[Incubus]

I am thinking of keeping a journal of when i am in the middle of a emotions swing. I dont go into manic episodes to much. So i am wondering if anyone keeps one and where would recommend getting one? I found some one amazon that have religious anf bible quotes on them. I am just looking for a plain one.

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[fairydustgirl]

I actually prefer to write in an online journal, I had a lot of issues with family members finding and reading my written journals. Invasion of privacy not withstanding, it always caused problems because of the topics I wrote about.
Penzu.com is a free one that automatically saves your writing (I had a different one but lost my writing too easily when the computer did something or I hit a bad key)

I find it very useful to get the thoughts out of my head, and often if I go back and read over some of it, I can see patterns of behavior (mania, depression, etc)

[Crazy Hitch]

I kept one. Around a year and a half ago. It's got a padlock. Don't know if I have the guts to open it and read it. I was going through one of the most difficult struggles, mental health wise. It helped to "vent" it out or so to speak, at the time. I think I'd be too triggered by it if I read it.

i'd suggest using livejournal

not only can you set your mood and your location (even what music you listen to), but it has a programme you can download which allows you to post to the journal without actually going to the website

i used to use it a lot.. it's very good.

[Wild Coyote]

The online journals sound interesting!

I have set up my own using blank sheets of paper. I design a format.
I sometimes have a section where I've noted various factors: number of hours slept, weather, meds, stress level, etc. This has allowed me to see correlations/patterns in the past.

Good luck with your journal!


WC

[wildflowerchild25]

I kept a journal for years as a teenager. I stopped needing to when I met my husband and could talk to him about everything. Now this forum is kind of my journal. But I did keep a journal right after my husband died for a few months just so I could talk to him through letters and let him know how I was feeling. I don't really feel the need to do that anymore but I still have it.

Barnes and noble or another book store should have journals. That's where I've always gotten mine.

I've written daily in a journal for 15 years. Mine is on the computer, on my hard drive. I like to be able to edit and only the computer allows that. Also, the volume of my writing prohibits a paper journal. I find it very helpful and good company. I feel such relief to write in it when i'm upset. It's rare for me to re-read them but i wonder if i will when i'm a senior. I started out using just the WordPad word processing accessory that comes with Windows. It's fine but i wanted a little more functionality, especially a thesaurus so i upgraded to Word. I really like journalling! Hope you do too!

[vjdragonfly]

I have done some journaling in the past and I use Microsoft Word with pw protection. My therapist just told me today she wanted me to start journaling so it might help identify triggers.

I like composition books. They are usually $1, I like the old school look and that wide-ruled is available. My brother used them, he had years of filled composition books. Looked like a library. Neat.

[xRavenx]

I like moodtracker.com since it has features where I can keep track of how severe my depression/mania is, amount of sleep, anxiety, and irritability level. Then, it gives you a section where you can freely journal, and I always use that space to write whatever comes to mind. I would recommend it. I get a feeling that I am taking a step towards taking care of myself by tracking my mood and journaling since it's something I can do just for me and my sense of wellbeing. There are periods of times where I will stop doing it for whatever reason, but I always feel better when I get back into it again.

[Unrigged64072835]

I used to journal on my computer. However, I noticed all I was doing was griping a lot, so I stopped. I may go back to it but I need to add gratitude or something in it so it isn't all negative.

Originally Posted by Crazy Hitch

I kept one. Around a year and a half ago. It's got a padlock. Don't know if I have the guts to open it and read it. I was going through one of the most difficult struggles, mental health wise. It helped to "vent" it out or so to speak, at the time. I think I'd be too triggered by it if I read it.

I don't look back to read, either. Just onward, hi-yo!

[Incubus]

I wouldnt have to keep if my wife be more supportive. I would online but dont trust anyone not to get on my tablet. So looking to try a hard copy version to carry with me. I don't carry my tablet with me cause a fight.

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What type of fight? I don't understand.

[fairydustgirl]

I second moodtracker.com if you want to keep up with those types of things, it's very comprehensive. (sleep, mood, anxiety, meds, even periods if you are female and need that tracking as well) I do a regular type diary/journal online just to write stuff...to get things out of my head. both penzu.com and my-diary.org are password protected, as is moodtracker. I LOVE using spiral bound notebooks but as I mentioned, in my case, my family (esp X husband) would go looking through them and of course that always ended in a fight. They couldn't get into my computer but picking up my notebook was easy.

