The Dos and Don'ts of Journaling
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- Опубліковано 12 чер 2024
- In this video, I discuss some of the mistakes people make when journaling. The point of a good journaling habit is to document your life, engage in self-reflection, and learn about yourself and the world. But a few mistakes can really hinder the effectiveness and enjoyment of journaling, including being inconsistent, giving up too soon, focusing on the negative, and holding back.
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From now on, when people ask me how I take notes and keep journals, I am just going to direct them to your channel, Jared. This video, like all your videos, is very helpful, very positive, and easy to act upon. Thank you!
Thank you for recommending this channel Cain! And Jared, of course, for the obvious :)
With regards to negative thoughts, here's a trick I learned from someone who works in mental health: write the negative AND all the things you are grateful for in your life. Ex. "I am afraid of... but I am also grateful for..." This will keep you calm and your reasoning will be more realistic and less depressing.
I do something similar. I write down the negatives, and allow myself to feel those emotions, and then I write down anything positive that can come out of it, or at least write down some reasons why it’s not as bad as I’m making it out to be.
same here. if its a lot of negative i try to end it on a positive note
i've been writing diary entries and journaling since I was a young child, I'm 20 now, I used to write daily entries when I was around 10 whereas now I sometimes go months without writing a single thing, but I still see myself as someone who journals
I think the key is to develop a relationship with your journal and see it as part of who you are, that way skipping days, weeks, months even doesn't feel like a betrayal, it's simply changing phases in your journaling practice, the journal itself won't reprimand you for not committing to it so there's no need to reprimand yourself, see it as an old friend you reconnect with, sometimes often, sometimes less so, but it's always there
Great advice. I read the journals of Sylvia Plath, and Duncan Hannah and used it to help me become a better diarist; I needed this because I was using journaling to ruminate on negative thoughts and emotions. It became toxic, needless to say. I'm much more mindful now about what thoughts I choose to explore and engage with on the page.
Something that helped me is to have the ability to dump whatever I'm thinking and feeling as easily as possible, so I added the quick note feature in the control center on my phone and I also carry a tiny notebook and a pen or pencil whichever comes first. So, my daily habit was to actually have these tools at my disposal and I started to write more automatically.
I agree with you on the premise that journaling isn't supposed to promote self hate. But I don’t have a routine per se. I journal only when I have to give shape to a stream of thoughts lurking inside my head. And it is really helpful to me. The catch is, my thoughts get coagulated often. I hear seven voices inside my head. Like seven people constantly narrating my thoughts and actions 😅
I usually journal in order to process major emotional moments, even happiness and excitedness, to try to cope with feeling too much of any feeling to handle. I also try to find a way to step forward if it’s negative
The only rule of journaling is that there really are no rules. You're only writing for an audience of one--yourself--so you only need to adhere to your own rules when journaling. Also, I think some people think of famous diarists like Virginia Woolf, Anais Nin, or Richard Burton--yeah, he kept a pretty extensive diary--and think they need to live up to their high standards. That's not true at all. Grammar, structure, diction--screw 'em. You only need to reach your own level. Just write what you want,when you want and, like Jared said, be completely honest.
Excellent video Jared, your account helped me rediscover my reading habit and my love for books. I've been struggling with journaling for years but your videos always give me hope and encouragement to push on and continue to make this activity into a habit and a skill. So thank you very much ! Take care of yourself.
I was literally just last night wishing you would post another video on journaling! I’m trying to pick the habit back up again and I can use all the inspiration I can get. Thanks, Jared!
Hey Jared! Welcome back. Hope you are adapting well in your new role as a parent.
Was just thinking about how much I’ve missed seeing you videos! Glad you’re back!
I’ve been journaling for almost a whole year now and in the beginning I would write every so often on certain months of the beginning of the year but now that I am in the middle of the year, I write in my journal every night so much so that it’s now a huge habit for me and I would feel weird not writing my thoughts down before bed. Yeah I often write about the bad stuff that happens in my life and hold myself accountable but I also write about the good things as well that I did.
Thanks Jared. These are the very issues that I struggle with when it comes to journaling. I love your channel, it's very informative and positive. A refreshing change in a complicated world.
It's great to see you making videos about journalling. I started recording a video of my own to explain the benefits I've found in journalism (many of which we share!), but found it really difficult to find my narrative style, hoping to give it another go soon!
Yay! I truly missed this channel’s uploads. I’m SO glad I got to see a new video. Keep up the great work'! 🎉
Lovely video and totally agree. I’ve been using the Daily Stoic journal for a few years now for prompts on what to think/write about. It stops me from just complaining or ruminating, but actually analyse my thoughts in useful ways…
I love your journaling videos man I think they’re my favorite on UA-cam
Wonderfully produced and scripted video. This has really helped me start, and really helped work out certain struggles I've had during the process.
