Why Write
July 04, 2002, 10:09 PM

After several months on being with TAO, I've received many helps from teenagers with all sorts of problems, from relationships to studies to popularity to looks... and the list goes on. All of us are plagued by some kind of problem or other. Life is an on-going learning process, full of challenges. Challenges that leave you happy and ecstatic or challenges that leave you angry and hurt. It is no use gorging on food or cutting ourselves to deaden the pain of loneliness temporarily. How many of us are guilty of this? Challenges, success and failure � these are all necessary gateways to a bright and happy future. Challenges can be stepping stones or stumbling blocks. It is just a matter of you view them.

Instead of gorging on food to banish emotional woes, why not discover the therapeutic rewards of journal writing. Pen on paper helps us to release our emotions, resolve conflicts, reduce stress, and become better friends with others and ourselves. It helps to clear our minds and refocus our thoughts. A faithful friend is often the key to closed doors. A journal where you confide your thoughts, feelings, opinions, dreams, hopes, aspirations, fears, fantasies, intuitions, insights and actions is the most faithful friend one could have.

A journal or a diary is where teenagers confide their secrets, adults resolve the crisis of middle age or begin a new lifestyle; retirees ponder life or record their autobiographies. There should be no inhibitions in our journals so that we can learn who we really are and not who we think we should be.

Experts have also agreed that keeping a journal can relieve unhealthy stress and offer invaluable insights into psychosomatic difficulties. Journal keeping is an opportunity to be created. We can write letters, draw pictures, paste, sketch or doodle in our diary. Self-revelation may occur when we sleep therefore it is recommended that we keep our journal and pen by our bedside. Recording dreams is the best ways to capture unconscious thoughts. This approach puts us in touch with our feelings and helps us analyze the content and emotional experience of the dream.

To start a journal, we must first select a book that will fit our personal needs. The structure and design of a book affects what and how you write it. A small book, though more portable, might make you feel cramped and inhibited whereas a large-size journal can offer a feeling of ease and expansion. Whatever your preference, consider the decision carefully. You will spend a great deal of time with your book, so choose it carefully as you would your most treasured friend.

Honesty is the most important aspect in journal writing. Without self-honesty, your journal experience will be superficial � words without awareness or growth. When you write in your journal is up to you. Do not make it a duty, or you will soon abandon the book. Write when the spirit moves you � when you want to capture a precious moment or insight. Others may write as soon as an idea or feeling occurs. Still others may find that journal writing is an excellent way to relax before going to bed.

Journal keeping can be a release from pain and grief and an expression of joy and happiness. It can help you improve your self-esteem and increase self-expression. And what is best is that the technique is available to everyone. Once we record our problems in a journal, few things will faze us or derail us again. Hesitate no more! Start a journal today!

Love lots, Vivian

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