Journaling is for yourself, RUclips videos are for others. Rewind to the start and you'll see the reasons he had against journaling don't apply to videos.
7:19 Chyna's face is the Classic "I'm trying to show interest but want you to stop rambling on so I can get back to what I was doing." face. She's such a good sport! :)
A few weeks ago I found my old journal that I wrote in often from like age 13 to 19. I only wrote in it when I needed to vent and rarely when I was happy. I sat and read some pages out loud to my husband, it was about how abusive and drugged my mother was most of my life and the writing was frantic and angry and desperate. The last thing I wrote in that journal was at 19, when I met him and went on a date with him. It says something about how I felt it was different. He eventually got me out of that house. He saved me. Journaling kept me going at times though. That last entry could've been SO different. We've been together almost 10 years and seeing that little entry stating how I was happy and how it was strange and different was so crazy.
Years ago I used to do diary-style journals chronicling my relationships and daily life and I hated it. I used it as therapy, but it didn’t help or inspire me. In the last few years I’ve been doing journals with no rules-I make lists, try affirmations out, write random things, and write longer therapeutic entries that truly help. The key for me was to let go of any rules or requirements, and practice being satisfied with entries of any size and scope. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm!
I can't also make myself sit and journal in the common sense, but I do have my alternatives. For example I "journal" with my friends and we talk about all the deepest fears we have and how to handle them. It's purifying.
I agree - I used to try to write about my life and it never went well. I just ended up with overdramatic entries that were embarrassing to look back on. Now I don't really journal, but I sort of have a bullet journal where I set goals and keep lists of nice things that have happened that month. It's been helpful to set a lower bar and do what works for me :)
NiMkoTlaGi I hear you. I’m learning that when I feel apprehensive about doing sth in my journal I probably should switch something up and roll the dice again.
My friends 76 year old mother has journaled every day for essentially her whole life. She’s a brilliant woman and she has a personal daily record of her entire life, it’s amazing. You could say “hey Martha what were you doing on May 22 1985” and she could tell you exactly what like to the hour. Incredible
Wow, she does sound like a fantastic lady. I wish people like that would share their lives with the world (the parts they're comfortable with ofc). There's something magical about seeing the past not through news articles but through journal entries of such people.
I journal whenever I feel overwhelmed or stuck in a thought loop, because then I can look at things objectively instead of subjectively. I try to write my stream of thoughts without censoring them, or even organizing and just write whatever comes to mind. It has helps a lot! Keep up the awesome content
I love journaling because it stops the thought spirals. By putting each of those thoughts on paper, my brain no longer circles back to those thoughts and reduces my perception of the volume of things that I'm thinking about.
I've journaled since sixth grade. I never tried to do it daily but as I've gotten older it's gone from once a month to once every couple of days. It's my favorite way to process things in my life, and I find it amusing to read back on my younger self and see how much my worldview has changed. It reminds me that my problems now will be mostly insignificant in a few years.
As someone who has kept a journal for approximately 14 years now, the biggest benefit I've found from journaling is looking back at my past worries and concerns and seeing how things worked out and life went on despite those problems seeming the biggest deal in the world at the time. It really keeps your entire life in perspective, that the things you worry a lot about now will pass and maybe someday even seem insignificant.
Journalling is cathartic! I've kept a journal consistently for the past seven years or so. I don't write every day, but I would love to start! Since I don't write daily, I do tend to write a few pages worth of thoughts, most of the time just a brain dump of what's happening in my life, how I feel about it etc. One thing I love doing is writing a list of hopes/goals every year on my birthday. I try to come up with a # of goals that corresponds with how old I am, ie 27 things I hope to accomplish within the year.
Me - I should do journal to improve the quality of my life! Also Me - Ehhhh, Craig’ll probably do that soon I’ll see how he likes it Me now - Yeah, I should try journaling
Joke's on you, therapy is rarely relaxing in the moment of doing it, but it does help me sleep better and stress less and be more relaxed in life. It's awesome.
I’m not a long-term journal-er (is that a word?) - I hadn’t done it in years until this winter. I lost twins I’d been carrying and writing every day in a notebook (probably never to be visited again) helped me process my grief in ways I’d never expected. All the things you discovered about its benefits I found as well.
Actually, we call it "verbal diarrhea". Not very distinguished :-D I think using "word vomit" isn't as brutal but perfectly reflects the original meaning in French.
