It remains to be seen.

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Ray Kemble | @ray666 | Jan 1 4:34pm
In reply to @gingerw "@ray666 Do you have a trusted friend, or the named executor for your estate? Direct them..." + (show)
@gingerw

@ray666 Do you have a trusted friend, or the named executor for your estate? Direct them to destroy the journals by shredding or a bonfire. If there is any historical significance, consider donating them to a learning institution.

My father kept journals from high school and going forward. He was on the USS Enterprise at Pearly Harbor. I had asked him to gift me his journals when he passed. But sad to say, I have no idea what happened to them.
Ginger

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Hi, Ginger

I have a life partner. She, too, has questions about paper legacy. In her instance, it's volumes of her poetry. These questions (What to do … ?)––her poetry, and my journals and other papers––make for suppertime conversation almost every evening.

This is a wonderful topic, Ginger. I'm glad you created it. Happy New Year!

Ray (@ray666)

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fjc | @fjc | Jan 1 9:02pm

I find it hard to write without writing to someone. When I realized this about myself, I asked my therapist, if she would mind me writing to her when I have thoughts I need to put into words. She said sure. She has no obligation to answer, obviously. So every now and then, I write what I am thinking and feeling, especially when there is a lot going on in my head, and I feel things need to get organized to make sense. That's what writing does for me, I think. It helps give voice to what I'm thinking and feeling, but it also helps me organize a whirlwind of ideas into some coherent sentences. I have read that for depressives, journaling about emotionally significant thoughts/ events can improve mental health. I'm sure most people on here know that, but I did not know it til I read that in Susan David's book, in the chapter where she talks about James Pennebaker's research on depression and journaling. Thanks for the opportunity to talk to others about this.

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1 reply
peanutbutterhair | @peanutbutterhair | Jan 1 10:57pm
In reply to @gingerw "@boogie Don't be hard on yourself! There is no right or wrong way to do a..." + (show)
@gingerw

@boogie Don't be hard on yourself! There is no right or wrong way to do a journal. Just write! It does not matter the type of paper, the size of the paper, or what you use to write. You can draw in it, you can press leaves into it, or flower petals or who knows what. Or not. That's the beauty of journaling. There are no Journal Police, and no one should tell you that you're doing it wrong. Including yourself. And there's nothing saying that you can't change things up at any time.

I smile when I read about your papers and notebooks all over the place. Two years ago when I was moving, I was trying to be very meticulous about packing. Oh my goodness! you would not believe how many places I found scraps of paper with a poem or an essay or some writings. I tried to corral everything into a central location and just put the word "writings" on beholder. However, I have recently come across other things. It's a never-ending battle for me but it's okay. I look back at the writing and of course I always date things. If I do multiple pages I make sure that I copy the date to the new page and what page number it is.

Sometimes the biggest block is to just get started. I think that my dad had a great idea and this is one I follow a lot, and that is to have a few opening sentences about where I am or the weather or something that helps clear my mind.

Who does a "daily check in" via writing?
Ginger

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I write daily. I record all my activities for the day; my doctors' appointments, my online arts classes my exercises . I also add 5 things I am grateful for.

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pvctom2021 | @pvctom2021 | Jan 2 12:15am

Hello

I journaled again just now for Monday Jan 1st 2024…for the morning most of the day and now into late or early hours, my anxiety level, complicated both extra PVCs and PACs accompanying a lulu of a head cold 🥶 is not a good way to start the year off.. I am taking my daily night meds and hopefully get some sleep without the arrhythmias…gosh I hate these…I took a 20ml dose of NyQuil last night and I felt jittery and the morning arrhythmias..that continues…I’ve read that colds can aggravate PVCS and HP…thank you for reading this…🙏
pvctom

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