Keeping a journal or diary can become a very therapeutic practice.
Doctor’s recommend journaling for its many mental and emotional (and even physical) health benefits, especially as a personal “stress management and self-exploration tool.”
Aspects of journaling, including inner reflection and deep contemplation benefits the writer in a variety of ways, aiding the writer to shed insight on life and discover much about themselves.
A journal is also beneficial in that it can function as an outlet of release by way of admitting frustrations or emotions that one feels uncomfortable or embarrassed to discuss with others.
The Journaling Connection to Pain
Because journaling can become such a potent instrument in aiding one’s mental and emotional well being, journals and diaries are often started by men and women during trying times of pain. While keeping a journal can definitely help reverse negative thinking — as doctors recommend — and aid one’s emotional balance, the common plight of journaling arises when the writer begins to unknowingly resort to one’s journal or diary as an exclusive outlet for sadness, loneliness, and general negativity.
In so far as many journals and diaries are started when someone is looking for an outlet to express themselves during trying times, journals can become a bastion of negativity. Journaling should serve riting the emotions and expressing one’s self could help the writer ultimately feel better, retaining the journal is akin to harboring an outlet of exclusive negativity.
The journal then subconsciously becomes a source of negativity, in and of itself — the writer associates the journal with negative thinking and negative emotions and thus they are more likely to be naturally, though subtly, conjured up and written in the journal.
Avoiding the Plight of Journaling
If you begin to notice a trend that your journal or diary becomes consistently negative, explicitly invest effort into occasionally writing about good emotions and positives, such as fun occasions with family and friends, or your general thankfulness in life — however big or small.
One should not be reluctant from admitting negative feelings and emotions when writing in a journal or diary. However, one should be aware of the plight of journaling and understand how journals and diaries can subconsciously become outlets of exclusively negative thoughts and subsequently begin to breed more negativity, rather than provide the writer with a personal outlet for reflection, stress relief and self-improvement.
I think it can be therapeutic to keep a journal,but there’s a catch…..as my best friend’s mother one said:”Be careful with what you write because it’s written proof”.In short, I don’t keep a journal because i fear someone might read it.
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@Lou — Very humbled by your words. Thank you kindly!
@Teresita — I can understand that hesitation. Personally, I go through phases of keeping a journal, sometimes I do and sometimes I dont. But like you, I dont like fully disclosing a lot of personal info about what’s happening in my life. But I do like to use a journal to figure out any murkiness going on in my mind. :)
I’ve kept a journal for about 9 years now… moved in with my boyfriend… and after two years he finally gave in an snooped.
This caused 2 reactions. It threw our relationship into turmoil and distrust which we are still trying to get under control nearly a year later. It also opened up who I truly am and my thought process up to him, which I think was a relief to both him and me because I am so often sheltered with my emotions and how I express them.
@Anna — I think it’s awful to read someone else’s journal or diary. We should hope that someone we care about wouldn’t invade our privacy on account of their own insecurities.
You mention that you often shelter your emotions and how you express them — outside of the issues that your boyfriend’s actions have caused in the past, do you feel that journaling has helped you better understand and express yourself?
I’ve found that every time I’ve started a journal this has happened and that is why I don’t continue with them. Also when coming upon old journals and reading what I’ve written it causes more negative thoughts and if I was happy when I found it, I am not when I leave it. Best for some to leave the past in the past and start each day anew.
Some good thoughts you’ve written there.
Maybe it is good to incorporate some cleansing rituals (for want of another word) into your journal writing. Every few weeks try “flipping”- if your writing is dark and dreary, go ahead and say it, but then flip the emotion, tell what you would prefer it to be, and how that would affect your life, your attitude. Look for the positives to remind yourself there are always some there.
And if you truly need to get something sinister out of your head and your soul, take those pages, after an appropriate amount of time, and create another ritual for yourself – burn them or send them through the shredder or use them to make a paper mache sculpture… let the negativity be released.
Agreed all the way, LJ!
“Flipping,” just like with journaling, is important to keep track of in one’s thoughts and inner monologue. Negativity has the ability to self-perpetuate and spin out of control (luckily positive emotions are significantly more impactful), so if you notice a negative trend, force yourself to “flip” into positive thinking for a while and see what happens.
Also agree with you on the ceremonious recycling of old journals — keep what you wish, perhaps, but let all the negativity go. It’s a way of forgiving yourself and others and releasing the negativity that had once gripped you.
I suppose we could call it something like, “Journaling Maintenance”
For those who are concerned about someone reading your journal (having your privacy invaded), I would recommend either finding a secure place to keep it, even if it’s a locked box that only you have the key for; or, if you type on the computer, putting a password on your computer so only you have access to it.
There are far too many benefits to journaling to deny yourself if the issue of privacy can be easily resolved.
Thanks, Dave, for addressing the issue of using a journal purely for negativity.
Dawn Herring
JournalWriter Freelance
Be Refreshed!
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