I have kept a journal since January. Yes, Evernote is honestly amazing and you should you use it. I don’t write everyday though. Just whenever I have something to talk about or when I need to vent. So far there has been 40 entries in it. Sometimes I take weeks before each journal entry other times I do multiple in a single day.
I do this too, I look back to it and think oh yeah good thing I didn’t say it out loud….also it helps because I feel like I actually did complain as in I still let it out but no one knows about it which is great! And I can move on from it
My depression has ruined my sence of time. All of last month is just a mush, with almost nothing I can specifically remember. So writing down the days events helps with that. There is also this exercise, my therapist recommended, where you write down a few things you are grateful for this week.
Your werewolf comment brought a smile to my face. I love this channel. Journaling is cool too. I give myself monthly challenges and one of them was to focus on things I was grateful for and write it down in a journal. I've long since accomplished that goal and have developed a nightly habit of journaling about my day.
I just started a few weeks ago. I got the Daily Stoic journal, which asks you a question of the day to write about. The entire week usually focuses on one area of life, and those daily questions help break it down into purpose and action. Loving it so far. Any journaling I’ve done before has shown me I can be boring and whiny, without direction. And I don’t want my family reading that after I die. Or the After People, come to think of it.
I like these videos because it's basically you "reviewing" ordinary stuff in life that's supposed to be beneficial. It inspires to try out some things for yourself, which I have actually done!
I kept a journal for my pregnancy and it kick started me into a yearly journal since his birth 7 years ago. It's been such a great gift to have especially when my husband started adding entries to our family book. I hope my future grandbabies will enjoy it too!
Journaling has saved my ass more times than I can count. Being able to pour myself into a journal has helped me to get over the loss of a marriage, cancer, job losses, big moves, great events, victories, losses and everything that life threw at me. It's vital. Great video, Craig. I'll stay subbed....for now.
You're speaking to my heart here. Journaling is one of my favorite things. There is literally (not figuratively) nothing like the feeling you get when you finish the last page of a journal. At long last, all those empty journals with three filled pages have been redeemed
I started journaling a year and a half ago and it’s been the best. I do it almost every morning writing three pages, sometimes more, and then do what you do and write down worries when I can’t sleep. It’s been great for my brain and a good hobby just for me... all I needed to do was get I over the childhood fear that a sibling would find it and bring it to school to show all their friends (I live alone and my siblings don’t attend school anymore).
I've been journaling longhand (nearly) every morning since November, on the recommendation of another RUclipsr who talked about the morning pages method from a book called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. You write 3 pages every morning, no more or less, and you just write, it's almost free association writing - you're meant to just move the pen and see what comes out. But you inevitably end up doing pretty much what you've been doing, which is to write down and give structure to your own internal chatter. I had a sleep disorder for nearly 18 months and I've just had my first 3 weeks of unmedicated sleep - I definitely think journaling has played a part in that. Simply emptying the contents of your head, organising them on a page (paper, digital, whatever kind of page works for you) is really powerful. I find that the thoughts and worries inside my head are incomplete - they are actually prompts and nudges, internal alarms for me to do something, and if I keep them there they manifest as anxiety, overwhelm, procrastination and life-crippling insomnia. Once I give them form and structure on a page, they become complete ideas or tasks. Sometimes just writing something down is enough to close the loop - I've acknowledged it, it's done. One of my favourite quotes, and it's basically a manifesto for writing shit down rather than keeping it inside your head, is from David Allen, who wrote Getting Things Done. He says, "Your mind is for having ideas, not for holding them" Your mind has ideas but you have to put them somewhere or they won't resolve; they'll just loop and drive you nuts. I've also started bullet journaling recently and it's honestly a really nice complement to the longform writing and has brought even more structure and clarity. Anyway I think this comment certainly demonstrates that I like to write! Imma do you a favour and leave it there 😂
Journaling is SO like meditation and therapy. I sleep so much better when I journal and I get a lot more done. I do a similar brain-vomit in an electronic journal (I use Microsoft OneNote), I've done it for four years now, and I completely love it.
I journal every day. Might be just a single sentence but I've done it for 2 years and I love it! It helps me vent and clears my mind. I've been more creative since I started too.
I have journalled basically every day since I was 10 and I'm 24 now. Not only does it help me organize and work out my thoughts/feelings, but you actually get to see how far you've come over the years. Something huge I have learned from doing this is to calm down in times of stress or turmoil and remember that my future self will be reading back on this time and telling my past self that everything is going to work out perfectly. It's preeeeeetty great
I journaled for years growing up, stopped a couple years, then picked it back up again. Recently I’ve been journaling “letters” to help cope with relationship issues or for those I’ve lost.
