Journaling

Sometimes people ask me how I made it through the years of raising a son with 22q.11 deletion, with all the uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. I’ll tell you…journaling

For some people, journaling is an alternate means of centering, like meditation, labyrinths, yoga, music, mandalas, walking in nature, and art. For me it was a way to pray. It’s not for everyone, but it’s worth the experimentation. 

• The rhythm and flow of handwriting is calming, soothing, and focusing
• Journaling reduces stress.  Writing about anger, sadness and other painful situations helps release the intensity of those feelings.  It helps you feel calmer and better able to stay in the present. It helps to put things into perspective.
• Expressive writing is associated with improvements in physical health, improvements in markers of mental health, and improvements in immune function.
• Journaling helps clarify thoughts and feelings, especially if you are feeling all jumbled inside. I would know when I hit upon what was really bothering me when I started crying.
• Journaling reminds you of things you’d otherwise forget. I wrote Yearning for Normal from reading old journals.
• You can track patterns, trends, improvement, and growth over time.  When current circumstances seem insurmountable, you will be able to look back over previous crises that were resolved. It’s easy to forget, and a journal helps you to remember
• You can write down things you would never say aloud. Can be cathartic. I often had to tear out pages that no eyes should ever see.
• Sometimes there are things going on under the surface in our lives that come to our attention when we give voice to it.

A journal helps me reflect. I usually read over a filled journal before throwing it into the bin. 

A journal is a good place to listen to and hear God speaking

• If I am struggling with something, I’ll ask God the question and then wait and listen. I believe God wants to speak to us more than we want to listen. It is an act of faith, but I will write down what I think God would say to me if I were God. Rule of thumb: If the words you hear are critical or judgmental, it’s not God speaking

How to start.

• Begin with the date. Helps to track cycles and trends and years.
• Start small, maybe for 5 minutes. Journal whenever or however you want. If you don’t feel like journaling—don’t.
• Write down quotes that you want to remember. The quotes in my book were all from quotes that I had written down in my journal. Sometimes I used scripture quotes. 

Writing prompts:

• What am I grateful for?
• Today I want to…
• This is what I need right now…
• This is what I’m worried about…
• Ask yourself questions
• What am I feeling?
• Why am I so upset?
• What do I need to do right now?
• What has happened that I don’t want to forget?

For those so gifted, you can use the journal to draw or doodle