Journal Writing: Thoughts, Musings, Platitudes and Gratitudes
Since I was quite young, I’ve kept diaries and journals. Some were for school-related requirements, such as when I went on a trip: I once wrote 30 notebook pages for a 4-day trip to the American Southwest in 5th grade. I remember being in third grade with a “secret diary” that had a lock and key.
30 years later I still write in my beloved journal.
I’ve filled moleskine journals with my words, notebook journals, wire bound journals and more. More recently, I went digital, writing over at Penzu.com.
One nice thing about writing over at Penzu is that it calculates word counts of your journals. Since near the end of 2014, I have written over 177,000 words of thoughts, musings, platitudes and gratitudes:
My “regular” journal
My journal for the LIFE Project.
You could say I’m a fan of journal writing.
Wait, that’s an understatement.
[bctt tweet=”You could say I truly believe in the power of journal writing. ” username=”n2itvnspiritual”]
I’m touching upon this subject now because another fellow reader, Tessia (who’s over at Feral Child and Feral Child on Facebook, and QUITE the soloist!) asked how I come up with subject matter to journal about.
The truth is, I am kind of “wordy” to a fault. If I don’t know you that well, I might not share about everything that lights my soul.
But if you get to know me, I don’t shut up about philosophy, personal development, caring about others, pursuing projects, and more.
I admit that that’s probably not very becoming of a “meditator,” but it is what it is.
I am who I am: verbose, garrulous, wordy, loquacious and any other word that would describe someone who’s a word nerd.
It’s okay. I own that. I love, LOVE words.
To be sure, there are times when I have to think about what I might like to write about for a journal entry. I don’t usually get stumped for long.
When I think about one of the following, I always can come up with something to write about:
- what’s going on in my life
- short-term dreams
- long-term dreams
- relationships
- milestones
- getting a new job
- ending an old job
- work blues
- work highs
- favorite quotes that prompt a thought
- a problem I’d like to solve
- explore an idea
- release pent-up emotions regarding something important to me
- project ideas
- gratitude lists
- personal development
- coming up with my mission statement
- reflecting on my mission statement
- current events
- start a story
- talk about a recent experience (a trip, an outing, time with a friend, something that happened at work)
- intentions I’d like to pursue
- thoughts about family
- thoughts about the state of the world
- thoughts about the environment
- intuitive drawings
- intuitive poems
As you can see, I think about lighthearted things, and serious things and…my mind never stops thinking. This is probably the biggest reason I’ve taken to journaling, so that I can clear out the mental chatter that equates to the inside of my head. And also why I meditate: I can literally give my mind a break.
I don’t know if there are others out there reading this who feel that the stuff inside their heads feels like a jumble of words bouncing around like ping pong balls. If those word don’t get out somehow, they will explode in a frenzy of all-night binge writing episodes with the likes of a mad scientist writer.
It’s a good thing – for myself AND for the world – that I talk to my journal and clear out my mind daily with some meditation.
It works.
I know this intuitively. And I reap the benefits. So does everyone else (by me not going insane).
A few of the journals I’ve kept over the years. I have many more!
Benefits of journaling
I know firsthand the benefits of journaling.
If you’ve known me for awhile, you probably know that I didn’t have the easiest upbringing: being adopted within my family and growing up in a nursing home should tip you off to some of the (interesting) events and activities that made up my life back then.
While I always looked to peace and harmony – both within my family and throughout the world – I didn’t always know how to express the complexity of emotions that I felt as I grew into an adolescent and adult.
Though many have described me as a live Polyanna in a modern rendition of Voltaire, behind the scenes, I struggled at times to reconcile what I went through with my family and dealing with the influx of bitterness, anger, discontentment along with gratitude, love and hope I felt at the opportunities afforded me as a result of my upbringing.
(You can see why I’m such a HUGE advocate of meditation – in all its forms – and journaling: these two activities, more than any others, probably shaped my life for the better.)
At the urging of my husband, various family members and close friends, I began to write a book – really, a very long journal – about my experiences.