[letsgogh]

I keep a sketch journal. My art and writing in there gets weird sometimes. lol. during one mixed episode I had just pages of scribbles about how time travel is possible but only mentally and some chopped up, strange and cryptic political cartoons.

[MBM17]

I track my moods in a regular line paper notebook. For a year, I was tracking EVERYTHING it seemed - symptoms, skills I used, sleep I got, time I went to bed, time I woke up, taking my pills, and much more. I also wrote down a normal kind of journal entry every day with details. I was looking for patterns.
I highly recommend it.

For me, we found that there aren't any patterns. 11 months of intense mood journaling, and it turns out that there aren't an patterns in what I do with what my bipolar does. It is disheartening sometimes, but it is the only thing that could have made me truly realize that I don't have control over bipolar. Without 11 months of trying to find patterns and seeing no patterns except a LACK of patterns, I would still think I should be doing something to fix it. Now I know that my bipolar is truly beyond my control and I just need to do what I can to cope with my life and what it does to my life.

[Incubus]

Fight about carrying my tablet with me and being on it. I ordered a journal.

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I've done both (chart and journal). Always on paper. Like others, writing helps get the thoughts out of my head. Or depressurizes a bit, lol. I SHOULD keep better track of things, because I have no sense of time. Someone did snoop and misinterpret something in notes section of chart one time, which made me hinky. For awhile, I continued to chart, but restricted so much in the notes section that it was rather pointless.

Then I picked up journalling again --get this-- in the midst of a big time paranoia attack(!!!) BUT. It was in code. Has been ever since. Although it is very complicated, I can write it very nearly as fast as regular writing. Reading it back... Not so much. (It's do-able, just doesn't lend itself to scanning, lol.)

Which....not too big a deal as I don't tend to reread. However, I did sometimes make little faces in the margin to help locate significant stuff.

I'm kind of paranoid of online. But that's just me.

[Incubus]

I love to write to get my thoughts out. When i do write, i can go on and on so need to figure out how to stop

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[Incubus]

I got my journal. It so far seems to be helping to get my frustration out with the problems i am having at home

[gina_re]

I'm late in joining, but I just wanted to throw in my two cents anyway...
I love journaling!!!! I've been doing so for a little over ten years. I don't really have anyone to talk to about what I'm feeling, so I purge all of my feelings onto those pages. I usually feel a little better afterwards because I feel as though I released some of those feelings that are bothersome. I prefer a physical journal, an online one scares me. The closest I come to an online journal is PC. But I go to Barnes & Noble for my journals. They have various types to choose from. And as others have mentioned, I don't go back and read them. Maybe the really old ones just to see how much I've grown (or I'm bored and I come across one of them). Good luck and I hope you enjoy your journaling journey!

[Incubus]

Journaling is helping. I am doing it almost everyday. Having support and intimacy issue at home. Get whats in my head out. I take it with me when i leave by myself so she doesnt read it.

[Gs550]

Also late but I definitely recommend journaling. The most stable points of my life are those where I've consistently kept a journal.

I usually have at least 2 going at a time - one I carry with me, one is at home. Occasionally I'll have a separate sketchbook or mood/exercise/whatever tracker. So, if anyone wants to read them when I'm gone, the chronology is all weird.

I've found that, more than getting the feelings out (it usually doesn't feel cathartic to me, not really) I'm better able to turn around my negative thinking. It's easier to look at these thought patterns and evaluate them objectively if you're slowing down to write it all out. So, often (not always) if I'm getting some breakthrough depressive symptoms I can sort of talk myself out of it. Or at least, recognize that those negative thoughts may not accurately reflect reality, even if I'm still kind of stuck. When I've already gone down the rabbit hole and can't get out, at least the journal helps identify the areas where I need to improve. I do sometimes reread, and see patterns.

I started a project lately (I like projects) where I'm taking a photo of myself after I finish journaling. I think it'll be interesting to have a visual record in addition to the written record.

[RomanJames2014]

Journals are amazing, I like to blog because... I dunno, I feel like I am some hoe giving back to our bipolar community and to those who might not understand the disease.
I like it because I have learned alot about the disease and my self through writing.