May I argue with you? Journaling, in general, is not a psychotherapeutic practice. By confining oneself to the constraints of daily routine, many people may feel pressured, which will eventually lead to disappointment. What is the purpose of daily squeezing out your emotions onto paper if there is nothing to write about? Based on my experience, it will result in a stream of negative consciousness. Not everyone can cope with that. Julia Cameron described this practice only from her subjective point of view.
I believe that the best way to journal (not as a diary of events!) is through reflections on relevant topics. For instance, exploring acceptable ways to repay debts even with diagrams, mental maps and schedules or contemplating the nature of one's character. It can be anything, as long as the subject genuinely interests you. In doing so, the limbic system won't resist, and the practice won't feel like torture.
I feel like it's a fallacy that there is a right way to journal as it's person-dependent.
I used to journal with just arrows and curly lines, each representing a thought I had at that moment. Solved the issue of worrying someone might read it later too.
@@coffeebreakhero3743 I agree. I journal when I want to, I don't when I don't. Some of the videos about journaling approach it like productivity - having a set day/time, routines, etc. This makes it obsessive for some people, which isn't healthy. Personally, I love to journal and have done it most of my life, so I don't feel discouraged if I skip a day or even a week.
When I make the time to journal, but I don't have anything to say (that I'm conscious of 🤔), I just start with the weather. If nothing else, I get to practice my use of adjectives. Usually what happens when I try to think of descriptors for today's weather, my mind auromatically takes me to a similar day when something eventful did occur.
For example, it's raining as hard today as the day we got 5 flat tires on the way to our grandparents.
The sky is as blue and clear today as September 11th. The peaceful blue sky helps me focus beyond the roiling emotions of today's events. Frodo looked at the moon and imagined the world existing beyond his journey to Morder. Today's blue sky gave me a small sense of what he felt.
When I started writing about the blue sky, I had no idea I would end on a journey to Morder. That's why weather is my "go to" for nothing to say.
Thank you, Jared, for the video. I'm happy you addressed the issue with negative thoughts and balancing that out in one's journaling. That's definitely what I struggled with and, going through depression and anxiety, I realised I need to keep thoughts-journal and my task-oriented bullet journal separate in order to get better.
As for journaling in itself, I think it's not for everyone and not in the same form. Since I was a kid I always had multiple notebooks and was figuring out my own way of journaling, which was changing its form and shape often (and it still does). What I love about pen and paper is total freedom - maybe only limited to my literary (or artistic) skills, when sometimes it's hard to directly transfer your thoughts onto paper, exactly like you imagined.
Anyway, I kind of digressed and didn't address why I think journaling is not for everyone. From my experience, some people have a natural inclination to write down their thoughts and some do not. Even for me, someone who really likes the freedom of journaling, I need to be in the mood to write and I don't force myself to do so. Since I bought myself a laptop I think I am naturally doing it more often, as writing on a laptop goes more seamlessly for me. But I still have many notebooks or individual sheets to write in or on, when I prefer it.
As someone who is constantly in their head and who only recently found out that it is possible to get out of it (at least for a little while) I know that journaling is another form of being in my head, and that I need to dose it and not force myself to write.
So I guess journaling really depends on a person and their own mix of preferences, how much they tend to reflect, etc
Also, thank you, Jared for your videos and providing a platform for such great discussions! Wish you all the best! :)
If someone’s stuck in traffic daily,and is occupied for most of their day, leaving them little to “no” time for themselves to reflect, the drive time is actually PERFECT! They can record an audio journal, if they want to document their reflection/introspection, or just talk out loud to themselves, if they’re driving alone.
Shower time, or just any bathroom time, is also ideal. How many of us have the most clarity and get our best idea downloads while in the bathroom? It’s like the portal to creativity, where our third eye just opens wide, w/o any interference!
I want my journal to be a place of goodness and positivity and although I think it’s ok to say when I’m sad in it I think it will not help to write in detail about sad things. I’d much rather write about things that make me smile and then I think it will make me gravitate back to my journal regularly because it relates to the good in my life 🙏🏻
Being a Infantryman in the USMC I had plenty of time to write but didn't know how to and I just want to thank you for showing me the way. My preferred kit was Rite in the rain notebooks and pens considering my job.
This was the video I had been looking for.
Especially the part about writing pessimistic things was exactly what I needed. I always found myself writing worse. Bad thought brings even worse thoughts. That's why it's so important to try to look positive.
Prayer and journaling are incredibly powerful together.
Great video!
Omg this was so helpful
So glad to meet you today 😘
Today (technically yesterday, it's after midnight here) I started journaling. It's the start of my University jurney and I hope your tips will help me to stick to the habit to see my progress through the years
The blank page is frightening but once you start, you will find that it helps clear the mind. In a few weeks or months, go back and read your entries. Whatever problems you are facing, your entries will give you a path.
I use journaling for introsepction and reflection, because I have an impossible time describing things in the moment and remembering stuff, so it's a way to have an objective look later.
