Write your Way to Sanity (Part 2, Journaling)

There is nothing better to me than a fresh notebook and a new pen. It is a new beginning of sorts and just having them gives me hope. The pages are blank and just waiting for me to put down my thoughts, ideas, joys and woes.

Writing has always been stress relief for me. Ever since I was able to write, I have kept a journal, and I know that this has gotten me through many hard times. I would stay up into the early wee hours of the morning, dreaming and writing about everything. I truly believe that writing kept me focused and sane as a child and the great thing about writing is that you can always do it. No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, you can get a hold of something to write with. (Be it a napkin with an eye pencil or a stick in the sand.)

Journaling is great because it gives you a record of your life. If you write about the good as well as the bad you can look back at the good and see how far you have come and you can remind yourself that life does have it's good moments and that these good moments will return.

Also you can gain perspective on your life. When writing about your troubles, putting them down on paper, gives you a chance to figure the problem out and maybe even figure out a solution. When reading over what you have expressed, many times you will gain clarity on what ever has been troubling you.

When you write your problems down, it is almost like giving the problem away for a moment. You remove it from your mind and put it safely down on paper. No, the problem is not gone, but it is placed somewhere else safely for the moment.

You can write your hopes and dreams down as well. Somehow, committing these thoughts and dreams to paper gives them power to possibly bring them to fruition. In writing these thoughts down you are giving commitment to your dream. It makes it a possibility, rather than a dream.

Your journal is private and in many ways has some of the positive effects of sharing with a therapist. You can write what ever you want and no one will judge you. If you have a safe place to keep your journal, you can write anything. (I am not saying that journaling replaces therapy, I am just saying that it can be therapeutic.)

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