Do You Journal?

Do you journal?  I use to do it all the time.  A few years back, I found a box of notebooks I used as journals.  I sat for hours reading those notebooks.  After reading each and everyone of them, I burned them.  Why?  That was my past.  I had 'got over it'.  I didn't want to remember those times.  I had come to terms with that time in my life.  It was over and done with.  I had no need or desires to relive the past.  So, I burned it.

Keeping a journal, or keeping a diary, is wonderful on so many levels.   It reduces your stress levels.  It helps you to see things in a different light.  It allows you to 'get things off your chest'.  I have a blog and a new page of Facebook.  But that is not the same thing.  I share ideas, some my own, some, belong to other people and/or friends.  Keeping a journal allows you to put your deepest thoughts onto paper.  Thoughts you wouldn't tell anyone.  It is private.  It is your feelings.  Some things are best kept private, but still needs to 'come out'.

I've been thinking about starting a journal again.  Not because of any unspoken thoughts or feelings, but because I liked doing it.  It gave me a different, if not new perspective on things going on within my life.  I think I was keeping a journal when it wasn't cool. 

Now, it seems, keeping a journal is good for you!  Keeping a journal strengthens immune cells, decreases the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, clarify your thoughts and feelings, helps you know yourself better, reduces stress, helps you solve problems more efficiently, and helps you to resolve disagreements with others.  If this isn't reason enough to start keeping a jounral, keeping a journal allows you to track patterns, trends and improvement and growth over time.
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It is so easy to get started.  Yes, at first it may seem a little strange writing down your thoughts.  But, after a while, it becomes easier.  It doesn't have to cost much, if any at all.  A spiral notebook will do.  And a nice pen.  When you journal, there is no editing.  No crossing out words.  It is pure.  Honest.  Unbiased.  Find a comfortable and quiet place to write.  Go to your bedroom, or outside (if it's nice out), go to a park, a lake or stream.  Anywhere that relaxes you.  If you must journal at home, unplug the phone, turn off the TV.  Pick a time when you won't be disrupted.  Have something nice to drink; wine, a hot cup of tea or coffee.    Close your eyes.  Take a few deep breaths.  And just begin to write.  You may be surprised at first to see your thoughts and feelings on paper.  That is okay.  That is what is suppose to happen.  And, it's normal.  I remember the very first time I wrote my thoughts and feelings down.  I almost felt ashamed of them, but over time, I realized, this is how I truly feel.  And it is okay to feel these things.  Whether it is happiness, anger, disappointment, or any other feeling you have, it's honesty at it's finest.

Start a journal this weekend.  Write everyday.  Write two or three times a day.  Don't edit out anything.  Spelling doesn't count against you.  Have fun with it.  Draw, doodle, write poetry, whatever you want.  You will see in a very short time the benefits of keeping a journal.