all my journals

I have many many journals. They are all different as well. So I am going to explain them all to you and if you find them useful, great! Most of them I I came up with on my own. Some are artistic or drawing, creative and well just alot of other things.

1) Name 3 feelings you felt that day and why you felt that way. (T gave me the idea of this one, it was my first one)

2) List 3 things that happened that day that are good. (T also gave this one to me to do)

3) I found a list of different topics that could be used on the internet, I then picked one topic everyday and wrote 1 page about that topic and how I thought about it, some are questions too. If you want the list, you can sent me a message and I can send it to you.

4) I kept a record journal on all of my parts ( I have DID) I separated a journal into different sections, enough for all of them, plus a few extras in case a few more joined. I separated with different colored paper clips. Then at the front part of the section, I wrote out what I knew about them. Then at the back of the section I had my T write what she knew about them. So that way there was a record of them and they may feel recognized.

5) I kept a journal where I took different lyrics of different bands. The ones that I could relate to. I wrote them down on the left side and then kept enough room on the right side so I could write my own version of the same lyrics on that side. So I was just writing my own version of the song, I was just using my own experiences. Also one thing I did was on the back of the page I did a drawing that represented the song and kind of represented it in my own way. I also took the back part of the journal and let my parts write down different lyrics they found. If you need lyrics to songs, there is a website that has many many lyrics. I then let them write what they wanted to write. This is very good when there are angry or violent parts.

6) Another journal is one where I took a list of all the issues I could find that I struggle with and I would make one drawing a week about one of those issues.

7) I then also have one where I use this feelings worksheet I got from this program. It asks various questions about what you are feeling.

8) the inward journal is when you look inward and pick what you are feeling right then the most. Then you draw a picture showing that feeling, you draw what comes to mind first, don't judge it.

9) The guide journal is one I use to help get connected to different areas of me and my life. Things that may be more hidden. This one I think of some kind of person. For example: pirate, ballerina, mummy. These are the ones I have used so far. And you have a conversation with them. Again just write what comes to mind, dont' judge anything. Also when the guide writes, it is good to use non-dominant hand.

10) Others journal is something I have started to get back in touch with my parts. I ask questions like: Who are you? How do you feel? Why do you feel that way? Is there anything I can do? How can I help you? Again I use non-dominant hand writing here.

11) Challenge is another drawing journal. I take an issue, problem or challenge going on in my life and I draw about it, I do a representation of it. Then I have a conversation with the drawing, thinking if the drawing could talk, what would it say?

12) Reflection journal is where I have this table printed out and I write three things that happened that day, how I felt about it, and what I learned from it.

13) The next one I take a book that will help me in what I am dealing with and then I have this table printed out and I write down as I am reading the things that I find, then why I think it is interesting.

14) Another topic journal, which is similar to the other one, is I take different topics or questions and write a half page on 3 of them each day.

15) myself journal is where I draw how I see myself and then I also draw how I would like to see myself

16) child/parent journal is when I have a conversation between what would be like a child and a parent. I being the parent would write with my dominant hand, then the child writes with the non-dominant hand, not thinking much, you just let whatever come out.

17) Feelings art is something one of my Ts wants me to do. I take a feeling I felt that week and then I make a piece of artwork about it. whether with pastels or paint, or whatever.

18) I then make a collage every week showing my life and how I see it.

19) I have a journal, which is just a normal journal. I just write about whatever comes to mind, but it is helpful to have a starting point, so I take different quotes and let that guide me to wherever it leads me.

20) The wisemind journal, an idea by my T, is where I write a small letter to my wisemind and then my wisemind writes a letter back to me.

I think I am missing a few journals, but this is a good start, lol. I know I have many of them, but I don't use them all at the same time. I don't do any one of them everyday either. Right now I plan on doing about 5 a day, they are very short and hit at different aspects of my life. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message.

Jennifer

Wow, this is so great...thanks for sharing! Mind if I "borrow" some ideas?


Dee

Don't mind at all! that's why I put them on here. If I can help I will.

Jennifer

thanks so much...when I get a couple dollars under my belt, I am going to buy a ton of sprial bound notebooks! can't wait!

What neat ideas, Jennifer! I have 2-3 journals but then get hung up because I'll use one or the other and not another or I feel "pressured" to use them. Can't win :-)

Currently I have my Artist's Way Morning Pages (3 pages a day off the top of one's head) http://www.theartistsway.com/pdfs/basictools.pdf which I do on a clipboard with regular lined "school" paper and then put in a looseleaf notebook.

