I really thought I was done with this series yesterday, but I guess not. I need to stop taking showers. I get too many good ideas in the shower...
Truth in fiction is the story's truth. It's what makes a story resonate with what you know to be true. Truth in fiction has nothing to do with make believe and everything to do with making us believe.
And then there's the other kind of truth. The one you sometimes have to ask yourself how much of you really want. This kind of truth is for journal writing. This is the kind of truth that can hurt people.
Truth can cut deep. Is your first loyalty in writing truth to yourself or is it to the people in your life whom you love/hate/want to protect? This is where privacy comes in. If you're going to write your truth, you need to protect yourself and others by making sure people who could be hurt by your words don't have access to them.
There is never only one truth to any story. Each of us has our own version of the truth, each of us puts a unique spin on a story that is seen through the filters of our own individual set of experiences. So your truth of an experience will not be the same as the truth of the other people involved.
Truth is what I try to write in my journals. But I'm well aware that what I'm writing is only my truth. Others experienced the same events completely differently. Their story is not mine. But my story is the only one that's going to help me find my way.
Truth is what you should aim for in your journals. Not someone else's truth. Not the truth you think or have been told ought to be yours. Not the politically correct truth, or the truth that isn't going to hurt anyone. The real truth. Your truth.
Even if it hurts.
Showing posts with label The Journal Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Journal Series. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Journal Series: Distance
I was going to wrap up this series yesterday, with my post on resources, but a comment left on Sunday's post got me to thinking that there's more to be said. Well, there's always more to be said, but I thought this in particular, was worth saying.
On the subject of the Altered Point of View technique, Lynn had the following to say:
Lynn brings up a good point. Sometimes, I think, if we try to process experiences before we are ready, it can do more harm than good, and it's not always easy to know when you have enough distance from an event to write clearly about it. It's one of those things where you have to trust yourself, I think. And I think, too, that as you write more and get to know yourself better, you get a feeling for when you have enough distance from an event to really analyze it.
I find that when I am actually going through an unpleasant experience, my writing tends to be more cathartic than anything--whining and complaining and raging against whatever or whoever it is that has hurt me or made things difficult for me. At that point, and often for a long time after, I am too close to the event emotionally to process it in a rational way. So I let myself whine without trying to analyze too deeply.
Sometimes you have to let yourself whine for a long time.
I am only now coming to the point where I can begin to face and process the events that led up to my bipolar diagnosis (the Big Mania), and that was nearly five years ago.
So writing about things that have happened to us in order to heal isn't just about getting it down on paper the minute it happens--although that catharsis is very helpful. Writing to heal is also about examining those events and your reactions to them after you have gained some emotional distance. Time helps us heal, and it gives us perspective.
How much time varies from person to person, but I think that if you are journaling regularly, you are going to know when you are ready. It's a question of learning to trust yourself.
Please note that I am not promoting this sort of thing as a substitute for therapy. If you're trying to process something really traumatic, professional guidance is definitely a good idea.
On the subject of the Altered Point of View technique, Lynn had the following to say:
"For myself, I have found that trying to understand another person's point of view was not always healthy for me. I think that is because of whose point of view I was trying to understand. For me, it was a way to make excuses for other people's hurtful behavior and that blocked my access to my own real feelings about it. I was a mess without knowing the truth of my feelings. I think it was easy for me to do that, though, because the feelings were so unpleasant."
Lynn brings up a good point. Sometimes, I think, if we try to process experiences before we are ready, it can do more harm than good, and it's not always easy to know when you have enough distance from an event to write clearly about it. It's one of those things where you have to trust yourself, I think. And I think, too, that as you write more and get to know yourself better, you get a feeling for when you have enough distance from an event to really analyze it.
I find that when I am actually going through an unpleasant experience, my writing tends to be more cathartic than anything--whining and complaining and raging against whatever or whoever it is that has hurt me or made things difficult for me. At that point, and often for a long time after, I am too close to the event emotionally to process it in a rational way. So I let myself whine without trying to analyze too deeply.
Sometimes you have to let yourself whine for a long time.
I am only now coming to the point where I can begin to face and process the events that led up to my bipolar diagnosis (the Big Mania), and that was nearly five years ago.
So writing about things that have happened to us in order to heal isn't just about getting it down on paper the minute it happens--although that catharsis is very helpful. Writing to heal is also about examining those events and your reactions to them after you have gained some emotional distance. Time helps us heal, and it gives us perspective.
