Susan C. Goedde, LCSW: Keeping a Journal

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Keeping a Journal

Flower Sometimes my clients express interest in keeping a journal, but are not sure how to begin. Keeping a journal can be a wonderful gift we give ourselves. Your journal is a way to open up a dialogue with yourself, to get to know yourself. It is completely yours – you can do anything you like with your journal, use whatever type of book feels most comfortable to you, choose your pen, and draw pictures if you don’t want to write. You can write as much or as little as you wish, and since it will be read by no one but you, there’s no need to worry about spelling and grammar.

People keep journals for different reasons:

Some people like to record what they do and think everyday, sort of a record of their life.
Other people use a journal as a means of introspection, writing down their thoughts gives them a way to better know and understand themselves.
People find writing down their feelings can be a helpful way of expressing these feelings and gaining some relief.
Writing about problems and concerns can sometimes help a person work toward resolution. The very act of articulating our thoughts and feelings - putting them into words- can be helpful, both in furthering our own understanding, and also helping us find the words to share our concerns with others.
Finally, some people find journaling helps them to organize their lives better, to set goals and priorities and keep themselves focused on their progress in working on the issues they have chosen. (See Goal Setting article)

People have been drawn to journal writing for centuries. While there is no “right” or “wrong” way to keep a journal, there are some things people have discovered that have made their experience particularly rich for them. The most important seems to be to try to develop a daily routine for writing. Most people find that their journal is most helpful if they write every day, even a brief entry. Try to find a place and time that can regularly work for you. Find a book and a pen that you like. Make journaling a priority and something you look forward to doing.

To Prepare

Decide that keeping a journal is important and make a commitment to doing it daily for a period of time (a week, a month, whatever you decide is enough time to give it a fair try)
Get a book and a pen, choose your spot and a time that you can regularly write.

Starting To Write
At first it may feel awkward and people may wonder what to write. It may help to ask yourself some questions.

You may wish to focus on your day. What happened in your day? What was important about it? What went well and were there problems? What did you notice that made you feel good, grateful and happy to be alive? If there was nothing might you look for something tomorrow?
Who did you talk to today? How are your relationships with those people?
If you are interested in using your writing to clarify your goals, read the Goal setting article and come up with some questions to focus on in your writing. What are your goals, long term, short term? What do you really want in life?
Maybe you want to explore your values. What values are most important to you – making money, helping others, having friends, finding meaningful work? What do the following mean to you and which are important? Cooperation, Freedom, Integrity, Trust, Fairness, Honesty, Justice, Compassion, Responsibility
Maybe it is important to you to explore your feelings. You may want to think about when you have felt most happy, most comfortable. What are the things you most enjoy doing? It may be important to explore feelings that you have pushed aside because they are painful. Are there things in your life you need to examine and better understand? Who are the people who have been most meaningful in your life? What makes you feel inspired, excited. What is most interesting to you? What makes you feel sad, frightened, or angry? What makes you feel delighted, optimistic, or energized? Who are people you enjoy being with?
It might be helpful to pay attention to how you think of yourself. What do you say to yourself about yourself? Is your “self talk” positive or negative? If it is negative, why do you think that is? How does it effect how you act and feel in your daily life? Does thinking of yourself negatively hold you back in some situations? How might you check the accuracy of your self assessment? If it is unreasonably negative, how might you work to change it? How would you like to see yourself?
As you look at your values and your feelings, how do these relate to goals you may have for yourself. Might you find ways to take action, in even very small ways that might move you toward your goals?

Do not get overwhelmed by these suggestions. They are just suggestions. If any of them seem appealing, just pick one or two ideas or questions and focus on them and forget the rest until you decide you need another focus. You may find that when you sit down the words just come and you need no help to get started. The main thing to remember is that your journal is yours, to use in the way that is most helpful and comfortable to you. Happy journaling!