How do you journal?

[kv816]

Just curious how those of you who journal do it; if you don't mind sharing.

I've dug out a few of my journals from over the last couple of years and it amazes me how different they are.

My first one was filled with anger towards everything, mostly what he did or said to me. It was mostly things I wished I could say to him, the things I would have said during a fight if he ever shut up long enough to let me say it. I think, at the time, I wrote HOPING he'd pick it up and read it one day and really know how I felt.

The next one was about me, what I needed to do. I rarely mentioned anything about him or anything that happened.

Then it went back to all the things he did wrong to me and how angry I was. I pretty much yelled at him page after page after page.

The last one was me, where I was, where I wanted to go. What I did today that I need to improve on.

My new one started out the same way. But there are pages from when we were talking, things he said that upset me. But it wasn't unloading on him like they had been before. It was more "he did this, this is how I felt at the time and this is what I need to do to get past the way he made me feel and not let it tear me down". It was a lot like I would recall the way I reacted to a situation and then wrote the ways I think would have been a better way to handle whatever happened. And then there were some days that he really upset me and I would go back to telling him how much he hurt me and that I'm tired of being hurt. But there was no anger, just hurt. Maybe even some realization.

Anyway. Just curious to know how others journal, if you care to share.

[Gypsy Feet]

my hurt journals were a lot of poetry. Now I sometimes use my journal for goal setting, sometimes I do gratitude lists, sometimes I write down events or feelings so I wont forget.

[sapphire69]

I have Melody Beattie's "The Language of Letting Go" and I use the topic of the day to write about. I write my feelings, goals and aspirations in this book. I also use it as documentation for the day I need to tell an attorney

[gowest]

I use my email "drafts" folder.

I have found myself too lazy to ever really write on paper. although, I do keep a small notebook in my purse at all times in case I am desperate to write something down.

I also find that staring at the blank pages of a journal book puts pressure on me and then i tend to flake out. Instead the computer holds "no shoulds" or "fill up the pages" pressure for me.

I write letters to exbf, copy good quotes, make lists, write about what i want, etc. It really depends on the day.

also some days I'll write 5 or 6 entries and other times I will go for a week or two with out anything. It seems to be what works for me.

Back in the stone ages when I was a teenager, before the advent of computers, I did the regular long hand type of journaling.

Also I used to be fluent in a couple of other languages (Spanish and Italian - now I can understand fluently but lack of use really hinders my ability to express myself) and I used to journal really painful things in one of those languages. Helped me tolerate the pain by adding a tiny degree of separation via the use of another language.

[trapeze]

I started journaling this year, and it has really helped me see patterns. These days I write almost daily, but for awhile I wasn't consistent. I seem to use it for 2 things: (1) getting stuff out of my head and on to paper where I can see it (2) redirecting my thoughts to myself instead of others.

[Wolfchild]

Pretty much the same way you do. i write about my thoughts, my emotions, & my attitudes.
i write about what i am experiencing, what i am learning, and what is taking place around me.