Journaling: Writing the best book you've ever read!

I've been wracking my brain over a dream I had about marriage, and went to see if I recorded it in my journal, which I sometimes do. I got more wrapped up in just reading my old entries, that I almost forgot what I was searching the journal for in the first place. I guess enjoy reading what I write. Who knew?

I simply couldn't function without my journal. It's my cathartic little bound friend that helps me through thick and thin. I LOVE that I can take it with me anywhere as it's a 5" by 8" size journal, so it slips nicely into my purse (I have a rather large purse anyways). It's like I have someone I can confide in, write down my experiences and memories, only to revisit them when they've all but disappeared into the deep recesses of my memory banks and I've forgotten all about them for a while.

To me, seeing as my mind is so full of thoughts and ideas, and I tend to be very creatively centered naturally, it's easy for me to just write what I think about. Sometimes I write about family, family history, what I am feeling, what my family might be feeling, what happened to me in the past, secrets I wouldn't tell a soul in a million years. It doesn't have to be pretty and flowing with the style of a Pulitzer Prize winning Laureate. Journals don't all have to look and read like that of Anne Frank. The book you write is just that, your own book. You don't even have to cornicle anything. Just write a string of obscenities if you are feeling angry. Draw a picture of how you feel. For example, if you feel trapped in conflict, draw a bird trapped in a cage. Or you could just glue in pictures of things you like, or what makes you feel happy. The possibilities are endless.

I've read several journals I kept as a kid, and it was a hoot and a half reading what happened to me and how I recalled it in those pages. Our childhood selves are so funny sometimes.

Of course, my kid brother had to do what little kid brothers do best, and snoop about my room to read them, even sharing them with his little friends at one point or another. I guess being annoying and obnoxious is what younger siblings do best. At least in my experience they do.

Yes, I know that some minds tend to just ruminate deeper and deeper if they explore the deep dark parts of their lives, and there's always the risk of someone reading said journal chalk full of deeply personal, deeply disturbing stuff. However, my family now respects me and my journals and leaves me to write in peace, without threat of them snooping about.

Now I have a moderately huge collection of blank journals, and half filled ones. I usually start off using one, then stop using it halfway through the book. A bad habit I guess. I'm bound and determined to fill up my current one before I even think about buying any more new ones.

So, do you keep a journal? Or do you find that they are more hassle than they are worth? Do you find them soothing and cathartic, or just a vessel to delve deeper into depression through endless rumination? If you do journal, do you journal with a pen in a physical journal, or do you go digital and journal online, or perhaps offline in a program on your computer?

Hello artchic528: No, the Skeezyks doesn't journal. But I once wrote a "novel" for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which was basically just all about me. It was TERRIBLE! But it did produce some interesting ideas that stuck with me for some time after the writing project was done.

I kept a diary every night when I was a teenager. I'd love to read those entries today if I had kept the books. I always threw away those most personal writings, too afraid for anyone else to ever read them.

I kept a diary when we took our honeymoon trip. It was so funny and cute. I still have that booklet.

That's why I like posting on here...because everywhere else I delete and destroy myself.

I'm glad you are writing and enjoy being in touch with who you are! Keep at it.

Good ideas, writing and studying have been outlets for a long time. I buy the Composition notebooks, and keep them, until there are too many, and start over.
drawings and quotes, everything, such a worthy outlet.

Most of my thoughts & experiences that I am willing to share are on here of FB.... I leave the cute tadpole raising experiences & trail riding ones mostly to FB.

Much of my deeper thoughts get placed on a safe place here. After leaving my H, I didn't want to take any chances that personal things would be able to be seen by him let alone the things that I was sorting out about that marriage & him.

I have written a few things in journal pages but I have too many thoughts & write too much for that to be practical....lol....more like every entry is a novel....lol...just like my posts here.

I used to journal, but I kept ruminating on bad stuff so i stopped. I could probably do a gratitude journal.

I kept a journal from 7th-8th grade on into my 20's, but yeah, somewhere along the line the depression & rumination took over & I pretty much stopped, only occasionally writing here & there. I wish I had never stopped. There's so much I don't remember, and I also feel like I lost touch with myself for many years. I just quit doing therapy & journaling, and spent my time isolating & distracting myself instead, putting my head in the sand kind of situation. I really regret it now & feel I have a lot of catching-up to do.

GREAT SUBJECT!!

I've worked on journals off/on for years. Then, in panic, I rip them up for fear of somebody finding them. I've been on my own now for 9 months. Kids are out and doing their own thing. Who would find my scribbling now? That made me LOL...time to begin once again.

Hi Artchic!

My whole life I fiddled around with blank books, writing random things, drawing or gluing into those large sketchbooks or gift journals people seem to give me but it wasn't until I started typing into my journal, currently an unnamed document on my computer that I felt that the journal was healing me. This after I read a book about break ups which calls for a personal Life Inventory and a Relationship Inventory. Amazing..

The computer based journal started when I hit rock bottom in early July and I simply had no where to turn but to LOOK at what I was doing to my life and begin the daily or almost daily journal. The first thing I noticed was the RELIEF I felt after simply letting my fingers fly with my thoughts, no matter how out of order, how poorly punctuated, how badly composed. This journal space is probably one of the only places, (other than my car or bathroom,) I can truly be alone. I was received and listened to without judgement, and expressed myself without interruption or argument. The pressure relief was/is real and has offered such relief from the rumination that I hardly find myself ruminating as intensely or at length anymore.

Reading back on my journal, I can see how much my initial self-directed healing was failing and, over time, how new turns on the path changed my healing and how I finally started getting better. I can read about how my heart and mind opened up to understanding what self love and care really is.
Strange how I'm not as inclined to write about my joys in life and the joy in new insight doesn't carry me to the journal for relief but I'm going to make it a point to include daily gratitude from now on and possibly expand on my joy and gratitude.

Thanks for asking a great question. Hugs.

-LeeeLeee

I journal, I discovered it when I was inpatient as a teen. I enjoy it very much It helps me get my thoughts organized and keeps my goals in sight, I use mine a couple times a week, more depending on what's going on in my life at the time. I write about how things are going, how I'm feeling, things I'm looking forward to etc..

Wow, I love the responses here. It's amazing how cathartic journaling can be when you don't ruminate all the time.

Hi everyone, I am new to this website and forum so I am just scrolling around to find the things that peak my interest. I started, stopped and restarted journaling many times. I find it easier to do a gratitude journal. When I write my thoughts it can be become depressing and emotional, in addition I always think if something happened to me I would not want anyone else to see my thoughts. Thanks for letting me share and I enjoyed all the previous comments on journaling. Caroline.

I actually have 3 journals. One for every day type stuff, one focused on my eating disorder recovery, and one I use along with a book of 365 daily writing prompts

I first began journaling as a way to vent my daily frustrations at work. It just seemed like a practical thing at the time. Now, I can see the thinking patterns of the time. When journaling one's experience at work, it shows the toxic environment that work place was for me. I should have left it much sooner. In a small town, though, you don't have many work options.

Hi All! I used to write in a journal regularly (and still have most of them). I would color code my feelings and just kind of write about anything! Recently though I haven't found time to sit down and write in a journal (which I would like to change) but instead I find myself just writing my thoughts down on random pieces of paper throughout the house I get distracted VERY easily...

I did notice after a while of journaling that I was writing in circles and not really getting much out of it - like I would make a list of things I had to do and then just keep making the same list because I never did any of the things on the original list. Anyone have any suggestions of how to get out of that cycle and have the journal be more productive?