I'm glad you tried it and liked it! When I'm at work I journal all my thoughts and feelings in notepad, and at the end of the week I delete it. It feels very cathartic to be able to get my thoughts out then be able to erase it. I feel pressure putting things down permanently because I worry someone will read it someday, but this way I can write freely ^^
Walfie I always have that same fear of someone reading my personal stuff, but at the same time I want to keep them. So I ended up hiding my journal in the closet 😂
I've kept a journal (on and off) starting when I was 11 so that's been... 21 years. I'm on my 77th notebook, or "volume". Yeah, I'm bragging a bit, but I'm proud of it! For almost my entire life, journaling has helped me define myself by my own terms, instead of exterior ones. I stopped journaling during some of my most difficult times and they only got better again when I picked up the pen or pencil again. I write about everything and anything also. Mostly it's just been dated entries in notebooks. In the past few years, I've started using the Bullet Journal method which helps a lot in keeping dates, tasks, and goals organized, but I always give myself time and space to free-write. A time to hang out with myself, to get to know myself, to process whatever's happening in my life or the broader world. I mostly write "to" myself, I guess. But there have been times throughout my life when I've given my diaries names, like Anne Frank did with her "dear Kitty", and write a sort of letter to and with myself. I love it. Always have and probably always will.
I keep a "to do" journal. I write what I need to do, what I want to do, and how I feel about those things. I always add a short blurb about the day and how it's going and what I plan on doing and it has helped me a lot.
I've been keeping journals for most of my life and have more journals than I'm willing to admit publicly. i love it, and i love opening up an old one and getting a blast from the past
I love that you took to journaling. When I was a teenager, I did what I called, an 'anger journal' - when I was upset I'd write as though I was speaking to the person and it helped me to settle my emotions and understand if the interaction was misunderstood or if I had a genuine reason to be upset. I've switched over to the line a day journaling and have a regular journal available if I'm needing to elaborate.
ive been journaling for almost 15 years now and its just part of my routine tbh, i dont do it everyday or every week. I do whenever i feel like my heart is heavy, or if i want to express gratitude or just put random thoughts or affirmations into my journal :) its really therapeutic for me. It helped get over my last heartbreak and made things easier for me in a difficult time. Try it out, you wont regret it. Also its a great way to feel lighter as you declutter your monkeymind...hehe :) Thanks for that amazing video. Love your humour.
I love the Bullet Journal technique. Hand writing - Keeps me organized and I write down quotes and notes and sketch - mine gets messy - not like demonstrated by the incredible artists.
Journaling tip that helped me: Brutally unmitigated honesty Avoid “telling a pretty story” especially on days when you aren’t feeling like writing an entry. The honesty factor is the most important...there are things we think in our minds that we are way too embarrassed or ashamed to even acknowledge that we think about when interacting with others. But a journal is for you, not for anyone else. You should always respect someone else’s journal and never read it without consent and honestly you shouldn’t even read it if someone gives you consent. It’s important to be aware that if you’re writing with the expectation of someone else reading it one day...it skews your honesty, and that is what I believe makes journaling the most therapeutic. So I would suggest brutal honesty and putting your journal under heavy lock and key from EVERYONE in order to help foster that sense of a safe space. And if you don’t feel like writing sometimes, do a stream of consciousness or abrupt statements on important things and feelings at that moment, avoiding flowery language or even complete sentences if you feel the need. Always remember it isn’t a novel, it isn’t an autobiography....it’s a journal. And if it feels like a chore some days, then make it an easy chore and don’t sweat it or try to force it too much. Good luck man! Stay awesome!
Been journaling since the age of 17, I‘m 53yo now. Last year, I digitalized every single pages of each journal-1983 to 2001. It took me a whole month to scan every thing, and it was very nice and such a positive feeling of decluttering stuff away from my bookshelves and insert all my past life into a modern life format. All is nicely organized now, and available to (re)read on my iPad Mini that never leave my sight. I am not really considering using a journaling app, (which I have tried already) I intend to stay old school and keep on writing w/a pen, on an empty page. It‘s for me a way to disconnect from everything.
