Don’t know where to start? If you would like to achieve the therapeutic effects of journaling, writing in an expressive journal is a good place to start. Here are some quick tips from Dr. James W. Pennebaker to guide you along.
Getting Ready to Write
- Find a time and place where you won’t be disturbed. Ideally, pick a time at the end of your workday or before you go to bed.
- Promise yourself that you will write for a minimum of 15 minutes a day for at least 3 or 4 consecutive days.
- Once you begin writing, write continuously. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. If you run out of things to write about, just repeat what you have already written.
- You can write about the same thing on all 3-4 days of writing or you can write about something different each day. It is entirely up to you.
- The writing can be for you and for you only. The purpose is for you to be completely honest with yourself. When writing, secretly plan to delete your writing when you are finished. Whether you keep it or save it is really up to you.
What to Write About
Something that you are thinking or worrying about too much
Something that you are dreaming about
Something that you feel is affecting your life in an unhealthy way
Something that you have been avoiding for days, weeks, or years
Writing Paradigm
The following is the instructions given to participants of studies on journal therapy. The effects of following this paradigm have been astounding.
For the next three days, write about your very deepest thoughts and feeling about the most traumatic experience of your entire life. In your writing, really let go and explore your very deepest emotions and thoughts. You might tie this trauma to your childhood, your relationships with others, including parents, lovers, friends, or relatives. You may also link this event to your past, your present, or your future, or to who you have been, who you would like to be, or who you are now. You may write about the same general issues or experiences on all days of writing or on different topics each day. Not everyone has had a single trauma but all of us have had major conflicts or stressors – and you can write about these as well. All of your writing will be completely confidential. Don't worry about spelling, sentence structure, or grammar. The only rule is that once you begin writing, continue to do so until your time is up.
Warning: Many people report that after writing, they sometimes feel somewhat sad or depressed. Like seeing a sad movie, this typically goes away in a couple of hours. If you find that you are getting extremely upset about a writing topic, simply stop writing or change topics.
Source:
http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Faculty/Pennebaker/home2000/WritingandHealth.html
What’s Your Life Story?
A journal can be anything you want it to be. You can write whatever comes to your mind whenever you want. For those that don’t know what to write or how, below are some common types of journals to get you started.
Daily Journal (often called a diary)
A daily journal or diary usually consists of your day-to-day events and your feelings or thoughts surrounding them. While it may include expressive writing, a daily journal or diary mentions happenings on an ongoing basis. It can be kept private, however a lot of people choose to make it public as a blog.
Keeping a diary is a great way to archive your life. Famous diarists such as Anne Frank and Che Guevara would not be known if they didn’t keep a diary. See some examples of daily journal entries here.
Expressive Journal
An expressive journal is one where you write about your deepest thoughts and release your emotions. It can be written whenever and however you want. An expressive journal is usually extremely personal and kept private, but it can be shared at will. Penzu allows you to share your entries anonymously- so if you do want to share your thoughts with someone, but don’t want them to know it was you, simply click “share as anonymous” in the share drop-down menu.
Writing expressively can have a tremendously positive effect on your life. Read more about the health benefits here. To see examples of expressive journal entries, click here.
Travel Journal
Have you ever thought about a previous trip you took and wished you had kept a travel journal? Similar to a daily journal or diary, a travel journal records the day-to-day of your trip or vacation. We often have heightened experiences when traveling abroad, and keeping a journal is a great way to cherish those memories.
Insert pictures and share your travels with your friends! See some examples of travel journal entries here.
Idea Journal
If you have been searching for a place to keep your ideas online and in a secure and private place, your search is over. Penzu is great for notes and ideas about anything at all. Keep your ideas all to yourself, or share them with friends. See some idea journal examples here.
Other types of popular journals are:
Dream Journal
Workout Journal
Spiritual or Religious Diary
Work Journal
Wine Journal
And many more.