I do have some doozys for stories, if I may be so bold.
In the summer of 2009, I opened my laptop, brought up a fresh document in my word processor, and started typing away.
I wrote about everything regarding my childhood: expressing love, anger, humor, loss, sympathy, empathy, frustration, despair.
150 pages later, I stopped.
I stopped mostly because I’d come to a natural conclusion of that long volume of my life and was beginning another.
But something else happened. I wrote with the intention of publishing. I wrote with the intent to tell the world about my troubles and triumphs.
After writing all that, however, a huge sense of peace and acceptance came over me.
I no longer harbored bitterness.
I accepted that everyone who ever entered my life was just doing the best that he or she could.
I accepted that all humans are fallible and that we’re all stumbling through life just like everyone else and everyone deserves our compassion, despite the decisions – good or bad – that they make.
I no longer had a desire to publish.
Maybe I will someday.
I called a really good friend who happens to be a psychologist. She told me jokingly that, “You shouldn’t tell everyone about your catharsis with journal writing, because then I’d be out of a job.”
She was really kidding, but she went on and on about how I’d discovered the best things about journaling: the healing, the acceptance, the emotional processing, the release of all that pent-up frustration.
And I felt peace.
So, I know.
I know from first-hand experience that journal writing can do the following for you:
- it helps you process emotions
- it helps boost your self-worth and self-esteem by the volume of work you create
- it helps you to experience profound healing
- it helps to release all your emotions – the good, the bad and everything between – with non-judgement and privacy
- it helps you get clear mentally on what you’re thinking
- it helps you explore ideas in depth
- it helps you see patterns of growth by looking at what you’ve written in the past
- it helps, like a photograph, to relive good memories
- it helps you to learn from your mistakes
- it helps you to tangibly see that your thoughts are real and that they matter
- it helps you to explore any idea – no matter how outlandish – and you won’t be judged for it
- it helps you to feel more gratitude, especially if you’re making lists about what you’re grateful for
- it helps you to reflect on what’s working in your life and what you’d like to improve upon
- it helps you to understand where you are presently and where you might like to go
- it helps you to communicate more effectively – since speaking, listening, reading and writing are all related, all these things improve
- it helps you to boost your creativity by being able to explore ideas and innovate
- it helps you to become more thoughtful in your actions and therefore lends itself to mindfulness
- it helps you to see your growth and how far you’ve come on your life’s journey
- it helps you to be brutally honest, with no censorship, to understand what you’re truly feeling
More than that, when you see all the words you’ve come up with – all the lined pages of scribbles and musings – you suddenly realize that you CAN write books, and you can share ideas.
You see these volumes of work that represent your life and you can pass them on to family or friends or just keep them for posterity.
You can relive the experiences of your life – both good and bad – and understand better where you were coming from, why you felt the way you did, and what actions you took. In other words, you can really learn from yourself and about yourself to understand who you really are.
Your journal can handle ANY emotion you write into it: you can write out a SCREEEAAAMM, you can express love, you can scratch and scribble your anger and your journal can take it.
When you’re all done, all your emotions go on to the page, you feel like you’ve expressed yourself, and you can get on with your life.
Can you feel the passion I hold for my dear journal?
This is also how I know I just love to write. Most people will never see the words behind the cover of my journal. I do it because it makes a difference to me. So that, in turn, I can make a difference for others.
Back on March 17, 2013, at 2:36am, I wrote a poem. I was processing the raw emotions after the death of my dog, and couldn’t sleep.
I don’t mention this to be melancholy, but to illustrate the process by which writing was a way to work through what I was feeling at the time.
I admit…I thought a little of Emily Dickinson at this poem. I edited it a bit for better presentation here:
My Friend, Life
Death, you wear a cloak and lurk in
Darkness.
Your shadow is never far away.
You watch us sing, dance and play,
But then you cast your shadow
And leave silence in your wake.
For sure, no one knows when your
Darkness will wield itself upon us,
Taking us one, two or four score,
But surely you feel some regret
At being an usher to the nevermore.
