How People Use The Journal   

     My research and work has shown me that although there are infinite ways to use a journal, people have one main focus when approaching it.  The main focus of using a journal (or even the desire to use a journal) is to problem solve.   I have found that no one says “Wow!  I’m doing such a great job in my life I need a new place to celebrate, I’m going to start to journal!”  Instead they say “I’ve tried everything else, why not this?” 

     Time after time, I have found this to be true.  I can tell you from personal experience that this is how I initially used the tool, also.  In being privileged to read through or listen to others read through their journals (and in looking at my own) I have seen this show up.  What I notice is that for 3 to 6 months there is writing about a specific problem and then Poof! the next entry date is 5 months later and it’s a brand new problem.   

     The journal is used in this capacity because it is a price-less tool for problem solving.  Because the act of journaling is introspective it makes the journal a custom –made tool.  The process of writing puts you on your path, right where you belong.  You get to learn about yourself, your issues and the aspects of your life that need changing. The personal journal allows you to journey within to recognize your values and goals and to help you maintain and realize your vision.  It can also assist in the problem solving needs of:  decreasing impulsivity, creating self-awareness, processing and releasing intense emotion, organizing one’s thoughts, recognizing, changing and releasing consistent and undesirable behavior patterns, producing closure and resolution of life circumstances, processing grief and loss, and the list can go on and on.

      The value of journaling reaches beyond problem solving, though.  People use the journal for a variety of different purposes:  writing down daily activities, brain-storming, to enhance memory function, to plan events, prioritize, provide alone time, to write correspondence (some of which is sent, some of which is not sent), to develop a closer relationship with God, to celebrate success, and once again, the list goes on and on.

     I tell you this information for a couple of reasons, not too long ago, I taught an abbreviated workshop to a bunch of people who had never journaled.  Because these individuals had not ever picked up the tool, I had lots of questions about the process its self. This group of people had no idea about the benefit of using a journal.   It is so exciting for me to be able to share this vehicle with people who haven’t ever experienced it because it has been so valuable to me personally and to many others with whom I have had contact over the years. 

     Long time journalers can also run into the same set of issues; not realizing that the journal is such a versatile tool.  For instance, I had a person in my group that stated she’d been journaling for twenty years.  During the workshop, I mentioned that people use the journal for healing.  This participant later expressed to me that she was shocked. She had been writing for twenty years and had not ever thought that the journal could be a tool for healing.

     I believe that the under-estimated value of a journal has occurred because we have technologically lost the need for reflective writing.  With the availability of the telephone as a communication device there is no longer a need to spend time writing letters.  And with the inception of abbreviated words in both e-mail and texting, there is even less contemplation time.  It can also be said that the presence of key boards has made the process of contemplative writing almost extinct from the average person’s daily life.  Unless, of course, they journal.

     Why would this shortened form of writing be such a problem?  It is a problem because we don’t think about or ponder what we are writing.  We forget that we are still communicating and there fore our current communication process occurs without much thoughtfulness.  This makes us decidedly less introspective, and because introspection is a spiritual tool, we are also less spiritual.  Because we don’t take the time to process information we often over-react creating un-necessary chaos.  A moment’s reflection would diminish this chaos by causing us to withhold inappropriate thoughts or comments.  We have lost the profound impact that writing has on the ability for us to “use our heads”.

     Journaling is a process that is effective in a vast number of ways.  It is most frequently used to problem solve, but its value extends into infinite directions.  It is not the only tool available for healing, but it if you are ready to make changes in your life, it is certainly an extremely efficient tool.   For now, why not put the power of writing to use and instead of e-mailing or phoning, write a letter in long hand?    It could be the beginning of a long and fulfilling adventure.                                                                                     
                                                                                Michelle L. McClellan, Psy.C. ©