Have you ever kept a diary? If not, you're missing out on one of the greatest tools ever to learn more about yourself, to heal and to grow. There are several ways of journaling:
* By day in your planner about what you do, who you meet and why
* By topic, such as what you feel about certain things, like vulnerability, independence, envy...
* To list things you are grateful for
* To write letters to yourself, to people you wish you could say something to, or to God
* To free flow, no censoring, just write down exactly what you feel, think about, watch, and hear
Then, let your journal be for a while. Take a moment to read it through at year's end for example and see if you can distinguish any patterns, like repeated thoughts or feelings. What is those telling you? Is there a need that is being overlooked here? Is it something you'd like to put behind you or something you would like to bring up?
I have found that writing down what I feel, releases most of the emotion. I've written a diary since the age of 7. My first entry consisted of what my mother had bought for me and what we had eaten for dinner. During my teens I wrote mostly about my secret crushes, whenever I had met any. And pouring out my agony of not feeling well, while living in a harsh environment at home. As a grown-up, I wrote to better understand my relationships as well as practicing several of the other kinds of journaling too. Something easy for me to do, quite fitting for me as a copywriter and personal coach. I've also kept a journal in both Swedish and English.
Something wonderful happens, if you dare to write truthfully. The writing begins to lead you, rather than you deciding what to write. This is like magic, like being moved by a spirit. The text starts to write itself. This also is how you can write fiction novels. Letting your imagination run wild! On paper, you can be absolutely free.
I also loved Anne Frank, of course. While my diaries burned up in a fire in the attic 1995, their lessons still remain.
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