How much time varies from person to person, but I think that if you are journaling regularly, you are going to know when you are ready. It's a question of learning to trust yourself.
Please note that I am not promoting this sort of thing as a substitute for therapy. If you're trying to process something really traumatic, professional guidance is definitely a good idea.
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Journal Series: Some Resources
One thing I've found inspiring through the years is reading other peoples' ideas on journal keeping. I've read a number of books on the subject, and found them all to be helpful. Sometimes I pick up a new technique, sometimes I just gain some new insight into what I'm doing. What follows is a list of some of the books on my book shelf. I've checked on Amazon (but I'm far too lazy to put all the links in here!), and all of these are available, although some of them may only be available used.
The New Diary by Tristine Rainer (my favorite)
Writing the Mind Alive by Linda Trichter Metcalf and Tobin Simon
Write Your Heart Out by Rebecca McClanahan
Harvesting Your Journals by Rosalie Deer Heart and Alison Strickland
Notes From Myself by Anne Hazard Aldrich
Keeping a Journal You Love by Sheila Bender
One to One by Christina Baldwin
Writing Your Authentic Self by Lois Guarino
At a Journal Workshop by Ira Progoff
I've only recently started hunting down websites on journaling and on writing to heal, so I'm afraid I don't have much to offer in that department, but the following sites look interesting, and you might want to check them out:
One Year of Writing and Healing
Self Help Healing Arts Journal
I'm sure there are others out there, I just haven't put much time into hunting them down yet, but if you should find something good, shoot me an email or leave the address in a comment.
The New Diary by Tristine Rainer (my favorite)
Writing the Mind Alive by Linda Trichter Metcalf and Tobin Simon
Write Your Heart Out by Rebecca McClanahan
Harvesting Your Journals by Rosalie Deer Heart and Alison Strickland
Notes From Myself by Anne Hazard Aldrich
Keeping a Journal You Love by Sheila Bender
One to One by Christina Baldwin
Writing Your Authentic Self by Lois Guarino
At a Journal Workshop by Ira Progoff
I've only recently started hunting down websites on journaling and on writing to heal, so I'm afraid I don't have much to offer in that department, but the following sites look interesting, and you might want to check them out:
One Year of Writing and Healing
Self Help Healing Arts Journal
I'm sure there are others out there, I just haven't put much time into hunting them down yet, but if you should find something good, shoot me an email or leave the address in a comment.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
The Journal Series: Some Techniques
In this installment, I describe a few of the different techniques that can be used by journal keepers to get to the heart of the matter. Sometimes it's easy to write about what's bothering you...other times, it's harder to get a handle on your thoughts and get the words out. At these times, it can help to use a different technique than a straightforward free-write.
Unsent Letters: An unsent letter is just what it sounds like--a letter that you write to someone else, which you don't intend to send. This technique is valuable because it allows you to speak to that person directly without fear of their reactions. You don't even need to write an unsent letter to a person...you can write to yourself in the past or future, you can write to a body part that's troubling you, you can write to a situation...anything you can name, you can write to.
Lists: Lists can be a very powerful tool. When I'm feeling down, I have challenged myself to come up with a list of 100 things I love. As a self esteem booster, you can write lists of things you are good at or things people like about you. Or you can list things you'd like to do in the future, goals, dreams, ideas...even a simple to-do list for the day.
Altered Point of View: Sometimes, when trying to understand a situation involving other people, you run into difficulties because the only head you are actually in is your own. This is where writing from an altered point of view can help. If you are in conflict with someone, or trying hard to understand where they are coming from, try writing about the situation from that person's point of view. If nothing else, it will give you a fresh perspective.
Dialog: A dialog is a conversation between two people...or two things. You can write a dialog between yourself and someone else or between different parts of yourself. When I was in graduate school and feeling the pressure of two opposing forces within, the poet and the engineer, I wrote many dialogs between logic brain and creative brain, in an effort to seek balance.
Tomorrow I'll finish out the series with a list of resources--books and websites that I've found helpful.
Unsent Letters: An unsent letter is just what it sounds like--a letter that you write to someone else, which you don't intend to send. This technique is valuable because it allows you to speak to that person directly without fear of their reactions. You don't even need to write an unsent letter to a person...you can write to yourself in the past or future, you can write to a body part that's troubling you, you can write to a situation...anything you can name, you can write to.
