Excerpts

What is journaling?

A journal is a dated record of your experiences that is written over time, but not necessarily every day. Journals can contain reports of events, feelings, thoughts, dreams, fantasies, plans for the future, views of the past, sketches, letters, photographs—anything you want to save. Journaling is a way of:

• relieving stress
• exploring change
• clearing up confusion
• developing creativity and intuition
• getting in touch with feelings
• trying new behaviors
• imagining possibilities
• and much more.

As you write in your journal over time, you will discover a great deal about yourself. You will likely feel better in body, mind, and spirit. In addition to recording and reporting your life, it's important to explore your thoughts and feelings. Journaling is especially helpful if you write with the intention of creating personal change and growth.

Tips on journaling…

Journaling has no rules. Yet simple tips will make your journaling more effective and satisfying. After a brain injury, you may have to adapt or ignore some of them to create a journal practice that works for you. That's fine! It's your journal. You can use it however you like.

• Start with meditation. Sit quietly for a few minutes before you begin to write. Let your mind calm itself and focus on your topic.
• Date every entry.
• Keep what you write. Even if you think you've written “junk” in your journal, your words may contain seeds of insights. Later you may find that it makes sense and is important.
• Write quickly. By writing quickly, you can outsmart the internal critic who lives inside your head. Don't think about what you're writing. Just write.