What a terrible job it must be,
Charged with such a task,
What reward is in it for you
That makes you come and trespass–
Day in and day out
Since the beginning, I ask?
Do you see the other side?
Do you straddle the line between
Life and afterlife?
Is it as far as you can see,
Stretching somewhere to eternity?
Do you wait for Spirit’s instructions,
Or act on your own time,
Deciding who gets to live
Another day?
And who’s turn it is to cross the way?
Is do your fingers stretch long on some days and short on others?
Do you commiserate with Suffering
And make bets behind closed doors?
I know, Death, that someday
We will meet.
But for now, I bid you good-bye
and send you to the back seat…
Decades later it is you I will see –
I hope no sooner –
After I have
Sung and danced a jubilee
With my friend called Life.
Yes, I lost a family member that day. I still miss him, but writing and working out what I felt helped immensely in my process of healing.
Now, when I happen upon this entry, I feel a measure of sadness of course, but I also think about the love I felt for my beloved dog, the memories we shared, and how much “life” has happened since then.
Publishing and Meditation Journals
As many of you know, I’m about to publish the Tree of Life coloring book (I’m hoping within the next week or so), but I’m at the mercy of the process at the moment: it’s a wonderful learning curve, figuring out image resolutions, getting proofs, formatting documents for coloring book dimensions and the like. I’m having fun with it, but I’m on a steep learning curve.
To that end, I’m thinking about taking some of the images and creating a meditation journal with coloring pages, writing prompts, blank pages for ideas, list pages to create intentions, and more.
I may have to switch back from digital to the pen again after creating it, because honestly, THAT sounds so fun to do!
Before I do that, I wanted to see if other folks might be interested in such a thing. I realize that sometimes the things I come up with in my own head, don’t necessarily translate to something that everyone else would like.
I’ve created a quick poll. I would love your thoughts and you can choose more than one answer:
[poll id=”2″]
And tell me, do you keep a regular journal? If not, are you thinking about starting one?
I love the idea of journaling just for yourself. I think with blogging I got away from hat a bit, but would love to just write down my thoughts and feelings daily just for myself and not by any means to publish or let anyone else read. So may have to do this more here now as I used to and for the life of my not sure why I ever stopped. Thanks for the push t do so. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead and so many hugs once again, too!!! 🙂
Janine – aww, I know I got away from it a bit in 2012-2013 when I started writing online all the time. 🙂 But, I tell you I always end up coming back to it and I’m sure you’ll come back to it in its own time. 🙂 It takes all the pressure off when you know that no one else will read. But let’s see: you’re an (amazing!) mom, a full-time blogger, a wife, daughter and all those wonderful things – I can imagine it might be hard to find a little time. No worries, though, if you’ve done it a lot before, it’s something that you’ll naturally come back to. But thank you for your sweet words and I’m sending you BIG hugs! Wishing you all a wonderful week, too! xo
Oddly, Lil Sis, I’ve never kept a journal. I guess my fiction is my journal, since so much of me is sprinkled throughout it….or some of my reflective pieces about life, that’s me….but a journal per se I’ve never done.
Happy Monday my talented and spiritual friend.
Big Bro – you know, I admit I’m surprised because you’re such a great writer! I would have surely thought that you probably kept a journal. 🙂 But then again, I think you’re right: there’s a piece of us that goes into everything we write, regardless if it stays private or if it’s public. Hemingway would agree, too, when he said, “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Haha. I hope you have a wonderful Monday, too! Sending you hugs and have fun at the farmer’s market. 🙂
Hugs my friends for your words of encouragement you always provide. You are an inspiration to many as you share from the heart where the true writing comes from.
I journaled for years while living in the wilderness of the far north. Sadly they were lost, which is a long story in itself. But from the loss came the writing of several novels through recollection of the many people who followed me through the journey and seeded love and forgiveness into my life. Journalling becomes a road map of our lives, a reference if you like of the struggles and the healing process, a starting point if you like. The greatest benefit being we can look back at the path and see our success as well as our failures.
