diary

Journal Writing Tips: Telling the Truth

January 4, 2011
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Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true. ~ Demosthenes ONE of the most challenging aspects about journal writing for the purpose of self-knowledge and growth is learning to tell the truth to yourself. After all, we don’t really want to uncover those dark, shadowy places [...]

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Journal Writing Blogtalk: You Don’t Have to be Perfect

December 17, 2010
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TODAY I stumbled upon a blog titled “Extraordinarily Ordinary: Finding happiness and inspiration in everyday things,” and I thought, “Here is a writer after my own heart. That first impression was confirmed when I read Shannon’s recent post, “Writing.” The post was about Shannon’s current struggle with time to write and her desire to change [...]

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Sensory Details: Handwriting Trains the Brain

November 9, 2010
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GIVEN my preference for journaling and writing on the computer rather than writing by hand, I thought a recent Wall Street Journal article, “How Handwriting Trains the Brain” (10/5/2010), was interesting. The gist of the article was that the practice of handwriting improves the ability to develop and express ideas. The study was conducted with [...]

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Writing Your Way Through Sadness

November 2, 2010
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JOURNAL WRITING has many purposes, but it is probably best known for its ability to help us process emotions — especially emotions that we consider negative or painful. I believe that when we resist our emotions, avoid, suppress, or ignore them because they are negative or painful, they don’t go away but lodge in our bodies. On the other hand, writing through emotions allows us to fully feel them, process them, and move (or express) them through and out of our bodies, resulting in healthier emotional and physical states of being.

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Why Write? Personal Growth

October 26, 2010
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Journal writing helps you explore how your responses to events in the past affect your life in the present. Reflecting on how you have reacted to past experiences and the subsequent results can help you understand what is and is not working in your life. This understanding brings with it the opportunity to take future actions that are healthy rather than harmful, helping you to grow as an individual. To be who you want to be.

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Journal Writing Tips: Persistence Pays

September 21, 2010
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JOURNAL writing is a microcosm of life. And as with anything else in life, it pays to be persistent and to continue working toward your goals. Persistence requires continuing to move forward in spite of occasional discouragement or setbacks. When it comes to journaling, we all become disenchanted or discouraged with our practice from time [...]

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Blogtalk: Writing about Photographs and Obstacles

September 17, 2010
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Writing is the best way I know to overcome obstacles, to explore underlying attitudes and beliefs that contribute to our “stuckness,” and to deepen your self-understanding. As I was blogsurfing this morning (did I just make up a word?) , I came across Sharon Lippincott’s latest post titled “Writing Your Way Out of the Dungeon of Despair.” I love this post for a number of reasons.

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