I love reading that stationery sales are on the rise. It’s wonderful to imagine people handwriting messages of congratulations, commiseration, thanks, and other personalized notes to each other, thinking of ways to communicate their thoughts and feelings in notes, cards, and letters that may well be treasured and kept indefinitely. Yes, text messages are a fast and efficient way to communicate, but there’s nothing like receiving a personalized letter.
There’s also something incredibly personal about journaling, even when it’s meant to be read only by ourselves in private. If you’re thinking about journaling, mark it as an important part of your journey, as a special commitment you’re making to yourself.
– With that in mind, make sure you buy an attractive laptop, a quality journal that you will enjoy using. The contents are special and as such they deserve to be kept in a smart notebook dedicated to the process. Make a regular appointment with your journal to write down your thoughts and feelings about what is happening in your life and allow it to become a kind of therapy in its own right.
– Transcribe the events of the day, obviously from our own perspective, it can help us process what is happening, allowing us to first reflect on the fact that we are expressing our own interpretation of each story. Then we can start working on how each situation impacts us. Meaningful or difficult trades often benefit from a bit of hindsight and consideration during this dedicated time and it’s nice to do it from the comfort and safety of our own home.
– We can write our goals, perhaps on a daily, monthly or even yearly basis and then determine the necessary rungs against which to measure our progress. That way we make our journal something to be held accountable to. And it’s certainly a great way to monitor any pitfalls or setbacks that arise that you need to face and overcome. We can learn from them and see how we find solutions or alternative routes to progress.
– Also remarkable things that inspire us can be treasured in our diary. Memorable phrases we discover, moments, sights or experiences that strike a chord can be stored for future reference. It’s nice to have a place where we know these little gems are safely stored, where they can be revisited whenever you want.
– Record your successes each day. Some people forget what they have actually accomplished and then lose the ability to take credit for those accomplishments. Introducing the discipline of writing down three things you accomplished each day, things that made you proud or joyful, can change a naturally pessimistic or negative outlook. Then it becomes much more uplifting and positive.
– Also learn the bad habit of thinking negatively Committing to regularly recording even simple hits like shopping, doing chores, or even traveling to a new place. Things that may seem easy or simple to one person may require a lot of effort and be a huge milestone for another. Train yourself to regularly visit your journal and assess your successes and positive results each day.
– Some people can use their diary to write a letter someone who has impacted your life. It may be a letter to someone who has passed away and there is now a desire to write an acknowledgment of the different emotions that have been experienced as a result of their no longer being around; gratitude for having known them, pain, loss and pain for missing them. There may be a difficult relationship that needs to be explored and somehow resolved. A journal can provide a therapeutic outlet toward healing.
– Keep your notebooks and journals in a safe place, in a private place is important. There may be an occasion when you feel inclined to show it to someone special, perhaps as a way of explaining some aspect of yourself, a deeply personal demonstration of the trust you have in that person and in the relationship.
At some point in the future, you may choose to reread your journals, reflect on your life, and truly assess your path to becoming the person you are today.
