RespiteMatch.com Health Blog

Journaling is one way to express your thoughts, feelings, and experiences through writing or audiotaping. Journaling is a safe, personal and private activity that may help you release stress and clear your mind.

How To Journal

You do not have to be a writer to journal, and there are no right or wrong ways to journal. Journaling is for you alone, so it is whatever you want it to be. Some suggestions for keeping a journal include:
Keep paper and pen nearby. You can write in your journal everyday or whenever you feel the need to express yourself. Do not pressure yourself to write. The words will come to you when you are ready to release your feelings and clear your mind.
Let your thoughts flow. Do not worry about grammar or punctuation. Remember, you are the only one reading your journal and it only needs to make sense to you.
You can write on any paper, in a notebook, a diary, a journal, and even on a napkin or the back of cards, etc.
You can draw pictures if writing is not a favorite activity. You don’t have to be an artist.
Remember that your journal is yours alone, a private expression of your thoughts and feelings. No one should read your journal without your invitation or permission.
If you are unable to write or writing is not comfortable for you, you can record you thoughts and feelings on audiotape. If you need help finding a cassette recorder, ask your health care professional for assistance in finding equipment that is easy to use.
What You Can Journal

You can write about anything that is important to you. Some suggestions of things to include in your journal are:

Your feelings and emotions
Your fears
Your accomplishments
Major events in your life
Your life story
Favorite memories
Favorite pictures
Your hopes
Your dreams
Daily experiences
Relationships and what they mean to you
Conflicts
Poetry or favorite quotes and what they mean to you
Anything that is causing you physical, emotional, and/or spiritual comfort or discomfort