As a teenager, I was definitely a ‘New Year’ journal keeper! Every Christmas I was given a new diary for the upcoming year, and I started afresh every January 1st with my daily thoughts. Usually I had given up entirely within a few weeks or months, only for the pattern to re-emerge the following year.
At Christmas 2015 I was struggling. One of my closest friends bought me a beautiful book ‘for my thoughts’ and so I began anew.
My journal became the place where I made note of the good things in my life, memories to hold on to and moments that I could look back on when life felt dark. My journal became my friend in times of need and a safe place full of positive affirmations, with handwritten notes and cards from my family slotted between the pages. I don’t journal every day or even every week but as things have improved I have still taken time to write down the things that are important to me.
I created my blog (in January 2013) as another outlet for me to record the thoughts and moments that I want to share. I am not great at sharing my deepest thoughts with others but it has become a place for me to share part my own journey.
There are different ways to ‘journal’, it is not a ‘one size fits all’ kind of thing. I was flicking through the March issue of Tesco magazine (my daughter always picks me up a free copy at the checkout) .
I spotted an article about ” The Bullet Diary”, this is my kind of diary!
I also recently received an email post from Kelly Oribine. Kelly has been blogging about her own struggles recently and this post really resonated with me on so many levels. Her crochet blanket project is a way to turn her struggles into a piece of reflective art. It is goal-centred and she has committed to crocheting 1 row every day, regardless of how she feels. This might not seem like a lot but to someone who is struggling, committing to doing something every day for a year is enormous. It will be a useful object in her home and a reminder of the good and the bad, I hope that as the project progresses, she sees more bright colours than dark ones.
http://www.kellyoribine.com/2017/04/what-crocheting-row-day-is-teaching-me.html
Some people use their social media pages as a kind of ‘journal’ too, how often do you see a ‘Facebook Memory’ popping up on your newsfeed?
What are your thoughts on Journaling?
Being Daisybeegood 