Lists: Lists can be a very powerful tool. When I'm feeling down, I have challenged myself to come up with a list of 100 things I love. As a self esteem booster, you can write lists of things you are good at or things people like about you. Or you can list things you'd like to do in the future, goals, dreams, ideas...even a simple to-do list for the day.
Altered Point of View: Sometimes, when trying to understand a situation involving other people, you run into difficulties because the only head you are actually in is your own. This is where writing from an altered point of view can help. If you are in conflict with someone, or trying hard to understand where they are coming from, try writing about the situation from that person's point of view. If nothing else, it will give you a fresh perspective.
Dialog: A dialog is a conversation between two people...or two things. You can write a dialog between yourself and someone else or between different parts of yourself. When I was in graduate school and feeling the pressure of two opposing forces within, the poet and the engineer, I wrote many dialogs between logic brain and creative brain, in an effort to seek balance.
Tomorrow I'll finish out the series with a list of resources--books and websites that I've found helpful.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Journal Series: Getting Started
All you need to get started is a pen and a notebook. Or some form of computer software--you can use a word processor and password-protect your files, you can use Life Journal, software specifically designed for journal keepers, or, as Gianna suggested in yesterday's comments, start a blog and keep it set on private so that no one but you can read it. You can start a blog with blogger or wordpress, and I'm sure there are others out there, too.
For those who want to go the pen-and-paper route, there are many fancy blank books out there, some with lines, some not. Personally, I prefer a spiral notebook with a sturdy cover, so I can write with it balanced on my knee if I'm out and about. I don't spent a lot of money on my journals because I always feel if I've got this lovely, expensive leather-bound book, then whatever I write had darn well better be worthy of that lovely, expensive leather-bound book...and of course, it won't be, will it? In short, I get performance anxiety.
So grab a notebook that appeals to you and a pen that writes nice and dark, and moves easily across the page. Open the notebook, put the date at the top of the page, and start writing. Don't worry about quality--we're not writing a novel or poetry, we're not making art here, we're not letting anyone else see this stuff--it's for your eyes only. What we're doing here is letting out feelings, we're synthesizing input in an attempt to make sense of the world, we're whining about our problems, and maybe starting to make sense of them and think about solutions...
The most important part of this process, at least in the beginning, is to give yourself permission to write badly, to write ungrammatically, to write in whatever manner you need to in order to get whatever it is out of your head and onto the page.
But what do you write?
There's really no magic formula here: you write whatever happens to be on your mind at the time. But I'll give you some thoughts...
Natalie Goldberg ("Writing Down the Bones") suggests you write in ten-minute bursts (using a timer), and give yourself writing prompts: Write about a sunset. Ten minutes. Go...Write about your favorite food. Ten minutes. Go...Write a about a time when you were unhappy. Ten minutes. Go... Depending on what areas you want to explore, you can make up your own prompts to get you started.
Julia Cameron ("The Artist's Way") suggests Morning Pages, which are three pages of longhand writing done every morning. The idea is not to edit or put a lot of thought into it, but just write whatever comes into your head, and follow your train of thought as best you can, keeping the pen moving the whole time.
A professor I had in college liked the "Ten Minute Autobiography" exercise. You have ten minutes to write your autobiography. You can give an overview or you can focus on one specific event, or anything in between, but you only have ten minutes. I've done it a number of times, and I've found it amazing how my focus shifts depending on what mood I'm in and what's been on my mind lately.
I have used a method in which I pose myself a question to get me started, such as, Well, Jazz, why are you feeling so edgy today? and then I write about that and try to explore what might be causing that feeling and what I might do to help myself.
I usually start my day with Julia Cameron's Morning Pages. I begin by writing, It's Saturday (or whatever day it is) and we have way too much to do today...or It's Monday and I'll be glad to get these kids out the door... And it just goes on from there, a steady stream-of-consciousness sort of thing. Sometimes it meanders into something big that's going on in my life, sometimes it's just a sort of a game-planning session for the day, but regardless of what I write, I always come away from it feeling ready to start my day.
For those who want to go the pen-and-paper route, there are many fancy blank books out there, some with lines, some not. Personally, I prefer a spiral notebook with a sturdy cover, so I can write with it balanced on my knee if I'm out and about. I don't spent a lot of money on my journals because I always feel if I've got this lovely, expensive leather-bound book, then whatever I write had darn well better be worthy of that lovely, expensive leather-bound book...and of course, it won't be, will it? In short, I get performance anxiety.