Hugs from Canada
Rolly, if there’s one thing I love to do, that would be to encourage and help others. 🙂 I just love trying to make the world a better place: my heart demands it and I certainly try to live it. 🙂
My friend, you are FULL of incredible stories! You never cease to amaze me and no wonder you have volumes of work! Journaling for years living in that cabin, yes? And the story of them getting lost – I’m sure there’s something epic about it. And it’s so interesting how when we lose something, life gives us something else to have, doesn’t it? But you’re absolutely right: journaling is a road map, a reference point, a healing tool and a point of departure. Looking back to see the journey and how far we’ve come is incredible. I’m really glad you were able to put into the novels what may have never seen the light of day. I’m not glad you lost those journals, but I’m glad the outcome led you to writing so powerfully and publishing those novels!
Your ideas left me thinking a lot and you are number two today telling me to write. You say journals and the other one told me to write my story, just for myself. I’m not sure, that I feel ready yet, but now I will think more about it.
It is great ideas, as you gave us here to journal and I’m sure, it would be great to do it, Cynthia 🙂
Sweet Irene! Thank you for coming by. Yes! Writing is such a cathartic process. I hope you have a wonderful week and keep on creating those beautiful things! <3
This was a truly inspiring post for anyone who loves writing.. I was truly touched by your poem..
As you sifted through your thoughts about the afterlife.
“Do you see the other side?
Do you straddle the line between
Life and afterlife?
Is it as far as you can see,
Stretching somewhere to eternity?”
And later on in the poem when you bid death goodbye and welcome your friend which is LIFE.. Beautifully done..
I too have a shelve full of journals that are full of handwritten notes, poems, and doodles..Also dreams as I wake and write them down to sort through in day light hours..
Writing is how I too sort out my brain into some sense..
This truly resonated with me Cynthia.. I really so enjoyed it.. 🙂 <3
Sue – you are an incredible poet, so it is a great honor that you have enjoyed my poem. Thank you – so much gratitude! <3 For this project, I kept thinking that I wanted to write fiction, but I think a gentle voice is steering me in another direction: with so much journal writing, I may have to stick with artistic things and non-fiction. Hehe. And that's okay. That's where my gifts lie, I think.
And it's also not surprising that you have a shelf full of journals: you are a kindred spirit - notes, poems, doodles...oh, I love this!! These are the description of my journals, too. In fact, when I just mentioned that I might stick with artistic things and non-fiction? I'm feeling a little nudge telling me not to go with visionary fiction, just yet. That time has not yet arrived, but, in fact, with the publication of the coloring book, I feel called to create a companion mindfulness journal...
And writing...sorting out my brain - yes! The words get all jumbled in there - sometimes I can't even verbalize what I'm thinking/feeling/wanting to say. But I can always say it in writing. The words always seem to come. <3
I have the warm fuzzies knowing this resonated with you. That means so much to me and makes me happy. All week I've had several people say similar things and that tells me, without a doubt, that I am on the right path. <3 <3 <3 Thank you for your wonderful comments, support and love. I feel them across the ocean and I'm sending you hugs and light. You are such an inspirational, beautiful soul and I'm so glad to know you. ((HUG))
I know when we get that ‘Feeling’ within, that fills us up with a kind of joy, in knowing what we are doing is right.. Then this has always been my guide to follow.. So follow those nudges and do what is right..
I have been told time and time again I will write a book.. I once started a fictional story but it was based upon Spiritual insights.. But I started to make the story complicated for myself.. So its left unfinished..
I keep being drawn to revisit it.. Yet each time I do, I get distracted.. So I know its not right..
I wanted in my head also to write a book for my Granddaughter, to sort of pass on.. With the book of my poetry..
How it will work I do not as yet have a clue. And each time I set out to log my poems in some sort of order, again the ‘Feeling’ does not sit right.. So they sit.. And I know when the urge pushes me, and it feels right.. All will start to flow as it does when I write a post, or get out my journal to trust in what I am inspired to write..
