One of my most therapeutic activities is writing in my journal. I try to make time each week to write in my journal. It is a time when I reflect back on my week, and all that has happened. It is also a time when I can express all of my feelings that I have kept inside all week. As I express my feelings, I can often see other sides to the situations that I am in.
We are counseled to keep journals. I don’t think that we are supposed to keep journals and then never let anyone read them. Our life experiences can benefit others. Whether we are struggling with raising a child going through a difficult phase, searching for a job, or suffering through a broken friendship, as we write about what problems we are facing, it can help those that read about our experience, as they face similar problems in the future. The best mode of learning is vicarious learning, especially with difficult experiences.
It is also important to remember to put in the positive experiences, the million little blessings that we each receive in our lives. As we look back and read our journals, the list of the positive experiences, the funny comment that your three year old made to you that day, and the times when you are just happy. This will help hold you up in times of conflict and trials.
Writing in journals allows us a time for self-reflection. A time to evaluate who we are, and where we are going. It is my time each week to make sure that I am being the person that I ultimately want to be. I know that I’m not perfect. That nobody is. But as I write in my journal I can see if I am making the choices that help me in my quest to become a better person. It allows me a chance to step back and see what I am allowing to distract me from the goals that I am pursuing.
Basically my time writing in my journal is my time to check in with how I am doing and making sure that I am still pointed in the right direction. What do you like best about writing in your journal?