Journaling is Therapy in a Pen

In a world powered by and dominated by the Internet and computers, journaling still has its place. And it is a powerful place indeed. Journaling can enhance an emotion or it can turn an emotion around. Because in putting pen to paper a person gathers their thoughts, true reflection can take place. Situations can be put into perspective and what is truly impactful can finally be sorted out.

I am a case in point. Six years ago I suddenly lost someone very close to me in front of my eyes. I am a very “take charge” type of behavior style and a “fixer”, and for the first time in my life I couldn’t do a thing. When it was over, there was no way for me to change it, to fix it, to make it different and better. I had to remember to breathe.

I went to grief therapy with a therapist who knew me well from a divorce and family issues. She told me to journal. She knew I was a writer at times, and suggested I start by listing all of the things I wanted to remember. Then she told me to take my emotions day by day and pour them into a journal.

Eight months later, I was able to accept a transfer with my firm and successfully move across the country. I wasn’t healed. But the intensity of the pain and the impact of the loss were lessened enough that I could function at the level I was used to.

I journal at night. I close my day with thoughts on what I saw, what I felt, and what I hope it all means. I write down perspectives that I didn’t see while things were going on. I write down ideas and things I want to act on. Most of the time, I can then go to sleep feeling as though I have spent a productive day, and that the next day will be at least as good.

Here are some of my insights on journaling:

1. Start small. You don’t have to fill the page every day.
2. Journaling is private time, even if you do it on a crowded bus
3. You don’t need a fancy journal. A notebook works just as well.
4. Journaling provides the “ah ha” moments of a day
5. Even on a bad day, journaling can make the day feel productive
6. You don’t have to be a writer to journal. Even children can keep a journal.
7. Journaling doesn’t have to all be done at one time. You can break up your entries as you have the time to devote to them.
8. You don’t need a set amount of time to journal. Five minutes one day, an hour the next, no time the following is fine.
9. Journaling is an affirmation that you DO have a life
10. Journaling can make you feel good even in the worst of times