so we plan for 2016 to get back in to our journal...

most of us write in it (or have written in it) in the past, however we've just been slacking with it- and not writing in it as often as we probably should

not this year. we are going to make use of our journal every day if it's the last thing we do

who else finds it helpful to journal?

I keep seeing people mention journalling as being helpful. I haven't kept one since my teens, (exempt for a dream diary, which Ive been keeping for a few months now) and I just remember the humiliation when I read back at the really stupid stuff I wrote back then.

How is journalling helpful? What do you write about?

I try to journal, but nobody is in to it. I think maybe because we know ourselves well enough, nobody cares...or we just keep forgetting.

Journaling is more for those that have an amnesic barrier to other parts, a way for them to communicate daily.

I just went back and read parts of it.....it's a gripe book where everyone is griping of another other! Lol

Maybe that's a good thing?

[Shaly78]

Since about 2012, I have had about 8 journal books. It can kind of get triggering due to differences in hand writing styles from a few of us. I like getting it out on sites like ,although I had to worry about old friends tracking us to know our business, Long story....I do a combination of both, but can't seem to have 365 daily entries in a journal.. I like variety though. Journaling is a good idea especially if you need your therapist to help with an entry that you might not get to speak in therapy.

[finding_my_way]

i started writing in a journal around age 7 or 8 forward until 2013 (but barely). in 2007, the ability to write kind of just stopped. guess it makes sense since things changed both externally and internally. i used to also be able to write poetry which i think was linked to a part. it was like the poems would just come out of nowhere in perfect pieces, and i would have to write them down really fast before they disappeared. i cannot/could not ever write if i had to actively think about doing it. now, when i try to journal, it just doesn't work. the best i can do is write things on forums/in conversation with people online. i am not sure why. i have wanted to journal again to document things, but when i try, it just will not come out. it's like it gets stuck in between my head and fingertips when i try to journal, like something trying to stop me. it's very frustrating. but i don't know how i can type on forums and stuff since it's technically documenting things as well...

i have found though going back and reading past journals has helped me piece some things together, though hard to read at times.

I hate writing. I can't concentrate to read. I see the words but it disappears.

Originally Posted by CassyO

I keep seeing people mention journalling as being helpful. I haven't kept one since my teens, (exempt for a dream diary, which Ive been keeping for a few months now) and I just remember the humiliation when I read back at the really stupid stuff I wrote back then.

How is journalling helpful? What do you write about?

is a " dream diary" exactly what it says on the tin?

a place to write your thoughts and dreams

that's not a bad idea.. especially these days since we've been thinking about our bucket list.

in our journal we just write about how we are doing, what we've been doing, what troubles us, what makes us happy, i guess it helps because it's someone to talk to- like a friend.

for me never having friends or family caring much (at all?), i think of my journal as a friend and can write in secret about anything

guess it's also a good way to keep track of how you're doing over the years

[Mookster]

I've kept a journal for years, since the start of this year I can't seem to write anything in it... I'm not sure why this is, tho I'm sure it will pick up again. Since I have a hard time remembering stuff, it helps me to be able to read what we wrote. And when I can remember to bring stuff up with T, it helps to be able to read what was going on.

Originally Posted by Mookster

I've kept a journal for years, since the start of this year I can't seem to write anything in it... I'm not sure why this is, tho I'm sure it will pick up again. Since I have a hard time remembering stuff, it helps me to be able to read what we wrote. And when I can remember to bring stuff up with T, it helps to be able to read what was going on.

good luck with getting back to journalling

i've done it too, i've missed out entire years. mainly for me, because my life is so empty and void, i don't always have anything to say

someone saying " hello" to me is big breaking news

and the memory thing.. yes, me too. the journal helps with that.

reminds me: need to write my entry later..

Well I started a blog. I have no idea at all what to write in it. It just does not feel natural to me at all to be doing this. But so many people on here have said how much it helps, and if it really does help with memory then that alone will make any awkwardness I feel worth while!

Do you re-read what you write? Or do you just write and forget about it? Are there particular things you write about that are most useful to go back and look at (Like, do you use it as a diary, and say what you did every day. Or do you write more emotional stuff?)

Originally Posted by shattered sanity

is a " dream diary" exactly what it says on the tin?

a place to write your thoughts and dreams

Aye - well dreams as in nightmares, not dreams as in winning the lottery My T suggested it, so I've been doing it. So far it hasn't been used in therapy. I don't re-read what I write, but Im sure it will be interesting / useful at some point in the future. I've recently started including my thoughts on what I think the dream is representing - trying to interpret them.

Originally Posted by CassyO

Well I started a blog. I have no idea at all what to write in it. It just does not feel natural to me at all to be doing this. But so many people on here have said how much it helps, and if it really does help with memory then that alone will make any awkwardness I feel worth while!

