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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.

pvctom2021 | @pvctom2021 | 6 days ago
In reply to @gingerw "@pvctom2021 For many of us, this time of year can be anxiety or stress-provoking. It's good..." + (show)
@gingerw

@pvctom2021 For many of us, this time of year can be anxiety or stress-provoking. It's good to hear you and your wife are taking it easy, and not allowing yourselves to get too stressed! Disappointments or frustration, can both be good topics for writing. And with your upcoming appointments, I bet you may have a list of questions to write out for that cardiologist.
Ginger

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@gingerw
Thanks Ginger for your support, encouragement and inspiration…🙏pvctom

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lou10 | @lou10 | 3 days ago
In reply to @gingerw "I wrote my first poem when I was 5 years old. It was a fascinating discovery..." + (show)
@gingerw

I wrote my first poem when I was 5 years old. It was a fascinating discovery to see how 26 letters could be arranged into a seemingly endless variety of words, describing my world around me and what was going on.

It wasn't until I got out of high school that I discovered my father had been keeping a journal since his junior high school years. He even made a special wooden box to hold his paper and pens. He chronicled many moves, a mother's death at his young age, and his time serving in the US Navy during WW II on the USS Enterprise. He also kept detailed daily postings of weather on the header of each page of his books, and the goings-on of his marriage and growing family. He kept track of his kids as we ventured off and started our own lives, and told of the heartbreak of my mother's dementia and her long-tenured journey of Silence. I had always hoped to receive his journals after he passed, but it was not to be.

So, I guess my journaling came generationally to me. Over the years it was natural to pick up pen and paper, recording what was going on in my heart/head/world/life. My poetry and observations on life are in a separate book, or books as it may be. My journals where my soul gets poured out, are in their own. I have written about heartache and heartbreak, job insecurity, and the everyday things that everybody goes through. I have written my way through natural disasters, cross country trips and camping, illnesses and the discovery of who I think I might be. I write in longhand mostly or print. I choose not to use a computer because then it is so easy to hit the delete key and erase what you're truly saying! Besides that, I took some handwriting courses so I can look back at old entries and see what my thoughts really were and where my head really was at. Very enlightening!

I am looking forward to hearing from others.
Ginger

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I write every day and I keep a journal to record events, thoughts, and ideas. I don't always read what I write and I write longhand. I took some writing classes and they helped me to learn how to journal. I also keep a blog but it's not public. I feel that writing is more permanent and it helps me when I don't want to carry negative thoughts with me during the day.
Lou

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Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | 3 days ago
In reply to @lou10 "I write every day and I keep a journal to record events, thoughts, and ideas. I..." + (show)
@lou10

I write every day and I keep a journal to record events, thoughts, and ideas. I don't always read what I write and I write longhand. I took some writing classes and they helped me to learn how to journal. I also keep a blog but it's not public. I feel that writing is more permanent and it helps me when I don't want to carry negative thoughts with me during the day.
Lou

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@lou10 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I also do longhand writing I took a forensic handwriting analysis class, and have a few reference books like that. And a slew of journaling/writing books by different authors, including Julia Cameron, that have helped me gather insight and taught me how to focus my writing. I also get a daily email from Amit Sood for his "year of healing" https://www.amitsood.com/year-of-healing?show_popup=true that I try to keep up with.

Moving those negative thoughts out of the way can really help us, right? We don't need them there, taking up space for more pleasant ideas!
Ginger

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