There were times when my journal was several A4 pages for just one day. Then there were other times when I would just write down all my appointments and things I needed to do. A lot of times I wrote down what I had achieved that day; as acknowledging some achievement no matter how small, when you are sick and depressed can be a morale booster. Over time reading my own hand writing became harder and harder and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.
A few people said that as I could type maybe I should try a digital journal. I wasn’t sure about this idea as anything digital on a device that accessed the internet has the potential of hackers – something you don’t want when writing your private thoughts and feelings. But over time, with my writing getting worse, I finally conceded and started looking for a program that suited me.
Now I love my digital diary and would be lost without it. I can search for things like when I took particular medications, last did a particular activity or when a particular event was. This program includes a planner so I can arrange all my appointment and events whether they are single or regular one. This way I can keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, shopping days, etc. I can get notifications in advance so I make sure that I have purchased presents, cards, and the like.
It also allows me to include more details than my hand written journal, as there is no limit to the space I have to use. Even with the typing mistakes I make I am able to read it far more clearly than my hand writing.
Keeping a journal can help to keep things in perspective instead of having them running around and around in your head, growing as they do so. You also don’t have to keep going over things to remember them, you can simply look at what you have written down. Here is just one example -
Sometime back I was having a lot of trouble dealing with what was happening in my life and was extremely stressed out about it. I decided to type up a list of all the major (not minor) stresses in my life over the last two months. I ended up with a list ¾ of an A4 page long of pullet points in only size 12 font! When I presented this to my counsellor she looked at me and said, “I think you have every right to be stressed out right now.”
However, putting all these things down on paper made me see how much I was dealing with at one time. I could prioritise things into categories – those things that really needed to be dealt with immediately, those things that could be left for a short time, and those things that I just had to let go of because I couldn’t do anything about them. It was like the serenity poem – God grand me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
If you don’t keep a journal I strongly suggest that you start now. Until next time – remember, safety first!