A Creative Journal

Is This Really Self-Therapy?

by Heather Goldsmith on February 28th, 2008

A lot of people comment how they’ve tried writing in a journal or diary, but didn’t find it a personally fulfilling activity. They grew bored with describing the daily events of their lives and didn’t feel they had anything to say; that their lives were too boring. I will often ask for the reason they began writing in a journal in the first place. Most shrug and cannot really give me an answer, or say someone else recommended it to them.

This is where I try to encourage people to define a reason for beginning the habit of keeping a journal. This reason, written down, gives you something to focus on, a starting point if you like. Perhaps you will respond better to creating a statement of purpose.

I feel it is important to begin a journal this way. It doesn’t matter if you don’t really go in this direction when you continue to write in your journal, but it will help if that reason is read each time you sit to write a session. Decide how important it is to fulfill this purpose. Avoid writing entries about your daily happenings, if this is something you find boring. Instead focus on your inner feelings, thoughts about your achievements & disappointments.

Which brings me to the question in the title; is this really self-therapy? My next question will be - do you want it to be? If so, then delve into your life, your past, your thoughts, etc. But if you don’t want this to be self-therapy, then don’t go there. I feel it’s completely up to you. Use this tool, your journal, for whatever purpose you decide.

Heather

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POSTED IN: General: Journal Writing, Journal Writing Prompts