How I stopped worrying and learned to journal

I loved writing since I remember myself. Well, the first thing that brought me to understanding that I actually can do something good was my first poem — winner at the school competition. Red and shy I stared at the wooden floor and listened to the director calling my name as the author of the best essay on Patriotism.

At childhood writing made me feel worthy.

When I was lost in the middle of my life way between a couple of countries, studying, working and starting my own company, writing helped me to organise all my thoughts and calm down.

We are sometimes way too emotional, and being under one stress, all of a sudden caught by another one, we dig deeper into depression.

You are always near, my small notebook that is beautiful and keeps all my problems, ideas, everything that is on my mind. With you I can see the situation from another angle, rereading the text in a few days.

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” Dr. Seuss

What if a place where you will feel so comfortable and calm is between blank pages?

Writing helped me to achieve many aims in the life, from getting to the best conferences as a journalist, to something that is more important: to getting know myself.

3 tips on writing

I can give you hundreds of tips on writing but the most important 3 for me will always be:

1. Write consistently.

And the period you define for yourself. It can be a couple of paragraphs every day or a couple of pages every couple of days, but remember the rule: if you don’t do anything, nothing happens.

Start with small — and if you feel it right you won’t stop.

“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.” Mina Murray, Dracula

2. No rules. Don’t write to impress, write to express.

Simple language, simple You equals honesty. There is no single formula of what you should write. No single shape how you should act! Your best try is already a step for a change for better.

Don’t tell anybody. If you don’t feel like you need to show your writing — keep it secret.

3. Write to love yourself.

Decent amount of self-appreciation and love is more often the most important investment we miss than you ever thought.

“Writing is medicine. It is an appropriate antidote to injury. It is an appropriate companion for any difficult change.” Julia Cameron

Make time for “yourself”, this time we so often miss being too busy with work, studies, family and dozens of other obligations. All you need is 20 minutes per day, anytime, and I would recommend writing before going to bed and in crisis situations right after it. No need for a special talent, money. When I am writing at night most often it is so hard to stop that I spend hours writing and not noticing the world around.

Your biggest motivation to write is to help yourself. You need that, just as physical activity or socialisation —so invest in your healthy future.

“If you’re serious about becoming a wealthy, powerful, sophisticated, healthy, influential, cultured, and unique individual, keep a journal.” Jim Rohn

Write for people or for yourself?

I always thought that one of the best motivators, why you should write is to help people. Help by showing how you achieved something, to share your knowledge — anything that can make a change for better.

But if you need to write down what is on your mind — just to expose your thoughts — do that as soon as you feel frustrated or depressed.

What helps me is to start writing anything to keep the words flowing from my mind and in a couple of paragraphs, I usually get much better.

One more advantage of journaling is that with time you get better at expressing your thoughts. Even simple yet consistent writing without any aim will make you form your opinion clearer.

“Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter. And lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.” Jack London

Writing gives you self-understanding

Usually, we share our thoughts and feelings to hear a word of support from somebody who cares. But what if you can’t just tell anybody what is on your mind?

In the mess of thoughts, we are lost. Getting them organised and the most important — written on a paper, so real, that you can see it all at once and deal with a problem.

Writing gives you an opportunity to understand yourself, identify the problem and only then build a plan.

Being writer does not start from anywhere — you need constant practice and everyday journaling gives you that.

“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.” Christina Baldwin

And when in despair, start writing.

When you feel like the one solution to the problem is quitting, starting to take drugs to calm down, changing everything at once — exhale and take the pen. Depressions pass, but effects no.

I would compare journaling to a talk to the very close friend, with the only difference that you won’t get any recommendations. Certainly, journaling is not a change for talks with friends and getting to know some different from your opinion. However, describing your situation and understanding problems by yourself sometimes is far more important.

Journaling types: how to choose yours?

Bullet journaling:

Great to get all your thoughts organised and see the whole picture at one glance, yet for me it is more about design not writing.

There are a lot of beautiful ways to create a truly unique bullet journal. We are preparing a big article on tips of the best bullet journalists, so stay tuned!

Diary journal:

Keep writing as long as you feel comfortable, filling in your dairy journal — just everything that needs to be shared. Don’t cross the words — if you feel like you need many words to express your opinion, go for the long text.

Motivate yourself to keep writing

Promise smth tasty

Usually if I feel tired or just lazy to journal that day, I promise myself a little thing I want. Planned to eat taht piece of cake? Wait, guy! Firstly drop a line and then enjoy it even more!

2. Write in a beatiful journal

There are so many of them, that you can be sure to find the one you will love. And celebrate! First 10 pages, 50 pages, 100 pages — you are doing great and fully deserve a prize.

Journal from woodmymood.com

One page won’t save you.

Like metal therapy, one page won’t help you solve all problems at once, understand all you deep incentives and motives. They say it takes 21 days for a habit to be formed, the same about a radical change in self-understanding and emotional balancing.

“Just write every day of your life. Then see what happens.” Ray Bradbury

A scenario of my ideal writing session:

Turn off WiFi.

Yeah, no way you need it, believe me. And that one new message or mail will only distract but hardly change your life.

2. Silent mode.

No calls, no friends in need to chat with you right now or never.

3. Music. I prefer listening to classical music, sometimes writing in a complete silence, but never in noise until you get used to writing.

4. Digital via paper

I prefer writing with a pen, it helps me to focus and create some kind of calligraphy art. :) If you don’t like it — pick something more appealing, remember, no rules. Just you and the words flowing.

5. Time

At least 15 minutes of self-talks on the paper — getting less is like starting to work out but in the middle of the session quitting. Good things take time.

“There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen to write.” William Makepeace Thackeray

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Thanks in advace.

Good luck with journaling!