That is the key… TRUSTing with a capital T…
That all is well in our Universe..
All is right with the world.. ( even the bad bits, are pulling us closer together, yet we are too close to the pain to see it )
Throughout History each generation goes through its turmoil, uprisings, tragedies and disasters.. Wars..
I still feel within my bones, that our Earth Mother will dish out yet more disasters before we are done..On a scale not yet witnessed by our modern world.. Which will I feel make us ALL prioritize our lives and our goals..
This has happened in the past.. In Lemuria,.. Atlantis.. And today the modern world is interfering with things it shouldn’t such as HAARP and weather control…. We have had great floods in the past.. Ice-ages numerous times.
We are now going through our own great Shift.. In consciousness… We are waking up to ourselves… to do that we need to open our hearts more, delve deeper within ourselves, and understand the Universe is Within..
We all get caught up within the world.. As we take on board other people’s drama’s . I am no different.. I Feel their pain and hurt..
But by the same token I could feel their laughter, love and kindness.. Yet we humans only seem to home in on the negatives instead of the positives..
There is so much more Fun, Love and Laughter in the world than the hurt and pain.. Yet the Media/controls at work focus only on the negatives, as ‘They’ know if we feel good, we feel more confident and are less manageable.. Yet in reality there is a LOT of LOVE within this world.. When we realise this, and start to love ourselves we will then really start the Shift going.. As we raise our vibrations..
In the Conversation with God books too, its explained we go through millennia of years going through certain cycles.. as we raise up, we then have to fall back.. Such is this world of experience in Positives and Negatives.. Its not all about Good Vs Bad, but its vibration too.. Far too much in my head to begin to explain what I have learned through the years here.. I have learnt over decades myself..
The thing I have a hard time with, is the suffering.. and why we choose that in our lives, and the suffering of children in particular. But from what Spirit have told me throughout the years, nothing is as it seems.. And the closest I have come to an author verbalizing what spirit have confirmed for me in various Q and A sessions.. Is the Books of Neale Donald Walsch is the Conversations with God Books..
Hope you didnt mind me waffling my head thoughts lol..
Love and Hugs
Sue xxx
Sue – your beautiful comment made my day! Starting with listening to our inner feeling, our intuition. THIS. So important. I’ve often thought you have a book – a BEAUTIFUL book – in you, too. But you’re right: the time has to be right. Not in terms of the perfect external time to do it – there’s no perfect time. But our hearts know the right time. It just happens, I think. 🙂 Trusting that all is well. I repeat this to myself every single day.
Sigh…I think you’re right with what you say about Earth Mother. Just as a human mother occasionally has to discipline her children to make them better, I think so, too, Earth Mother has to do the same. We are wayward. Perhaps some of us aren’t – those who truly live on a higher plane, but the rest of us need a little help and they have to come in the form of tough lessons. We often won’t listen until then. And nothing is as it seems. The suffering we see in others is distressing. Utterly distressing. But, again, you’re right: it’s not about the good and the bad, but the vibration.
You have given me a number of suggestions for wonderful books. Hmm…I have a Nelson Mandela book I was going to read for June but I’m going to see if the library has the one about Conversations with God. If they do, I’ll take it as my sign to read that in June. 🙂
…And I went over there to look. OH MY THEY HAVE IT! Not only do they have it, but they have the whole series!! WOWZA! Okay, Miss Sue (here in the southern part of the US, everyone gets a little “surname” before their name…everyone around here calls me Miss Cynthia, hehe), I’m going to change my book selection for the month of June to Conversations with God. It looks powerful and incredible – his homelessness and debilitating ailments to creating these books. MY KIND OF READ!
Speaking of “my kind of reading,” I can tell you that getting up in the mornings and meditating, then reciting mantras and affirmations, then journaling…it’s such a powerful way to change your psyche. I’ve been trying to stick to powerful literature, powerful reads and this book you suggested fits right in with this project. 🙂 Thank you for the suggestion and I can’t wait to read it! Sending you love and hugs, CC