So grab a notebook that appeals to you and a pen that writes nice and dark, and moves easily across the page. Open the notebook, put the date at the top of the page, and start writing. Don't worry about quality--we're not writing a novel or poetry, we're not making art here, we're not letting anyone else see this stuff--it's for your eyes only. What we're doing here is letting out feelings, we're synthesizing input in an attempt to make sense of the world, we're whining about our problems, and maybe starting to make sense of them and think about solutions...
The most important part of this process, at least in the beginning, is to give yourself permission to write badly, to write ungrammatically, to write in whatever manner you need to in order to get whatever it is out of your head and onto the page.
But what do you write?
There's really no magic formula here: you write whatever happens to be on your mind at the time. But I'll give you some thoughts...
Natalie Goldberg ("Writing Down the Bones") suggests you write in ten-minute bursts (using a timer), and give yourself writing prompts: Write about a sunset. Ten minutes. Go...Write about your favorite food. Ten minutes. Go...Write a about a time when you were unhappy. Ten minutes. Go... Depending on what areas you want to explore, you can make up your own prompts to get you started.
Julia Cameron ("The Artist's Way") suggests Morning Pages, which are three pages of longhand writing done every morning. The idea is not to edit or put a lot of thought into it, but just write whatever comes into your head, and follow your train of thought as best you can, keeping the pen moving the whole time.
A professor I had in college liked the "Ten Minute Autobiography" exercise. You have ten minutes to write your autobiography. You can give an overview or you can focus on one specific event, or anything in between, but you only have ten minutes. I've done it a number of times, and I've found it amazing how my focus shifts depending on what mood I'm in and what's been on my mind lately.
I have used a method in which I pose myself a question to get me started, such as, Well, Jazz, why are you feeling so edgy today? and then I write about that and try to explore what might be causing that feeling and what I might do to help myself.
I usually start my day with Julia Cameron's Morning Pages. I begin by writing, It's Saturday (or whatever day it is) and we have way too much to do today...or It's Monday and I'll be glad to get these kids out the door... And it just goes on from there, a steady stream-of-consciousness sort of thing. Sometimes it meanders into something big that's going on in my life, sometimes it's just a sort of a game-planning session for the day, but regardless of what I write, I always come away from it feeling ready to start my day.
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Journal Series: Privacy
If you are going to do journal work that allows true healing to occur, then you must have a safe place in which to do it. And that safe place must be a place that you and those who may live with you know is inviolate. Self-censorship does not belong in the pages of your journal, because if you are afraid of your work being discovered, you will not write the truth.
Privacy is a touchy issue, but I feel that it is essential to have a sense that the work you do in the journal truly is for your eyes only. Privacy not only protects you, but it protects others--because if you are going to write the honest truth, there is always the potential for writing something that will hurt someone else. And truth is essential to the healing process.
So how do we protect our privacy? Sometimes trust is enough. I trust my husband not to read my journals. I've been leaving them lying around ever since we shared our first apartment twenty years ago, and he's never read them. (I don't think he's interested enough, to be honest...) I do not, however, trust the kids not to get into them. Children are curious by nature. So now that the children are old enough to read and begin to understand, my older journals are kept in a locked file cabinet.
But what if you don't have a file cabinet that locks, or you don't trust someone in your household not to go snooping? Or what if you live with someone who would be hurt if they thought you were keeping secrets of any sort from them? What if you don't feel that there is any way to keep your journals private?
Since the journal serves its most important role in allowing you to get rid of and process feelings, destroying what you've written is one way to protect your privacy. I tend not to like this method just because it can take more than one session to work through something, and it helps to have your earlier work to refer back to.
I think the computer offers the best solution to the privacy issue. Microsoft Word allows you to password-protect your files. This is not an ideal solution--I've tried journaling this way, but the file soon becomes huge and unwieldy, and it's difficult to find anything unless you can recall specific phrases you used. There is, however, software designed specifically for journal-keeping. I use a software package called Life Journal. Life Journal allows you to keep your work private with a password, and allows you to assign topics to entries, the way you can in a blog. In fact, I use Life Journal to draft my blog entries, because of that feature. It helps me find things in a hurry.
