Organized Chaos - Volume 6
Journals As Therapy
by Barbara Bergstrom, M.A.
Writing daily in a journal is therapeutic. We know that any action, repeated often enough, becomes habit. Good habits, repeated daily, can have a healing effect. Many hospitals are now using journals as therapy for both in- and outpatients. Therapists often encourage writing in addition to therapy.
Writing in a journal daily is a way to release and process emotional issues that we must face every day. It is a convenient outlet that lets us safely unburden ourselves. It is like a long chat with an old friend to whom we tell our secrets, or a session with a good therapist who listens to our woes.
There is no right or wrong way to keep a journal. There are as many ways to keep one as there are journal writers. In a journal, you are free to make mistakes without judgment for no one will be reading it unless you choose to share it. You may begin writing with lists of what you did each day, what happened to you, or what you were thinking about, or how you felt about what happened to you. You may begin with a brief entry; or you can jump in with both feet and bare your soul. The beauty of it is that they are all right. The main thing is to begin, and then to revisit the journal regularly as one visits a trusted friend.
Over a period of time, in the journal, there emerges a pattern. The regularity of entries gives it form, and personality. At the end of the year, it is good to review what you have written there in order to see in what ways you may have changed, progressed or improved. In the journal, you may see decisions made, directions taken, even months or years before they manifested in your daily life. This is where the journal becomes your teacher, We can learn about ourselves from our journal if we take the time.
If the journal is to be therapeutic, you might try to record how you handled daily trials (OCD), and how obstacles were overcome. Try to go in a positive, healing direction, and avoid negativity or dwelling on the dark and gloomy side of events. If a sincere effort is made to stay positive in the journal, this positive attitude begins to manifest itself as a positive direction for your life.
Those in high school and college are dealing with heavy issues of growth and change. Some kids are leaving home for the first time, taking first jobs, making new friends, and becoming independent. There are many anxieties and challenges involved in these activities. You will find the journal is a place where you can go to explore your feelings and experiences. Do not be overly concerned with the quality of the writing, but more with the truth of your life. Be honest with yourself in your journal. The rewards are great.
At some point, when you review your journal, you discover something which you believe may be helpful to others with similar issues. If you wish to share your experience, try to condense it to one paragraph for inclusion on the web site, it gives others a chance to read it.
Ms. Bergstrom has taught writing at Rutgers and other universities in New Jersey. She edited Dr. Fred Penzel's books, "OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDERS: A Guide to Getting Well and Staying Well," and "THE HAIR PULLING PROBLEM: A Complete Guide to Trichotillomania."
