"My dear diary, it is

"My dear diary, it is Anais who is speaking to you, and not somebody who thinks as everybody should think. Dear diary, pity me, but listen to me." -- from the diaries of Anais Nin

My first memory of journaling started with a white, shiny vinyl book with a red rose next to the words "My Diary" on the cover.
I think my sister gave it to me; I was only about 6 or 7. I have no clue what I wrote in that diary or even where it is today, but that started me on the road to journaling.
That road, however, has been a little bumpy and sometimes forgotten over the years.
Within the last five years, I've begun to take my journaling seriously.

It never occurred to me that by writing down my feelings, experiences and ideas, I would get to know myself a little better.
Journaling has enabled me to see patterns of my behavior, watch how my feelings toward certain people have begun, changed and ended.
It also makes me see the world differently. When the weather is particularly nice, I often imagine how I would describe this day in my journal.
Anais Nin wrote that her diary was "the only steadfast friend I have, the only one which makes my life bearable, because my happiness with human beings is so precarious, my confiding moods, rare, and the least sign of non-interest is enough to silence me. In the journal, I am at ease."

That quote describes my feelings exactly.

It's not important to write in your journal everyday. I will go a week of writing everyday, and then miss a few days or even a few weeks.
There is no right or wrong way to journal.
Just start writing, even if it's about the weather or whom you talked to that day.
When Nin died, she had written 150 volumes of journals. That is a lot to aspire to but don’t let that deter you. She lived in a much less hectic day.
Sitting down with your journal once a day seems like a huge undertaking.
I journal only when it's comfortable for me. I don't want this to become a chore.
As juicy and as literally brilliant as I would want my journal to be, I am no Nin or Virginia Woolf.

One important step to getting started is finding the right tools.
You don't have to go out and buy a $70 leather black book. You can purchase a plain spiral notebook or a nice bound book at a bookstore.
Make it something personal, something you look forward to seeing when you're ready to write. Some people even make their own books, using blank covers, decorating them with pictures or artwork and inserting natural or antique-looking papers.
I love blank books and I have an abundance of them. There is something alluring about the potential of creativity in the blank pages all bound together.
I had my eye on a particularly beautiful leather journal for about a year. I continued to write in my old book, but I would sneak a peek at my dream journal in the bookstore and convince myself that I can write the same thoughts in my $10 book as I could in this $50 book.
It took me about a year to realize how much journaling had helped me, emotionally, and I DID deserve to splurge.
I also use an array of colored pens; a different color for my different moods.

Everyone, I think, would benefit from taking the time to record that running dialogue and commentary that we constantly have going in our minds.

Now, we have this newish media called blogs, online journaling or online diaries where we can record it all.
Although, I enjoy blogging, I tend to not get personal because well...I don't want the entire world knowing how completely screwed up I really am. Also, there is something about putting pen to paper that is so much more cathartic for me.
Besides, if I journaled online, how could I explain my addiction to blank books and pens?

Posted by De at October 30, 2003 12:36 AM