The Secrets of YOUR Universe
Many people struggle with talking about the things that bother them the most. There is a technique I use when life gets intense, and that's writing in a journal. I used to try writing in a journal by hand, but would inevitably stop due to hand cramps. Also, it's so much slower to get your ideas down that way. Then I discovered a free easy-to-use Google Chrome app called "Journey". When you add a journal entry, it marks it on your Journey calendar. Type as much as you want. You can add tags like "Work" or "Family" to help you categorize your entries for review later.
I have found journaling to be one of the most therapeutic things I've ever done to help cope with problems in life.
Here's what I get out of it:
1) Export your negative thoughts. What I mean by that is feel free to rant rant rant about all the things that piss you off. Getting all of that off your chest is essential to your mental health. The more you keep it inside, the more it will bother you.
2) People don't like ranters. The trouble about ranting to other people is that other people get tired of listening to it, and having someone else listen to me rant never did anything to improve my situation. When you need advice on something, ask for advice. When you just want to complain, write it in a journal.
3) Self-reflection. One of the most eye-opening experiences I have ever had was reading back in my journal and seeing what I wrote a year earlier. I was amazed at how different I was at that time. Journaling leads to self-reflection - making observations about how and why you have the thoughts you have, and if how you cope with them is effective. The more topics you write about, the more you can reflect and learn about yourself. Most people are missing an element of self-transparency and keep themselves from seeing the truth about themselves.
4) Separate your emotions from your actions. I'm often frustrated by reaction to things. I tend to overreact, and usually lack perspective about an issue because I reacted before I thought. For me, journaling gives me time to really examine something. I've also gotten better about catching myself starting to react negatively to something, and deciding instead to write about it in my journal and get some perspective. This helps me separate my emotion from my action. Emotion really clouds our judgment, so by carefully examining something and writing about it, we can eliminate an emotional response and get more clarity that way.
5) Write about things that make you happy as well. Optimism is way underrated. We tend to focus on the negative that we often overlook what makes us happy. Use journaling as a way to focus on the positives in your life. What can you do to find more happiness in your life?
6) Tear down your walls. In your journal you have nothing to hide and there's no judgment. You just can't get that by talking to people. Writing about your deepest fears, biggest regrets, most hidden secrets, etc. can help you process and address them in a way you never have.
If you've never tried it before, write about the things that bother you, or the things that make you happy. Perhaps you'll find it as cathartic as I have.
