journalling

i am supposed to start journalling my feelings daily. i am not exactly sure what this means. the only journal i ever kept was in the 5th grade and it was like a diary. any suggestions?

lost

I found this... looks helpful. http://www.essortment.com/all/therapyjournali_repu.htm

I use an online blogging site ... not the traditional written journal.

Basically I vent and say whatever I want without thinking about it. Most of the time what I write about is pretty depressing... sometimes it isn't. I just try to say "this is me, this is how I feel at this exact moment" and not try to excuse how I feel. I can be irrational. I can say what's on my mind. Heck, if I don't want to - I never have to read anything I say ever again. So I guess it is like a journal sometimes. Recording my failures, my successes ... my trials, my fun moments, and the moments where I've had the time of my life... it's funny to look back and see how one's perspective has changed and how your life has changed looking back a year ago or a month ago even!

There is also "Free association writing" ... put your pen to paper, and just write. Don't stop. Don't edit. Don't add punctuation or worry about spelling. Eventually you'll get an idea of what's currently on your mind.

If your T just wants a list of feelings though ... chart-form, I'd say "what you're currently feeling" and "why you're feeling that way" ... how you wish you felt/thought instead.... etc. But that's more CBTish I'd think.

thank you for your reply christina. and the link. she didn't really say what she wanted, just to journal my feelings daily. i think the therapy is supposed to be kinda CBTish though, i was diagnosed with panic disorder with agoraphobia, and then T said PTSD. they are trying to get me out of the house right now, though there is alot of other "crap" that really needs dealt with too. i don't know this is my first T and only seen her twice now. I guess i will try chart form like you suggested, still not sure how to go about it, but i really suck at diary type stuff.

thank you
lost

I journal all the time. Sometimes I write about things that happened that day and how they made me feel. Or just what feelings I had during the day. Something that made me happy, sad, scared, whatever the feeling was. If you are working with agoraphobia you may want to explore the feelings that are making it so difficult for you to go outside. There is no right or wrong about journaling. Just whatever is on your mind. I hope it helps.

BB

I started journaling after reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. She advocates a technique called "Morning Pages" and just writes 3 pages every morning about whatever comes into her head, kind of like free association when in therapy. But getting in the habit of just writing gets that out of the way so you begin to notice things and enjoy the writing experience and then you can start paying more attention to what you're writing than when you just begin.

http://paperartstudio.tripod.com/artistsway/id3.html

Sorry to make this personal, but I am at a loss about journaling too.

I have read so many good things about it and I have even tried several times. but, I always feel foolish and can't think of what to write. PLUS, I always end up burning it because I can't get over the fact that a written record means that someone may see it someday. How does one get over that?
Thanks.

Foreverlost,

I don't know. I feel similarly.

thanks everyone for all the replies. good to know i am not the only one who has trouble putting pen to paper. i have tried before. guess i have to try again.

lost

When I first started to journal, my writing was more about events that happened in my day. There was not really any substance to it and was more like a play by play of my day. I also had to force myself to write at least a paragraph per day. But I noticed as I continued to do it, my writing gained more and more substance and began to be more than just events. It became a way to release stuff from my brain, a way to sort things out and a way to communicate to my T things that I was not able to speak out loud (which in the beginning was everything).

I would say just start with what you did during the day if you are still struggling. The rest will come.

I love my journal and I love writing in it. It wasn't always easy though and like Wantto my early journal entries are more facts about what happened or how someone else was behaving rather than my thoughts and feelings. Now, I use my journal for jotting down questions I have about myself, writing poetry, letters, almost anything. I also record dreams in my journal.

You might want to begin by simply writing a letter to T, or to yourself. I remember I wrote many letters to T in my journal, some sent some never seen by his eyes! Just like therapy, begin where you are.

Good luck.