Love love LOVE this! I've kept an online journal for 12 years and it has become an invaluable chronicle of my life, thoughts, feelings, and memories. I'm so glad Craig tried this challenge even though he initially thought journaling might be self-absorbed, because I know many who think the same and it prevents them from experiencing the benefits of journaling! On the contrary, I have found my journal to be a wonderful celebration of my creativity - I often go back to entries from years ago and read old poems, stream-of-consciousness ideas, and even existential questions and I'm PROUD that I've documented all of the activity that goes on in my mind. It's very possible that as we age, we will forget a lot of it and I'm so glad I have a record of my life in journal form. Such an empowering video on self-improvement as usual, Wheezy! Love everything you do.
I've always loved writing since I was a kid. Journaling regularly is one of the best things anyone can do for their mental health and wellness (along with therapy and a bunch of other things). :) I'm trying to make it a very regular coping mechanism for whenever I'm unsettled. I think often times, we don't realise how much we hold on to thoughts. I like to write just whatever is on my mind and often it really helps me problem solve! I like The School Of Life's philosophical meditation as a prompt sometimes. I also like to keep notes of interesting podcasts in my journal to sometimes flip through. I sometimes highlight stuff after I write freely to see some recurring themes and reflect on them.
I like to make a list of all the happy things that happened that day. My mom says it's like a thankful journal but i just like to call it a happy things list. It's helped a LOT with a lot of the mental health problems I've had. I definitely can see the benefits of writing whatever's in your head, but for someone whose brain immediately goes to all the negatives, it's been SO helpful to focus on the good stuff (haha the good stuff)
Your experience with the journal and sleep made me think about what I do when I'm having a hard time falling asleep. I usually start playing back what I did for the day in my head in as much detail as I can remember and I usually never get to the end before I fall asleep.
I've kept a journal off and on for the past 20 years. I write when I feel like it, usually before going to sleep. Sometimes I'll write every day, sometimes I'll go months without cracking it open. In that time I've filled 10+ (? I'm not exactly sure if the number and can't be bothered to dig them out and count) notebooks. I write by hand, because for me that's part of the ritual and I enjoy it. I have typed out journal entries, though, like when I want to get things down more quickly. And just like this comment, my journals are self-centered. One change I have made in the past year, though, is to try to document more of what's going on in the lives of my family and friends. The two main benefits I see are being able to put thoughts down where I can examine them more easily, and being able to look back and remember things that have happened.
I’ve always been a big journal keeper. As a parent now, I think it’ll be so valuable to look back on these years while my kids are so small and having new phases and phrases constantly. I do enjoy it as I journal, but more than that, I can always tell when I stop doing it for too long. It’s great for my mental state even when I don’t feel like I’m doing much of anything. Definitely recommend! Glad this is something you’ve found to help you!
I've been on the fence about journaling for a while now, but have also been feeling drawn to it. You've convinced me! I'm definitely going to start trying to journal every day now. Also, I like how you did it digitally, one major factor that's been putting me off is thinking that I had to write by hand for it to be effective for some reason. Thanks for putting that worry to rest!
I bought a journal, suggested pens for fancy writing, watched several bullet journal videos, have nothing with them. It the past i did digital journal and just writing in a regular notebook...was more successful. I found if I wrote the same time I stuck with it, but always i get busy and drop the habit. I do love going back and reading them. I have journals when my kids were little, but it was busy with twins so that wasn’t very consistent...yet I recorded some memories. It does make thoughts get out of your head!
I tried Artist's Pages, and it led to some huge breakthroughs for me. Basically, you write 3 pages every day. Just stream of consciousness, not trying to write well or even be coherent. Some surprising stuff comes out. Good luck with your journaling! It's life changing.
I love journaling. Filled out 7 journals, each around 120-150 pgs, front and back pages, I’ve been doing it for 14 years. I’ve found rather than telling people things right away, I reason them out on paper. Decisions, arguments, confrontations, even good news or good news have been put on paper first and then deliver the news when I’m ready. It’s helped me be mindful, empathetic, reasonable and just be a reliable friend/partner. Long comment but thank you Weezy! Love your videos!
I use a journal to help me keep track of how my rock climbing training is going. I really focus on writing down all the successes I've had as I am someone who is far more likely to focus on the times I didn't do as well as I wanted to. Writing down all the positive things helps me to see how far I've come. It's great for my mental game when climbing and self esteem in general. Glad it's helping you sleep at night and calm your brain down. Nice work!
what you said on day 6 about feeling clear is also what i love about journaling. I really need the ability to put my thoughts to paper so I'm not constantly cycling and sorting through them. writing them down means i can check back in with them later, or tomorrow.
