[DelusionsDaily]

This may seem like a silly question but seriously how does one journal? My T wants me to start journaling and I agreed. However if I am going to journal I want it to be productive but I am not quite sure how to make that happen.

For example: I have realized through the grounding technique I have been practicing that I have a ton of anger boiling just beneath the surface. How would one go about journaling on the anger in an effort to discover the who, what, when, where, and why of all this pent up anger? I just dont know how to get started.

[coleychi]

So glad you posted this because I'm not really sure how to journal myself... and I always feel ridiculous for not knowing since it seems so basic. And it's definitely a coping skill that has been recommended to me several times. I can't get into it though, I feel whiny when I journal and don't find it super cathartic. Plus, I don't have the discipline to continue. I'll start one day and not even think about it again for a month or even a year. But maybe I'm doing it wrong because I know that it can be super helpful. So glad you asked this-- I hope other people have advice.

[FeelTheBurn]

Piece of paper.
Pen or pencil of your choice.
Or a computer screen.

And just start writing. Write about how you feel stupid writing. Write about how angry you are, about how sad you are, about how your T's chairs are comfortable or not, about how your eyes are tired or your left ear itches or your how your head feels when you want to yell and can't. Imagine you're speaking to your T, or imagine you're alone at the south pole and talking to a penguin.

I'm not being silly. Just go ahead and write, let the feelings and thoughts flow out of your head. No one is going to read it but you, so it doesn't matter if it makes sense or is "right" or "wrong" or fair or even true. Just write. Eventually, the feelings will start to jell together, and you might find a nugget of truth or two. Or you might not. The process is the point, not the result. And have fun with it--draw pictures if you like to do that, or comic strips with stick figures, or whatever. It's yours.

ETA: and don't try to re-read or edit or judge what you've written. It will shut you down. Just write!

[Daeva]

For me Journaling is writing what happened that day, thats how I started which made it easier for me to write when I had feelings, so when I journal when I am emotional I say what happened, what it makes me feel and why i think that is, what i'm going to do about it . If I have any feelings that are free floating I put it down and think about it. Alot of times I will have feelings, like random sadness and will just write how sad I am and spend the entire entry making a descriptive entry telling how horribly sad I am in different ways. Even write poetry sometimes.

[BlessedRhiannon]

I tend to just write what I'm thinking...whatever that might be. If I'm angry, I write about being angry. I don't try to analyze the why or how, I just write what I'm feeling. Sometimes, as I write, I lead myself to reasons, but not always. Sometimes when I share journal entries with my T, we reach answers together.

There's not a right way to journal. Just write what is going through your mind.

[FeelTheBurn]

Also, one of the best ways I found to keep my expectations and judgements to a minimum was to say I would only do it for ten minutes a day. Just ten minutes, and not to exceed that in the beginning, so I wouldn't judge the next session for being shorter or longer than the one before. Write for ten minutes, stop, don't bother re-reading it unless it really intrigues you. Then walk away. And tomorrow, another ten minutes--it's a small amount of time, and you can just write "screw this" over and over if you want. But most people find that, eventually, it gets easier, and less scary, and more valuable.

Or not. It's up to you.

[Perna]

I have an artist's sketch book next to me when I'm on the computer (most of my day) and use it for everything; taking notes on what I read online, in books/magazines, making lists, phone calls and chores I need to do, and just doodling.

I would approach the anger from the side, as if you are not terribly interested :-) just curious. Make a list of the "usual" suspects; parents, siblings, spouses, bosses, coworkers, teachers, friends, self, etc. and just kind of play with it; who gets the most examples listed under their title and why?

I would look at the anger itself too; it sounds like it is often unfocused? like anxiety can sometimes be. I would check my eating habits (Watch out for 'food swings' when hunger, anger collide - NBC News.com ) and see if I could improve my physical awareness of myself too.

Theres no right or wrong when it comes to journaling. Just write, let it flow, sometimes it might not make much sense but thats ok. It took years for my journaling to be like it is now. It very constructive for me now. Im glad I started. My dad gives me leather notebooks a few times a year so it encourages me to keep going.

