Healing Through Journaling

Dealing with difficult situations/people is an inevitable part of life. I wish it wasn’t so, but it just is!

Many times it’s so much easier to shove things under the rug or tell ourselves that we’ll deal with them later. But let’s be real, later never comes. We harbor hard feelings towards those that have wronged/hurt us and we become bitter/angry but can’t figure out why. In the words of Dr. Phil, “How’s that working for you?”

I love what Albert Einstein says, “Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

If we’re ever going to learn how to live a healthy life, we must learn to make some changes. And oftentimes those changes are hard! (But definitely worth it in the long run!)

More than likely the difficult situations I’ve walked through in this life aren’t any more difficult than yours. But, I have learned a thing or two and today I want to share one of those things I’ve learned with you!
 

Journaling Through Difficult Situations

Years ago when I walked through my divorce I had trusted friends that I talked to about the situation. It felt so good to be able to get my feelings out, but that wasn’t quite enough for me. One day I found an empty journal lying around my house and decided to start writing. Once I finished that first paragraph I couldn’t be stopped. I poured out my heart in that journal, wrote down things I couldn’t tell anyone else, vented and so much more.

Journaling was so very healing for me. I knew that the pages of that journal had every juicy bit of information that had happened throughout my divorce. Now that I’d written everything down I could remove all of those thoughts from my mind. And as strange as it may sound, I was comforted by the fact that if I wanted to remember or re-live a moment/day in that terrible journey, I could thumb through the pages of that journal.

Journaling helped me clear my mind of the confusion of the situation. I was so much freer after writing it all down!
 

Journaling About Everyday Life

It’s quite possible that you’re not currently walking through a difficult situation. (That’s great!) But I bet you’ll deal with a few difficult people in the next week or even month.

I have a friend that carries around a journal with her. When she has a difficult moment in the middle of her day or someone says something harsh to her, she writes in her journal. I’ve never asked her exactly what she writes in her journal, but she did tell me that if anyone ever got their hands on her journal it wouldn’t pretty.

She doesn’t journal to keep score but has learned how to live a healthy life and get out her feelings. Once she fills up her current journal, she’ll start a new one.
 

Journaling Is For You

Whether you write about something you’re worrying about, a situation that’s affecting your daily life in an unhealthy way, or something you’ve shoved under the rug for years, get it out. Your writing is for you and you alone. (I’ve never shared my “divorce journal” with anyone, and don’t plan to.)

Whether you find a notebook or want to buy a fancy journal, I highly encourage you to try journaling!

What are your thoughts? Do you journal? Have you found it to be healing? (Please share in the comments below.)

Photo Credit: Walt Stoneburner; Walt Stoneburner CC (added title text box and ThriftyTsTreasures.com to original photo)