I've bee journaling on and off my whole life ever since I was a kid and boy how fun it is to read your past memories and cringe like crazy. And it's definitely a form of therapy. I love it. I started again last night after a two year gap and felt like I'd lost a chunk of time. Glad I found this video. I'm motivated.
I don’t journal consistently but have done intermittently since I was in high school. My fave types are 1. Stream of consciousness (write whatever comes to mind as soon as you wake up) 2. Gratitude (three good things) and 3. Life overview. When I was seeing a counselling she recommended the third one and I love it, you give a contentment score out of ten for each area of your life at the time of writing (I use friends and family, dating/relationship, health, personal growth, home, fun, money, career but obviously you can tailor it for yourself) and write about any reflections that come to mind. It’s really helped me to take stock on what’s going well for me and what might need some extra attention. I love your videos Wheezy 🙏🏻🤗
When something or someone bothers me a lot I seem to and up writing letter - that I always fully think that I will send to right place, but I never do. I have no need ti after writing it all out and often the thing doesn't bother me that much anymore.. So I think that's my accidental journaling.
Journaling helps me sleep too! I feel like it allows you to escape overthinking because you "take out" the thoughts on your head and you put them outside. In the journal. Yeah.
I just started bullet journaling and love it like this too. I also include freeform journal between my weekly/monthly logs, not quite daily but it's where I process all the feels and brainstorm new projects and "anxiety dump" before bed. Also helps me with stress levels, sleep, and focus on goals! Samesies!
I started Journaling now as I went traveling. First I was just writing words but after a while I started drawing pictures to describe the day, or maybe something that I thought of that day. The best part about this is that I found out that I really enjoyed drawing, so if you would like to do Journaling but want to mix things up I would suggest you to try draw a line or two. I really like it! Happy Journaling!
I do freewiriting when I journal. This is the way i generate ideas for my poetry. Brings so many thoughts to the surface that I had no idea I even had.
I got my first journal when I turned 5, and have written in one since! Not as religiously now that I'm old and boring, but I love going back and reading old entries, some of which my mom wrote for me as I dictated. Also for posterity! My mom wrote a pregnancy journal back in 1984/85, and she just recently gave it to me. Love it!
When we put our thoughts into words, we shift them in our brains from the emotional amygdala to the analytical prefrontal cortex. It sucks the anxiety out of them and helps us see things more clearly. Great video!
I kept a near-daily journal during my childhood and throughout high school, and on-and-off in college (which are all horribly embarrassing to look back on), but I kind of fell off the wagon after that. It became like this huge thing to undertake whenever I thought about starting it again. But then life got chaotic and one thing led to another, and now I'm fully into bullet journaling because for me it's a great balance between planning, writing, and tracking. I'll never remember to check digital notes, but carrying around my physical notebook in my purse doesn't let me forget my daily tasks. It hasn't really helped with my sleep, but some of my anxiety has dropped off because even if my memory is crap I know that I've written down the important things as they've come up, and I can always go back and check.
I tried a bunch of different things to tackle my anxiety and journaling is one of those that stuck. I do both the daily gratitude journaling and the just-writing-down-whatever-pops-in-my-mind journaling. And you're right, it is very therapeutic and can help you organize thoughts. And I noticed the same thing you did. Quite often when writing down a problem or worry, it's seems pretty silly once it's on paper. And much more managable. The daily gratitude journaling has been shown to physically change your brain to focus more on positives you often overlook and take for granted. You also appreciate them more. I started off just writing down three things a day and now I write down 10. That's the right number for me. I'd like to do both more often, but I'm just glad I gave it a chance. Highly recommended. I mean ... there's a reason folks have been doing it for centuries before it came to be seen as something only 13 year old girls do haha.
Just listening to the benefits you felt from journaling made me feel HIGH. This sounds like a solution to all the issues I have, feeling stuck creatively, overwhelmed feeling of needing to do stuff and wanting to do stuff I didn't have the motivation to do, sleeping more soundly etc......... I think im going to try this
I just started journaling right before you did, coincidentally and I've found it immensely valuable for practicing mindfulness. Meditation is nice, but I feel like it doesn't help me move through turbulent thought spirals. It helps me distance myself from them, but it's always felt like they still existed after. Journaling is letting me *see* my thoughts and feelings and that is immensely valuable for being able to feel like I've *done* something with them. It's really great.