[doyoutrustme]

write whatever comes to mind. its actually kind of cool to look back.

I use a blog and privatized it. I have an app for it so I can also journal while commuting when my mind is churning the most.

also, i use it to write letters I never send. those always feel good.

[phaset]

I start with how much sleep I had the night before. This forces me to come back to it at least once a day even if I have nothing I can think of to write. Writing something down helps build the momentum to continue with your thoughts.

[Patagonia]

There's free writing...give yourself a certain amount of time & your pencil doesn't come off the paper for that time. write about the first thing that comes to you...even if its just a word, the same word several times & don't expect much from your self, just try to enjoy it. I've heard of a technique of worry writing. You write all your worries down then walk away from them knowing you can go back to them later in the day. Then you don't have to keep worrying. I've tried it & its pretty good.
I have an app on my phone to journal. That way I can lock it & no one can get into it. I noticed I write more open then. My kids have tried to open it. yeah they won't get in it
Enjoy it. Don't make it into a chore.
I like the idea someone had of setting a certain a mount of time too.

Good Luck!

[coleychi]

Originally Posted by phaset

I start with how much sleep I had the night before. This forces me to come back to it at least once a day even if I have nothing I can think of to write. Writing something down helps build the momentum to continue with your thoughts.

That's really helpful! I have a lot of trouble write routinely so starting with sleep is a great idea. I'm going to try that. Thanks for sharing.

Feeltheburn: I like your idea of setting a timer of 10 minutes. I feel like one of the reasons I don't journal is because I feel like I can't fit it into my schedule. But I should be able to carve out 10 minutes in my day. I def think that's a good place for me to start.

Do you guys share your journals with your Ts or are they just for you?

I like to write how I am feeling but also when I cant write anything or there are no words to describe these feelings I draw. Sometimes I draw diagrams or cartoon characters to express myself in a fun way. For example yesterday I was writing about my past relationshoip and how my ex prayed on vulnerable people so I drew her as a frog hiding and me as I fly and then she goes and catches me with her sticky tongue.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by MELISSSAD81

This may seem like a silly question but seriously how does one journal? My T wants me to start journaling and I agreed. However if I am going to journal I want it to be productive but I am not quite sure how to make that happen.

For example: I have realized through the grounding technique I have been practicing that I have a ton of anger boiling just beneath the surface. How would one go about journaling on the anger in an effort to discover the who, what, when, where, and why of all this pent up anger? I just dont know how to get started.

suggestions....
reread all your posts that are about you...for some people thats a form of journaling

some people when they journal pretend they are talking to someone (diary of anne frank is a popular example of this)

some people journal by writing on a topic (news papers reporters do this)

some people just keep a running diary of what they did that day.

some people have their therapist write down a question and then go home and through out the week write about that question.

some people journal by making lists.....

its endless on the ways in which you can make your journaling productive...what makes it productive is what ever is important to you...

for me its important that I write about my children, they are growing so fast, I want to have all their milestones documented for them.

for me its important to write about family history. we all die at some point and by documenting family history I know any stories, recipes, good times and bad times will be safely stored for my children and maybe their children.

for me its important to write about my medications, how I take them and side effects/changes.

for me its important to write about my mental health issues.

if you want your journaling to be productive then all you need to do is figure out whats important to you, then write about it.

[coleychi]

kind of relevant-- i saw this on my feed today and thought of this thread: 6 Refreshing Reasons To Keep A Journal | Thought Catalog

[FeelTheBurn]

Do you guys share your journals with your Ts or are they just for you?

If there is something I write that speaks directly to what I'm working on in therapy, I might bring it in for her to read. Sometimes it sets off a conversation, sometimes it just fills out her knowledge of me. Sometimes it's something I want to tell her but can't bring myself to do it. But a lot of it is just for me--I find that it can be a good way to take what happened in therapy and bring it all together, coalesce my feelings and thoughts into something clear. It's also a good way to vent stuff from therapy, and often I notice the subject has much less charge after I'm finished, like I've downloaded it and now I don't have to feel it so much anymore.