The Arsenal For Journaling

The English novelist, diarist, and playwright Francis Burney once wrote in her journal, dated March 27th, 1768, “[t]o whom, then must I dedicate my wonderful, surprising, and interesting adventures?—to whom dare I reveal my private opinion of my nearest relations? The secret thoughts of my dearest friends? My own hopes, fears, reflections and dislikes — Nobody! To Nobody, then, I will write my journal.” At the age of 16, Burney began her journalistic odyssey. Today she is now read and admired by many as a literary genius. In the 18th century, during a time of female reserve and suppression, there is no doubt that a young woman could only feel safe to reveal her truest thoughts and feelings to “nobody” without being reprimanded. Centuries later there has been much progress towards the vindication of women and their rights and functions in society. However, the role of journals remains the same. 

Keeping a journal, or a diary, depending on how you would prefer to phrase it, has proven to produce an array of benefits to the writer, from increased productivity to decreased stress. It’s within journaling, that we can find things we didn’t know were buried within the deep folds of our minds. I find the difference between speaking out loud and mindlessly writing, is the accustomed accountability that materializes from the tangibility of our thoughts formed into words on a page. Seeing them written, or typed out, creates a sense of solidarity with validation of the words and thoughts your mind is spurting out onto the page. It’s hard to ignore tangible forms of writing as opposed to words that are as quickly spoken as they are dissipated. This, of course, excludes therapy. I am more so referencing the process of working through problems by talking aloud to one’s self. However, if that works better for you then stick to it, otherwise continue reading. 

If you’re looking to begin or perhaps advance your quest with journaling and for a place to harbor your thoughts and experiences, this article can hopefully provide some guidance. The first objective when starting your journal is to know your purpose. That said, there are no rules to journaling. It’s up to you where you transport the pages: into the eyes of a lover, distressing memories of childhood, prevailing worries or fears, or simply the mundane routine of your day. However, if there is something specific that has compelled you into keeping a journal, it helps to pinpoint that motive. For example, if you are looking to surrender your nagging thoughts to the page, it might prove more beneficial to jot them down before bed. It’s at night when we careen into our subconscious psyche, no longer distracted by our day-to-day lives. According to the article “Why We’re Afraid of the Dark” published on Medical Daily, “the night serves as a time when our brain sways between its daytime pragmatism and its evening subconscious dreamscape. For some, the problem they hide is too overwhelming to face during the day, so they’re able to put them aside. But at night, internal demons — not necessarily the demons in our closet — return to our minds.” Know your purpose and be consistent. Consistency helps when writing, and if you keep it up, it will become more natural and beneficial in the long run. 

The second objective in journaling is choosing a medium. Journaling can be in many forms. For one, if you are the type that likes to talk your thoughts out loud, voice recording them could be an alternative way to writing or typing. If you are more of a tech person, keeping an online or type document journal could be more beneficial. Often when people type, there is a more consistent flow of consciousness. For myself, I prefer writing by hand. There is a widely accepted consensus that writing by hand can promote better understanding and processing of concepts. In the context of writing down emotions and thoughts, doing so with pen and paper might help with processing your emotions, including how you conceptualize the experience, whatever it may be.

The third objective is to just write. Sounds unhelpful, but literally just write something, anything. Write about what you did today, what pissed you off this week, who pissed you off. Perhaps write about something that made you feel happy, or loved and eventually, it will become easier. The reception and reactions you have to things are built and assembled from the bricks of past experiences. There are many more of these bricks in the form of thoughts and emotions living within the sentiments you write down. They are like hidden entities burrowed under the exterior of surface emotion and ideas waiting to be mined. When you begin to write something down, you will slowly uncover those entities. Certain thoughts will trigger others and so on so forth. If you find yourself stuck one day, you could even doodle something or just go back to a previous entry and you may be able to find something that sparks an idea you wish to explore further. 

The ultimate objective of journaling is just getting your thoughts down and unscrambled. Journaling doesn’t have to be perfect, so don’t try and perfect it. Write messy, formless, and thoughtless if that’s what it takes to get something down. If you were hoping for a step-by-step guide you came to the wrong place. I can’t tell you how to journal aside from the points I already provided: know your purpose, choose a medium, and just write. Journaling is to be less inhibited, to be warmer or to be colder, to be self-critical or forgiving, it is to recognize the power as well as the force of your thoughts. There honestly isn’t much more to it, except in the substance you provide. Countless websites can help prompt you with ideas to get you started, but the weapons you need are already blistering within, waiting to break free. Good luck!