My regular journal I've been working in from 4/22/06 (and I have the previous journal started 3-4 years before that; when I get a whole lot of "regular" journals, say 10 years worth, I take some time at some point to copy the "good" stuff from all of them into a new one and then destroy the older ones).

A "medical" journal that has my schedule of meds and how I feel while I'm starting them and how/when to take them and what seems to be going well/ill, etc. It is also kind of based on my working on and off with Chef Kathleen's Cooking Thin Daybook http://www.kathleendaelemans.com/ for my health/diet/fitness.

I also have a "cooking" journal with ideas about eating and recipes. Kind of my own attempt to make my own cookbook, daybook, eating plan "thing" :-) I love buying/reading cookbooks and come up with ideas like attempting to make 1 recipe for dinner a week that I've never made out of one of the many books I own and/or making a "list" of the dinners I usually cook/eat and trying to make cooking "easier" with a planned schedule. I hate making plans because then I rebel against them but if you think of what you eat over a period of time, it's usually the same things? Why not make a "cookbook" of the 10-15 most cooked meals you eat (meatloaf, burgers, steak, spaghetti, chicken, ham, pork chops, pork roast, omelette. . .) and not have to think/worry so much "what's for dinner?" or what to shop for, etc. It seems like it is so complicated, almost anxiety-producing, when it's not? But the cooking journal is my ideas abut food and eating and ways I'm trying to improve my health.

That is so strange because I also am doing the artsits way journal as well. That is so strange because well so are you and I just started it like 3 weeks ago. I am finding it pretty useful. I did it a little different though. Instead of the 3 pages I am actually just doing 1 or 2 depending on how many pages I left to write for that day. This one I also do not do eveyrday, I do it every other day pretty much, like mondays and wednesday's or something like that. I don't even know really. Well anyway, I just thought I would share my ideas and my thoughts on the journals that I have or have started. I have never completed a journal, of course I haven't been journaling very long either. Only 2 years or so. Well gotta run.'

Jennifer

Jennifer - you realy have some awesome ideas for journals. I also have DID and used the idea you have on number four I bought a scrap book album and used the different pages to past picture out of magazines and poems and such with each page representing the different alters. It really helped. I like what you had your therapist add to it too.

Tobey

Jennifer, that is an awesome list. I may borrow some of your ideas.

I have only two journals.

1) There is my regular journal, which contains just about everything including the kitchen sink! I write about different experiences and what they mean to me and how I feel about them. Recollections from my past. Dreams I have had and what they mean. Poems. Short stories. Letters I write to people from both my past and present, but that I never send (I find these therapeutic!). Sometimes I look up topics on the Internet, learn about them, and then include quotes from articles (or books I am reading) and my reflections on them. Sometimes if I like posts I have made on PC, I will put them in the journal.

2) I have a journal that I call a blog, but I have not published it online. It is written in the style of a blog, lighter, with more humor, but lots of information too. It is written as if other people are reading it, whereas my regular journal is written for my eyes alone. The topic of my blog-journal is divorce, and it is all about my experiences/adventures/thoughts as I navigate through the divorce process.

I think 2 journals are all I can handle! I like the idea of incorporating artwork. My journals are electronic, so that's not as easy to do, but still possible.

I have kept journals off and on through my entire life. When I am depressed, I cannot write. I have a big gap the last decade or so when I was so unhappy I could not write, as it would mean facing my problems. I'm doing a better job of facing stuff now, and can write about it.

I have used journals, (notebooks), most of my life. In some I would paste pictures and poems, quotes and stories that I liked from magazines and junk mail. Mostly things that were up-beat and made me smile when I read them.
In another journal I wrote about my life, with caption headings, my age at the time of each entry. That way I could pick up and start writing about my feelings or happenings at any given time during the year. There are gaps in my notebooks where I was too sad to write, or didn't want to share my feelings even with my notebook. Sometimes I was worried that someone would find and read my journels, thus I kept my thoughts to my self.
Now that I am older I wish I had filled in those blank pages, so I would know where my mind was at during that time.
I have saved every letter that I received from my friends and my family from the time I was a young girl. However, the things they write about don't seem to fit in with my memories, thus although I treasure them, I can not relate to them. I find that confusing. I have a lot of blanks in my memory.

Jennifer,
Your ideas are awesome! I think some of them may be helpful to me. If you don't mind, can you give me an example of #9, like how the dialogue would go? And also, what is "wisemind" in #20?
Thank you!

Awesome!

Dr Clay's online book talks about journaling : www.psychologicalselfhelp.org/Chapter2.pdf

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