Having said that, I must also say that I have a strong preference for a pen-and-paper journal. Maybe it's because that's how I started out. When I started keeping a journal and writing, there was no such thing as a word processor. There was me and my notebook and my pen. And there is something about the physical act of writing my words down, having my thoughts flow from my mind to my hand to the page, that is therapeutic for me. So I still keep a paper journal. But...if I am doing work that I feel might be too intense, or work that I would never in a million years want anyone to see, I go to the computer and call up Life Journal. Because when I'm working in pen and paper, I do censor myself. No matter what I tell myself about trust and all that...I honestly feel safer working in a password protected environment. And if I don't have that feeling of safety, the tough work isn't going to get done.
Privacy is a touchy issue, but I feel that it is essential to have a sense that the work you do in the journal truly is for your eyes only. Privacy not only protects you, but it protects others--because if you are going to write the honest truth, there is always the potential for writing something that will hurt someone else. And truth is essential to the healing process.
So how do we protect our privacy? Sometimes trust is enough. I trust my husband not to read my journals. I've been leaving them lying around ever since we shared our first apartment twenty years ago, and he's never read them. (I don't think he's interested enough, to be honest...) I do not, however, trust the kids not to get into them. Children are curious by nature. So now that the children are old enough to read and begin to understand, my older journals are kept in a locked file cabinet.
But what if you don't have a file cabinet that locks, or you don't trust someone in your household not to go snooping? Or what if you live with someone who would be hurt if they thought you were keeping secrets of any sort from them? What if you don't feel that there is any way to keep your journals private?
Since the journal serves its most important role in allowing you to get rid of and process feelings, destroying what you've written is one way to protect your privacy. I tend not to like this method just because it can take more than one session to work through something, and it helps to have your earlier work to refer back to.
I think the computer offers the best solution to the privacy issue. Microsoft Word allows you to password-protect your files. This is not an ideal solution--I've tried journaling this way, but the file soon becomes huge and unwieldy, and it's difficult to find anything unless you can recall specific phrases you used. There is, however, software designed specifically for journal-keeping. I use a software package called Life Journal. Life Journal allows you to keep your work private with a password, and allows you to assign topics to entries, the way you can in a blog. In fact, I use Life Journal to draft my blog entries, because of that feature. It helps me find things in a hurry.
Having said that, I must also say that I have a strong preference for a pen-and-paper journal. Maybe it's because that's how I started out. When I started keeping a journal and writing, there was no such thing as a word processor. There was me and my notebook and my pen. And there is something about the physical act of writing my words down, having my thoughts flow from my mind to my hand to the page, that is therapeutic for me. So I still keep a paper journal. But...if I am doing work that I feel might be too intense, or work that I would never in a million years want anyone to see, I go to the computer and call up Life Journal. Because when I'm working in pen and paper, I do censor myself. No matter what I tell myself about trust and all that...I honestly feel safer working in a password protected environment. And if I don't have that feeling of safety, the tough work isn't going to get done.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Journal Series: Why Keep a Journal?
Many people think of a journal as a diary. But journaling to heal ourselves isn't so much about leaving a record, as in a traditional diary ("Hot and sunny today. Beans for dinner again. Don't like beans."), but more about learning about ourselves and those around us by detailing and puzzling through the chain of events that makes up our lives.
Journaling with the intent to heal is more about process than it is about product. Yes, it is nice to have a record of where you've been, and reading over the things you've worked through can be helpful, if only to remind yourself of how far you've come. But my sense of it is that the journal serves its main purpose in the moment and then you move on to the next moment, hopefully having gained some insight to bring along with you.
The journal was where I first began to suspect that I had a problem with my moods. It was where I raged and screamed against my bipolar diagnosis. It was where I debated the pros and cons of going off of medication against medical advice. And it is where I continue to go every day of my healing journey.
I journal because it helps me make sense of my life. It gives me a lot in terms of self-knowledge and self-understanding...and if I can be honest with myself--not always easy, even in one's own private journal, to be truly honest--I get more insight out of my journal than I ever got out of therapy.
So...why journal? Because it can be cathartic--the journal is a place to safely release emotions and thoughts that may not be appropriate for those around you to bear the brunt of. Because it can help you gain insight--by examining your thoughts and feelings, sometimes it's possible to identify negative patterns that need shifting. Because it can give you a map of how far you've come, and help you figure out where you need to go next. Because it can help bring order to sometimes chaotic thoughts and emotions. Because it can be a place to brainstorm and problem solve. Because it is always there for you, and it is never judgmental. For all of these reasons and more, a journal can be a powerful tool for healing and a powerful adjunct to talk therapy.
