Do you go back and re read journal entries or not?

This is something I am curious about. I find that re reading journal entries gives me alot of anxiety . I have so much trauma and pain . I try to let it all out in my journal so I can try to "manifest" pave a better path going forward once that is out, but I wonder if that is just more reinforcement of suppressing emotions and such ? To re read or not re read? That is the question

 

The experts say to throw it out immediately. "Journaling" is not the best word because emotional writing is not about keeping a journal. On Nicole Sachs' website, go to the Resources tab, topic How to JournalSpeak. That's her term. Dr David Hanscom calls it Expressive Writing. I call it writing shit down. I use crappy old notebook paper and just scribble illegibly until both sides are used up, but I live alone so there's no risk anyone will find it before it goes in the recycling. Although it's quite illegible.

You thus have the freedom to write whatever comes out of your brain and directly onto the paper without considering or editing. It promotes self-honesty and is a lot more freeing.

How does this suggestion feel?

 

I began throwing them away after Jan posted this awhile back !
I found another pile this weekend during a cleanout.
I had lost track of them and how many I had scribbled.

I glanced at them and they are
A. Boring
B. Redundant
C. Redundant
D. Redundant
and lastly....
E. Boring

they were useful for a minute while i was in AGONY , but writing them was obviously more important than reading them... ......because I am boring and redundant.

Also, I lost interest in them the second the pain went away. We're funny that way,huh?

 

I have been practicing the JournalSpeak method. I write, trying to maintain focus on how I feel and I write unfiltered. I then re-read it once, I find that the insights I've had and the emotions it dug up for me can be better felt reading it once through right after the fact....at least for me. Then I delete it.

One of the basic "principles" I've enacted in my own healing is that if something make me uncomfortable or anxious, I lean into it rather than avoid or run from it. You may have gotten the words out on paper, but your mind still views those memories or thoughts as dangerous. Not to say that could be solved in one re-read, but I've heard many people refer to journaling as a form of exposure therapy. You're "exposing" yourself to all of those thoughts, emotions, and memories that you've buried or avoided, and the more you do it, the less power they will have over you in time.

 

LOL - before I was doing this type of journaling and just journaling to record my life, I remember thinking that. "God, I am so boring, my mind replays the same sh*t every. single. day."

Every journal entry was basically like "Hey journal - I'm anxious about the same thing that we talked about 10 times already still. So that's been fun."

ay ay ay...

 

Thank you! This is helpful after reading her website it does make sense. I was finding that I would continuously journal these things and let it out but I wouldn't actually feel what I was writing about if that makes sense. I'll just quickly voice to text get it out or type it and then going back and reading it would cause a ton of anxiety because I didn't really deal with it at the time.

But also having them there just keeps me down and anxious as well so I'm going to go back and delete it all. I have a digital journal thank you for the replies!

 

What type of journal entries do you guys keep ? I was thinking I COULD include the negative things but in a more thoughtful way after I've done my dump and delete lol . But not keep the pages and entries after entries of the same stuff .

 

I don’t keep any journal entries but I do keep lists.
I have a list of what seem to be constant external stressors that create internal stress especially things that can induce anger.
I have a list of people who are my support system
I have a list of amazing things I have done: physical things and personal mental/emotional things
None of these have anything more than simple bullet points. No stories, no way to dwell. Just reminders to be reviews when needed.

 

I do not keep anything myself. I type, read once through, and delete all entries. I think the question would be for what purpose you want to keep your entries. Are you interested in collecting a record of your life and thoughts, or do you want to keep them to keep re-reading them specifically for TMS work? I think, if the former, I would separate the journal work from what you do for TMS healing - just my opinion. Do what feels right for you!

 

That makes sense. Yes I'm gonna keep a section as a life reflection and all TMS/brain dumps etc I will delete. Important things will do lists.

I came across this from Nicole's site and it's golden !

https://mytmsjourney.com/resources/journalspeak-by-nicole-sachs-lcsw/ (JournalSpeak by Nicole Sachs LCSW)

Lots of other great articles too