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What benefits do you find from a paper journal?


Seraphim

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I haven't kept a diary and paper journal since I was a teenager either.

 

On rare occasions, I write snail mail letters to my BFF.

 

Writing long hand gives me a hand cramp. :upset:

 

I guess the benefit for me would be to enjoy my penmanship (since I write neat cursive) and jot down my thoughts, however, I find typing my thoughts in a PC journal is faster, better and easier on my hand. Gripping a pen for a long time makes my hand sore and achey.

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I've kept a "paper" running journal for years. I also keep my runs/workouts on a paper desk calendar then file them away each month - I have years of those too. I have gone back and looked at training cycles that facilitated positive race results to try and duplicate the exact training regimen. I use my running journal to track mileage on shoes, "taper time" before a marathon which will include nutrition, cross training, who I run with, weather conditions, how I felt, etc.

 

Everything else I do online - I'm not sure why the paper journal for running! I would guess it's simplicity - as I do my runs at 5:00 am and I don't go online before leaving for work. I sit and eat breakfast post-run and write in my running journal while the details are still fresh.

 

I dedicate each journal to my daughters and I suppose my hope is that when I'm gone they will get a glimpse of my perseverance and passion outside of just being "mom".

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I haven't kept one in years either - I think it is good for people who think better by writing longhand. For example I often have to edit what I write on paper, in longhand, rather than on the computer -seeing the words on paper helps me organize my thoughts. So maybe for some the act of writing longhand inspires the journaling process.

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I have a lot of rage right now that I just want to scream out on paper. It is really not meant for the eyes of others or criticism. Right now I am sensitive to criticism as I am going through difficult emotions. And I just want to vent my rage. I talked to my dr on Friday and he agreed I have a lot happening and suggested I keep up with anti stress methods and thought organization.

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I keep cheap spiral notebooks rather than pretty bound journals, because I think of them as workbooks rather than works of art. I'm too stifled by the permanence of bound books, and the binding makes using them awkward. Instead, I can drag my notebook around to meet different needs at different times. I scribble stuff from phone calls and jot lists and plan projects. But the most productive use is right before bed. I empty any 'stuff' I'm holding onto at the end of the day--ideas I don't want to forget, conversations I'll want to have (or not), lists of errands or things to buy. This helps me to sleep well because I've dumped anything that could otherwise disturb my sleep.

 

Sometimes before sleep I'll write a note about something I've lost or stored away that I'll want to recover, or a question I'll want to research, and I'll instruct my mind to 'find' some helpful answers in my sleep to direct me in the morning. Other times I'll write something inspirational--a goal or something I've heard or read that day that I'll want to anchor into my mind during sleep.

 

It helps to keep my notebook bedside during sleep for when I awaken in the morning or during the night to jot down any dreams I can remember or ideas that have sprung up. I'll look at this later to find any useful symbology rather than attempt to figure it our while writing. The goal is just to go 'blat' on the page to capture as much detail as I can recall. On reflection later I'll often recognize the messages I'm trying to tell myself. I wouldn't remember any of this had I not jotted. I don't do this every day, and I don't try to force it if I'm blank.

 

Every once in a while I skim through past notebooks and rip out the pages I'll want to keep, then chuck the rest. I've dated these pages, so the ones I keep will be filed into a folder album until I do another cleanout. This process is an assuring way to prevent anxiety, because I've kept my access alive to any thoughts or quotes or experiences worth holding, but in a casual way that I don't consider secretive or emotionally charged enough to fear some possible 'violation' should anyone stumble across them.

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I journaled on paper for years and years, but I use a password-protected diary app now. I feel like the process of writing longhand is better for the creative process of journaling. But I like the app because I always have my phone with me and I don't have to worry about someone else finding my diary and reading it.

 

Based on what you said, Seraphim, journaling might be very helpful. I get into what I have begun to call a "writing mood" and I just have to sit and spill my thoughts out onto a page. As I write, I literally feel the pressure release from my brain. It is a very soothing process, even if I am in the worst mood when I begin writing, by the end I generally feel a lot better. I also find that going back and reading previous journal entries can be helpful for me to examine my thoughts and guide my actions.

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I kept a journal in my teens. I found it quite therapeutic to write about important things going on in my life and organizing complex thoughts in my head as I structured them in a narrative form as I wrote.

 

I sort of lost the will to carry on writing once I actually started suffering from depression, and found my thoughts too overwhelming to dissect and write down.

 

I probably should get back into it now that I am kind of recovering...

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I also find that going back and reading previous journal entries can be helpful for me to examine my thoughts and guide my actions.

 

Yes! When I'm cleaning out my notebooks, I can pick up the 'feeling-tone' of where I was at different stages of life. I find that occasional re-reads of anything I've written, including my posts in this forum, helps me to gain an objective picture of how tend to come off--and whether that's how I want to shape my personality going forward.

 

Have I sunk into habits of complaining, and am I resistant to challenges that could otherwise help me become more open and flexible and resilient? Do I sound like a happy person, or am I grinding away and making myself miserable?

 

Writing is a record. I get to decide how I'll want to use it, or not.

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  • 2 months later...

I am 41 and have kept paper journals since my teens. It clears my thoughts and helps me let go of little daily frustrations and annoyances that seem so monumental in the moment. It also helps me pray. Often when I am venting in my journal, I will be writing and suddenly see the exact way I have been trying to put my feelings into words.

 

It is interesting to go back and read them too, because it becomes so clear how small and fleeting most of our problems actually are. What seems overwhelming today likely will not even be an issue in six months, and in five years you will be looking back at it with nostalgia.

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I am 41 and have kept paper journals since my teens. It clears my thoughts and helps me let go of little daily frustrations and annoyances that seem so monumental in the moment. It also helps me pray. Often when I am venting in my journal, I will be writing and suddenly see the exact way I have been trying to put my feelings into words.

 

It is interesting to go back and read them too, because it becomes so clear how small and fleeting most of our problems actually are. What seems overwhelming today likely will not even be an issue in six months, and in five years you will be looking back at it with nostalgia.

I started keeping paper journals starting in 1976. Maybe even into the 90’s until my son was born in 97. After that I have not had too much time for much . I got one though because my mom is in a slow dying process. Then I broke my hand almost 5 weeks ago but I can get back into it soon.

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