I've journaled for nearly thirty years and always done it on some kind of computer with a proper keyboard. It allows the fastest flow of thoughts straight into the screen. It's a way of reminding your future self what was happening at this moment in time, because it's amazing what you forget, and how one random reference can open all the connected memories to that. Brains are amazing like that. My memory is terrible so it's also a way for me to know my life isn't just forgotten.
Hi. New subscriber here. When I was turning 9, my parents took me to the store to pick out birthday presents. One of the things I chose was a little padlock diary. I have been journaling ever since. I turned 32 Monday. I write in the standard ‘letter format’. When I was a kid, each journal got a different name. In 2006, my life turned upside down and I couldn’t imagine writing to a new ‘person’ and having to summarize my life up to that point. I’ve been writing to Melody ever since. My journals are a combination of letter style entries, poems, favorite quotes, song lyrics, sermon notes, and scrapbooking. I hand write my journals because anything else is less secure and feels impersonal. Journaling saved my life, both literally and metaphorically.
When I get stressed about something I open up a word doc I have where I, as you say, "word vomeet" on the page. I make it a point not to use any punctuation so that it's a continuous fountain of garbage and when I'm done it feels amazing.
He was murdering for about ten years-throwing clones in the alligator pit! Fortunately, it looks like werewolf clone survived and will soon write the Great American Novel in his journal.
Yeah, I journal - started bullet journaling as it does double duty or triple duty. Calendar, appointments, notes here and there, space to doodle, to-do list, memories, and gratitude. I jot down anything I want to. I love it, I sleep well too, and I have quit whining and feeling sorry for myself.
Yes, I love journaling. I've done it on and off for years, and now I'm getting back into it again this year, and it definitely correlates to better sleep for me too. This year I'm using a bullet journal to stay organized as well as the word spatter/emotional dumping ground journal that I've always kept by my bed for those pesky thoughts that keep me from sleep.
Thank you for reminding me to journal. It helped me a lot in the past. I am having a hard time right know and still did not think of journaling as a helpful thing I can do right now. I always tend to watch/read something so I don't have to think about the stuff that hurts me/stresses me out/makes me worry... but this does not work longterm. The thoughts come back when you go to bed and try to sleep.
I just signed up for an e-learning "Introduction to journalling", it starts next week. I'm excited, its 6 weeks (I think) of twice-weekly content. I'm excited!
Hi--I'm 55 and have been keeping journals for years. The trick is not to put pressure on yourself to write every day. I mainly use one notebook to just jot down story ideas, and have a main journal to write about life issues, possible plans, and events that had an important impact on me. It's great that you're having fun with it--It's an awesome and constructive habit! 😀
I have kept a daily journal for nearly seven years now. I usually write first thing in the morning, and then last thing before going to bed. I think it's very similar to what you described. It helps me clear my mind, it helps me celebrate my successes, and it gives me something to look back on when the going gets tough and I feel like it's always been this way. It has helped me a lot, and I really can't imagine not being able to write in my journal every day.
I did maintain a journal for some years, but never got to do it in a daily basis, because I suck at creating habits. This video greatly encouraged me to go back to journaling. I usually wrote at night, going over that day's events. I started mostly because I wanted to remember (years from now) what was happening, how I was feeling and what I was thinking about it. Also I wanted to better my handwriting, and later I started writing only with my left hand (I am right-handed) for... brain reasons? I guess? I'm not sure how it works, but writing with the other hand considerably made my normal writing much more legible. Also, it was fun and made very difficult for other people to understand whatever I wrote. Most of it was no secret, but you never know. I believe it works a little bit like that thing Dumbledore puts his thoughts in. It frees the mind to think other stuff, or to think better about same stuff. It feels pretty amazing when you fill a notebook with your entries, too. Like you accomplished something for not only having the thoughts, but putting them in the real world as well. If you keep that up it would be awesome if you did a video about it again in a few weeks. Maybe you discover medium and long term consequences of keeping a journal. Who knows. I love your channel, good job man!
