Thursday 7 January 2016

To Keep or Not to Keep a Journal


At this time of year, we are tantalised by the variety of journals to take into our lives. For some, this is an intimidating commitment – having to write a daily entry seems an annoying burden, another ritual we won’t stick to. Journals also have the cringe worthy connotations of adolescent angst – mementoes from times in our lives we’d rather forget. I encourage you to put these fears behind you and be open to the wonderful benefits of journaling.  Here are some of the ways you can use a journal to have a positive impact in your life:

Journals enhance creativity

Journals are ideas factories, private little worlds where we can ferment our thoughts, plans and dreams. Great writers like W. Somerset Maugham and Virginia Woolf kept diaries throughout their lives. Whilst these provide fascinating insights into them biographically, what’s most striking is the sense of them needing to digest their day to day life. Maugham is impelled to write quick character portraits of people he comes across, and Woolf ends up charting Bloomsbury group gossip and housework frustrations. You might use your journal as a space to jot creative ideas down. There’s something less scary about writing in a journal than a blank page in Word. A journal is a place to be playful, cross things out and warm up before hitting the keys.

Journals cultivate a sense of gratitude

Read any wellbeing book and the concept of gratitude is bound to occur. I saw a quote the other day – on a pyjama top in fact-  that said ‘when its dark, look for the stars’. A journal is a convenient place to count your blessings. Set yourself the challenge of making lists of people, things, qualities you have, places and events you are grateful for.

Journals allow us to think through problems

When an issue is bothering you a journal is a great way to relieve yourself of the burden. By writing your problem down you can attempt to minimise its impact. A great technique is to write constantly for a set amount of time or for a specified length. This can help breakdown a problem and shine a light upon possible solutions for your conundrums.

Journals are places to be inspired

Journals don’t have to be filled with reams of writing. They can also be a record of things that pique your interest. A journal is a private scrapbook to keep track of things that interest and inspire you. My journal is full of quotations, postcards, pictures, doodles and quick notes.

Journals are tools for recording our lives

Diaries are insights into our memories and our passions. They remind us of who we were and who we wanted to become. They conjure up images of days gone by, obstacles overcome and provide us with an insight into ourselves. A quick and easy way of processing your day is to make a list of five things that have been significant for you each day. You might include something you did that day, a new idea that occurred to you…anything that is noteworthy for you. After all, unless you end up being the next Samuel Pepys, your diary is for you alone.

Do you keep a journal? Has it been helpful for you?

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