# Recap: self-therapy source, before therapy
Do you find yourself holding back your true thoughts or overregulating even in relationships or event therapy? Journalling can help process your emotions before conversations, or therapeutic sessions.
In many ways processing your thoughts beforehand can help direct or reveal what you are working through, or working on. Equipping you to stay on the subject at hand when talking to others, rather than having a disjointed way of bringing up different subjects
My conversations have become more concise over the past few months when talking to others. From personal experience, journalling has promoted more social awareness in everyday interactions, concerning what I choose to share with others.
2# Journalling is confidential
I’ve used to refer to my diary/journal as my closest confidant as it allowed me to offload distresses, hurts and internal thoughts like no other. In many ways, it has been a safe space to vent. However, journalling has developed as my life progressed. When I was younger journaling was more of a list of my occurrences. But as I matured my writing became more reflective and objective.
Upon reflection, I often found myself amid heart-aching emotions and dismay. But in many ways that was my therapy, my source of comfort & still is. If you treat journal-writing as if you were talking to someone else it can help you regulate what you say about yourself, and what you dare say about others. Remember, ‘Where the mind goes, the man follows.’ Nowadays journaling has changed into archives of achievements, goals, setbacks, prayers, hopes and aspirations.
Journalling gives you a chance to work through emotions and frustrations. However, staying amid emotions may not be beneficial in the long run. In the past few years, I’ve realised that journalling needs to be progressive; a time to heal and settle your emotions or feelings. When journalling is not practised purposefully, it may become unreadable. I’ve learnt that reading back journals several years from today can be very encouraging & uplifting. It can reveal how far you have come, and far you need to go.
3# A Higher Authority
(Yes, I said it) an Ultimate Authority – to those who have never heard that word before; you are not alone. I hadn’t until I read a research paper whilst studying at Uni. When I say the ‘Ultimate authority’ I’m referring to a higher authority – in other words (God). Years ago, I changed my journalling style to ‘letters to God’. This changed my perspective, because no longer self-talking, but talking to someone higher than myself. It was no longer me, myself and I. To those who don’t hold faith close, this may sound foreign but writing as if you are writing to a friend can be another way of changing your journal writing stance if you don’t believe in God.
4# A sense of gratitude
Last September, we had a training course at my workplace. A motivational speaker suggested that we keep a gratitude journal/diary. (For things we were grateful for). It doesn’t have to be in a particular format. It can be a paragraph or a list, it can be at the end of the week if desired.
For example, ‘The meeting went well,’ ‘I got home early,’ ‘Dinner turned out really well,’ ‘I didn’t feel tired in the morning.’ Things you’re genuinely happy about. Consider writing things you completed that you never expected to get done. (Like that blog post). Acknowledging everyday things may seem mundane. But life consists of everyday things. Consider adding gratitude to your journalling agenda even if it’s a quick note in your journal/diary.
Resources:
Journalling is an enjoyable pastime; it doesn’t have to be complicated. Grab a hot beverage, put on reflective music and write away…below is a poem about keeping a journal/diray and I’ve linked a handy soundtrack that can be beneficial when journalling. Journal away……..
20 Minutes of Peaceful and Relaxing Piano Music | The Abundant Life Soundtrack 2
LookafterU4me 