In coming installments, I'll talk about how to start a journal, and about privacy issues. Then I'll present some of the different tools that can be used within the journal to gain insight. And if anyone's interested, I could list some specific journal exercises to get you started. Let me know.
Journaling with the intent to heal is more about process than it is about product. Yes, it is nice to have a record of where you've been, and reading over the things you've worked through can be helpful, if only to remind yourself of how far you've come. But my sense of it is that the journal serves its main purpose in the moment and then you move on to the next moment, hopefully having gained some insight to bring along with you.
The journal was where I first began to suspect that I had a problem with my moods. It was where I raged and screamed against my bipolar diagnosis. It was where I debated the pros and cons of going off of medication against medical advice. And it is where I continue to go every day of my healing journey.
I journal because it helps me make sense of my life. It gives me a lot in terms of self-knowledge and self-understanding...and if I can be honest with myself--not always easy, even in one's own private journal, to be truly honest--I get more insight out of my journal than I ever got out of therapy.
So...why journal? Because it can be cathartic--the journal is a place to safely release emotions and thoughts that may not be appropriate for those around you to bear the brunt of. Because it can help you gain insight--by examining your thoughts and feelings, sometimes it's possible to identify negative patterns that need shifting. Because it can give you a map of how far you've come, and help you figure out where you need to go next. Because it can help bring order to sometimes chaotic thoughts and emotions. Because it can be a place to brainstorm and problem solve. Because it is always there for you, and it is never judgmental. For all of these reasons and more, a journal can be a powerful tool for healing and a powerful adjunct to talk therapy.
In coming installments, I'll talk about how to start a journal, and about privacy issues. Then I'll present some of the different tools that can be used within the journal to gain insight. And if anyone's interested, I could list some specific journal exercises to get you started. Let me know.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Journal Series: An Introduction
This blog is supposed to be about a number of things, but primarily it's about a journey of healing. I'm not quite sure where I'm going on this journey, other than towards wellness, but so far it's been a very interesting trip. And in the end, I think that the journey itself is far more important than the final destination.
I've had some interesting companions on my travels. Bipolar disorder was one. A driving need to write my thoughts is another. And a need to "make stuff", to create, to use my hands, has also been with me for a long time.
The companion that has been the most influential, however, has been my journal. It has been there for me through all the years of teenage angst, through my breakup with The A$$hole, whom I almost married, through my finding my soul-mate in the Chief, much to my parents' consternation (the long hair and leather jacket didn't make a stellar first impression on my Proper British Father), through my not-always-thrilling foray into Mommyhood, through my bipolar odyssey, and now, through my recovery and healing.
The journal has been a huge part of my healing process, just as important, I think, as the healthy eating and the yoga and meditation. So I wanted to write a series on journaling, because I think it's a technique that others might find useful on their own healing journeys.
Those of us who are blogging about our journeys already know that writing can play an important role in the healing process. But I'm not sure that this is common knowledge. And the response I get from a lot of people when I suggest they try to journal their way through one of life's rough patches is often a look of bewilderment: But I wouldn't know where to start, they tell me. I wouldn't know what to write.
So in this series I'll talk about how to start a journal, what to write, and how to make the journal a treasured companion on your own healing journey.
I've had some interesting companions on my travels. Bipolar disorder was one. A driving need to write my thoughts is another. And a need to "make stuff", to create, to use my hands, has also been with me for a long time.
The companion that has been the most influential, however, has been my journal. It has been there for me through all the years of teenage angst, through my breakup with The A$$hole, whom I almost married, through my finding my soul-mate in the Chief, much to my parents' consternation (the long hair and leather jacket didn't make a stellar first impression on my Proper British Father), through my not-always-thrilling foray into Mommyhood, through my bipolar odyssey, and now, through my recovery and healing.
The journal has been a huge part of my healing process, just as important, I think, as the healthy eating and the yoga and meditation. So I wanted to write a series on journaling, because I think it's a technique that others might find useful on their own healing journeys.
Those of us who are blogging about our journeys already know that writing can play an important role in the healing process. But I'm not sure that this is common knowledge. And the response I get from a lot of people when I suggest they try to journal their way through one of life's rough patches is often a look of bewilderment: But I wouldn't know where to start, they tell me. I wouldn't know what to write.
So in this series I'll talk about how to start a journal, what to write, and how to make the journal a treasured companion on your own healing journey.
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