When in Doubt, Write it Out

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@AshleyNFlewellenLPC

I believe journaling is a very effective way to detect patterns in thoughts and feelings.

@AshleyNFlewellenLPC

Do you utilize a journal? Do you find it helpful? 

Yes, I find it really helpful when I have many thoughts running in my head. It helps to see these thoughts. It helps me identify patterns and helps me develop a more positive thinking.

@AshleyNFlewellenLPC

My mother had a diary for herself, for each of us five children, as well as commentaries on any news she read in the paper, with the articles clipped inside. When our father died, she started a new diary as a long letter to him. At this point, we had about 200 notebooks altogether of her handwriting. We have read some but generally do not know what to do with those.

I used to keep a diary, as a teenager, between the ages of 15 and 20. There might have been a dozen  large notebooks altogether. 

After that, correspondence took over. I had at least two penpals and friends who lived far away enough. When I moved abroad, my diary was aimed at my parents mostly and other folks who stayed in Europe, like former teachers, school friends, and godparents. A big change was a typewriter (IBM Selectric!) at work and got one for home as well. Typing was so much faster than handwriting.

At some point, my calendar book was just mentioning events that might have taken place that day.  Then phone calls became cheaper and lists of topics were made ahead of those calls. The combination of computer and fax machine followed and eventually... emails.

Obviously, what you write in a diary is not the same as writing correspondence. The presentation of topics will be different according to the person you write to. 

What difference does one make between a journal and a diary? 

I have off & on, more off the on. It’s helpful when I do, but sometimes I just don’t have the energy.

Journaling is a great way to express what your mind is thinking. It can also reveal subconscious thoughts that you may not be aware of. Also, it is a “safe place” to put things you are not comfortable saying out loud.