But I struggle with summing up all of my notes, is there a way to do that in order to improve on things and not rewriting the same things (in introspection, for example I try to understand my mental processes) over and over again, as someone who can't remember what they have written before?
hey I thought the new text format for titles and quotes was really cool
Your journaling doesn’t have to be just writing, either. If you want to journal but can’t think of anything to write about, you can alway put in a picture or comic strip or fun candy wrapper, whatever you like.
Ayyy, nice Book People hat.
I rarely speak but I can go on for hours writing long hand. there's something about a pen and paper that romanticizes me in a way that typing never could. typing feels like business, writing feels like i am connecting with the words on the paper. and my writing is pretty cute.
Hey Jared, a bit off the topic here. Just watched ur video on physical books vs Kindle. Would be awesome if you could make a video on audio books. Thanks.
Nice
What kind of notebook do you use for journalling?
What fountain pen and ink are you using?
According to Sartre, we are “condemned to be free,” meaning we are fundamentally responsible for who we are and what we do. There is no inherent meaning in the universe, and it is up to each of us to create our own purpose. This can be both empowering and burdensome. In the context of journaling, his philosophy suggests that we have the power to shape our own narrative. Writing about our experiences, whether they are positive or negative, allows us to define who we are. This practice is far from passive; it is an active process of creating and defining ourselves. However, it also carries the weight of responsibility. If we focus only on the negative, we shape a self-narrative that is predominantly pessimistic, reflecting back to us a world filled with negativity. Conversely, if we focus only on the positive, we might overlook critical aspects of our experience and construct an overly optimistic, potentially unrealistic self-narrative.
What camera do you use?
The point is: if you commit yourself to be honest with you, it is of the most importance ( in my opinion) to write down your dark side, problems, anxiety, negative thoughts,etc. And also projects, recent interests , your wonderful social life, hobbies, your art training...Well, I' ll try to be more positive.
I've heard you speak about Hitchens several times at this point and wanted to ask if you could maybe suggest particular stuff from his work and what you like and don't like about him as a religious person yourself
It was his book 'Letters to a Young Contrarian' that made me fall in love with him as a writer.
I like Hitch spoke his mind, wrote eloquently, and didn't back down when faced with criticism. Obviously he and I disagree about a great many things, but I admire him as a writer.
@@_jaredjep I've just started reading mortality and couldn't agree with you more when talking about Hitchens writing style, unexpectedly humorous considering the context he wrote these essays in
And thanks for the recommendation I'll definitely look into it
I'm having trouble making a connection to the narrative so I just do small sentences that are mostly not in correlation with another just random thoughts
what journal do you have?
Hey Jared, huge fan of your videos here, is there any possibility that you and cosmic skeptic cooperate at any foreseeable time in the future? I bet that this would make for a highly interesting podcast
I'd be willing to have a conversation, for sure. We'll see.
@@_jaredit would be a pleasure to listen to and I'd imagine that you both have quite the big overlap in terms of viewers + his podcast deals with all kinds of different guests with different perspectives, perspectives which you could probably offer as a Christian;D
We'd love to see this happening but for the time being congrats and only the best of luck with your new family member
I think i know what U mean with the DARK Side of journaling. But Where should WE Put Our negative thoughts, If WE dont Put Them in a Journal? In Facebook? Or does ist Help to throw the Paper away after writing Them down? I myself write negativity down but force myself at the end to a little thankfullness. But the Line between writing negativity Out of your brain and the downward Spiral is sometimes thin.
Just wanted to point this out in case you cared about it enough to fix/address it: at 1:11, the text says “So don’t make the time. Make time” when you say “So don’t find the time. Make the time”
It’s an unfortunate mistake, but I’d have to delete the video and reupload in order to fix it. So the world will have to see the error.
Great content as usual, thoughtful advice mixed with practical commentary. I do have one honest reflection on the video format, which may only relate to me so please people don't hate and just take with a pinch of salt, but I found the new wobbly text and images a little jarring and uncomfortable to watch. Anyway, I hope all is going well with your growing family and look forward to future videos as always.
I appreciate the feedback. I’m always experimenting, so it is helpful to hear how it works.
Hi, this videos editor here. Sorry about that. It was a creative decision on my end to stylize the videos more. I wanted to go for something that felt like paper. It’s our first video working together so any feedback is appreciated
@@Shanemvm Hey no worries, creativity is all about trying new techniques and approaches. Plus others may have really enjoyed it - you can never please everyone! Keep being creative man.
Dark side .. Unfortunately it's true. Because of that my journal became source of serious anxiety.. Only because of morning pages I broke threw it..
What if people read it?
but what if I really do hate myself?
Take care of yourself and look for some self help things to start, it will take a bit of time, but it is certainly worth prioritizing coming to peace with yourself.
4:25 I created my own alphabet just for this purpose :)
BOOK PEOPLE❤
I’ve journaled every single day since 2015
So don’t make the time make the time
My boyfriend in high school persuaded me to throw away my journals. It was probably for the best. But it was also the only proof that our 9th grade math teacher had been sexually harassing the female students.