Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
When I was six years old I wrote a story about a rabbit.That’s all I remember about it. My mom thought it was genius and rewarded me with lots of hugs and smiles. That was my first memory of the power of writing.
Most of my life I’ve been writing something. Academic papers, reports, methodologies. Patient notes, evaluations, clinical observations. A sprinkle of fiction or creative non-fiction. I wrote a book about chronic illness, how it shaped my life and how I hoped the reader of Living Well With Chronic Illness could learn from my experience.
Consistently inconsistent throughout, I journaled. Come to think of it, I journal kind of like I meditate, most of the time, not all of the time. And I benefit from journaling in a similar way, too.
What Is Journaling?
I believe that journaling can be so many things and it’s all good. A stream of consciousness, random, purposeful. A poem, short story, bullet points. For me, frankly, it can be very different depending on what I need that day. Often it’s a narrative of what’s happened recently, in a relationship, in activities, in feelings. I vent, celebrate, give myself an Atta, Girl when I’m proud of something I did! Journal writing is whatever way you choose. Pen to paper, in a beautiful leather bound book, or a spiral notebook, on a laptop or dictated. There are no rules! Other than write of course and at least regularly however you define that.
To journal means creating an opening up to Your Self. You may be surprised about what bubbles up when you give in to all that you have in you, and give it voice. The good and the bad, the sweet, the spicy, the scary, the comforting. Sometimes it can be buried deep.
I remember once when I wrote down a memory from my adolescence, I had to pause and look at what I just wrote. The sudden strong feelings were surprising. What I wrote was a connection that never came up in five years of therapy with two different therapists! It was revelatory! I was flooded with compassion for the teenager I was. And boy, I needed that.
Don’t Be Afraid!
I don’t want you to be afraid that by journaling, you’re going to unearth something you’re not ready for that could be re-traumatizing. My hope is that through journaling, you let your mind tell you what you’re ready to face now, work that you can do with the support of dear friends and family and the help of a good therapist.
Most of the time my journaling is random, funny, silly, not so heavy. At times it’s difficult to start writing and I have no idea what to write about. One of my tricks is to start by telling the story of the day before. Something else usually turns up if I let it. Half a page, a full page, three pages, whatever it is that day, I feel better after, like most exercises.
Give It A Chance!
I truly believe that there is a lot of You waiting for expression if you gave journaling a chance. You can break the ice by scribbling something on scrap paper, any time of the day, every day. I recommend every day because we’re bound to skip days and if every day is our goal we’ll journal most days and that’s good enough. So find a pencil or pen and paper, (I like a nice but not too expensive Moleskin), a note or journaling app on your phone, iPad or laptop (I like Penzu. Totally private if you want it to be) or both depending on the mood (that’s what I do) and get to it! Let me know how it goes in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
About the author, Dr Aletta