Do you re-read what you write? Or do you just write and forget about it? Are there particular things you write about that are most useful to go back and look at (Like, do you use it as a diary, and say what you did every day. Or do you write more emotional stuff?)

i don't think their's really a rule with journals and blogs.

with us it's about feelings, daily activities, important things we need to remember, and we also use it to store our creative thoughts. poetry and things

sometimes even unrelated stuff that we find interesting
we always read back. it not only helps us remember important stuff, but it paints a picture of how far we've come (or perhaps not)

but yeah.. journals can be used as callendars as emotional thinking spaces, creative storage, etc etc

we've used them for all the above

Originally Posted by CassyO

Well I started a blog. I have no idea at all what to write in it. It just does not feel natural to me at all to be doing this. But so many people on here have said how much it helps, and if it really does help with memory then that alone will make any awkwardness I feel worth while!

Do you re-read what you write? Or do you just write and forget about it? Are there particular things you write about that are most useful to go back and look at (Like, do you use it as a diary, and say what you did every day. Or do you write more emotional stuff?)

A blog? Like an online journal? I started a blog but an other came and deleted the account. Like all things, actually doing it is half the battle. I usually write stuff like what "I" think about a subject. Then an other might give their opinion in their own writing if they participate. It's really wild to see the contrast.

Our handwriting has pretty much evolved into close the same...chicken scratch. Back in school it was definetly distinct. I do most of the writing because the guys are like impossible to read, but mine doesn't look all that good anymore, especially on this iPad screen.

I hate re-reading what was written days later...it causes dissociation and switching. Whoever wrote it reads it which makes them present. It also gives a sickening gut feeling. It's so weird to see stuff we know we wrote, but yet like a stranger wrote it. It's easier to avoid reading it...like rereading old posts on here. I even have a hard time remembering things that I wrote...it's more of a feel thing when it comes to memory...and it usually doesn't feel good.

Some of us though is into that kind of thing....go figure.

Oh, a lot of the stuff that we post on here gets copy and pasted to a journal, too- were kinda lazy like that.

We put out detailed stuff that I save it for a T or whatever later.

Originally Posted by AlwaysChanging2

A blog? Like an online journal?

Aye - yeah just an online journal.

I can't bare to see my hand writing - especially since a nightmare incident with the T! Plus I type a LOT quicker than write I managed to write quite a long entry today - but Im still struggling to feel enthused about this process.

Originally Posted by CassyO

Aye - yeah just an online journal.

I can't bare to see my hand writing - especially since a nightmare incident with the T! Plus I type a LOT quicker than write I managed to write quite a long entry today - but Im still struggling to feel enthused about this process.

Let somebody else write for awhile!

Originally Posted by CassyO

Aye - yeah just an online journal.

I can't bare to see my hand writing - especially since a nightmare incident with the T! Plus I type a LOT quicker than write I managed to write quite a long entry today - but Im still struggling to feel enthused about this process.

it's new to you.

give it some time.. it will become natural

as natural as other daily activities

Originally Posted by CassyO

Aye - yeah just an online journal.

I can't bare to see my hand writing - especially since a nightmare incident with the T! Plus I type a LOT quicker than write I managed to write quite a long entry today - but Im still struggling to feel enthused about this process.

That's kind of out there for all to see....I mean the added stress and pressure even though the odds of anyone finding it are nothing unless advertised...How about starting a private one on a word processor in a folder to get used to the habit first?

I don't know...to me the idea is just freaky to go public when I've been so private. It's taken me a year to get where I am today in expressing myself publicly...like right now (as if it ever looked like a problem). That's just me though.

[Susan27]

Originally Posted by shattered sanity

so we plan for 2016 to get back in to our journal...

most of us write in it (or have written in it) in the past, however we've just been slacking with it- and not writing in it as often as we probably should

not this year. we are going to make use of our journal every day if it's the last thing we do

who else finds it helpful to journal?

hi. I'm back here after a long hiatus and saw this post. I have to journal on a regular basis to feel grounded and maintain some sense of self. it's critical for me to see myself write and move my thoughts along. but then, when I look back, I don't retain much of it. it's for the moment only and then, slowly, over time, I guess I end up repeating myself once I "see" things again and have more awakenings. do you know what I mean?
susan

[suezq927]

I just downloaded the app Day one to my iPhone to journal. I always have my phone with me and can easily open it to jot down my thoughts really quick. You can also upload pictures to it in case you want to document something by pictures instead of words. Plus, I'm used to texting, so it's like texting myself. You can set a passcode or use touch ID to ensure no one but you can access whatever you have in there. You can also set alarms to remind you to journal if you haven't done so by that time of day. I like it bc it's one less thing I have to worry about "forgetting". Just a suggestion for those of you that may be interested but don't like the idea of paper and pencil.

[Mookster]

I use a program called iDo Pro on my iPad... You can also set a password and I like I can sort things by months... Just create a directory and place everything in there, I have 2 separate directories for both my T's so don't have to try and figure out where I put what we wanted to talk to them about..