One thing you could try is an achievement journal! I'm hiper critical of myself and my "lazyness" and writing a list of everything i have accomplished in a day, even little things, helps me feel less useless and actually motivates me by giving me the feeling that i can do things.
great suggestion! i personally can relate to this myself. when i'm feeling really down on myself, i make sure to write down what i Have achieved. if i'm feeling poorly, i can write a gratitude journal. it's not an instant effect for me, but it at least gets me out of the negative mindset. i usually have a more balanced outlook after filling it out :-)
I have always struggled with journaling. I seem to be the most inspired to write when I'm angry or want to vent. The problem is that writing like that makes the journal incredibly depressing to read and makes me not want to continue. I want to record more happy things in my life, but I'm rarely motivated to do that. But Craig, I think I'll give it another shot.
LOL! You're a funny dude. I'm 61. I've been journaling for a decade now. I Started it to get clarity on my convoluted view of the day's events. To see how I needed to change my actions, IF I needed to change my actions. It also helps me work out paths of possibilities. You're right. It is addictive. Now I'm working on meditation. I don't love it - yet.
I journal and have done for about 20 years. It's been really interesting to look back on the journals that I have kept, although many I have torn out. It really helps me sort things out in my head which is great when I have truck loads of loud thoughts thundering around my head.
I love journaling! I've been journaling since I was 11. I have well over 60. It is so much better than meditation for calming my mind. It allows me to sort my thoughts and focus on my goals. I love looking back at funny memories I recorded. I love pen and paper, very particular about which pen and what notebook, and I tape special paper items in there movie tickets for my first date, etc.
I started journaling as an extra credit project in high school and haven’t stoped. I keep two journals, my everyday one and what books I have read and my thoughts. It’s a huge stress reliever.
I started a diary in 1980 at the age of 8, and wrote prolifically through high school. As a young adult and mother my journal-writing slowed down but I became a photographer and always caption my photos. Plus I have always saved emails. In 2015 I discovered the app Day One and now I write every day again. I do it mostly because I love that it captures memories I’d otherwise lose. My memory is not very good. And I also write down complaints and write to help me figure things out.
I world love an update video on your progress in a couple of months!! I myself have been writing since I started college 2.5 years ago and it’s a really fulfilling “me”-time at the end of every day. I do it more as a diary entry about my day, but I totally agree that it helps me clear my thoughts and I get to look back on what was important for me that day. There’s one thing though that has become a bit of a problem for me because of my personality and how obsessive I can sometimes be with habits. It has always been every single day and in periods I feel like it has to fill out a single page. So my advice is for you to have a very low barrier of entry when you write so for those days that you don’t feel like doing it you aren’t obliged to do, or just write something short. Have fun journaling!!!
I've been doing 'Morning Pages' for about six months now and it's changed my life. Takes about a half hour, you handwrite three pages brain dump style, and man, if I don't do that now in the morning, it makes all the difference between having a 'good' day and having a 'bad' day. I don't know what I'm going to do with all these notebooks piling up but they're a small price to pay to alleviate all the guilt surrounding my werewolfism. Cheers!
I started journaling 11 years ago when I was procrastinating an english assignment. It's missing some large chunks unfortunately, but I value what's there so much. I've obviously changed a lot in that time and being able to go back and read my internal monologue is illuminating. It's amazing how much you forget and how your brain distorts memories based on your current worldview, and there's no way of realizing that until you go back and read your own contemporary account.
When I went through one of my darkest times whilst overcoming an eating disorder, I started to do that 3 pages a day or something like that... so journaling but with rules I guess (I started doing this when I noticed I wanted to write more than the 2 lines I left of space on my bullet journal). I liked it, and I stuck to it for a couple of months, filled notebooks I was not using at all. But then I stoped just like I stoped doing my bullet journal (which I loved). I used to like journaling, but it was very taxing to do 3 pages by hand; and there were days I was not looking forward to it and just wanted to finish and go to bed. Thinking back to all the stuff I did, maybe it was as much of a controlling coping mechanism as my eating disorder. I'm thinking I should try it by not following rules in especific, I know I'm probably going to want to write more the more I do it anyways.
I've been journaling since I was 16 (I'm now 27). When I stop for some time (rarely more than a few months) I feel like I'm just less. It's become part of how I am human. It feels like it enhances my experience of time and events and thoughts and everything. Also sometimes since come out in journaling that I use in my poetry, or that help me advance in my therapy. (I'm not saying that everybody is less human when they don't journal, I imagine each one has their own different way of feeling this connection)
I've been journaling for over 10 years. Pen to paper. Best feeling ever. After I journal I feel relieved, and I definitely sleep better because I dont have to remember all kinds of things... because they are on my journal lol
Well, you did ask...ready? I LOVE journalling! Different types of journalling for different times in my life. 1) I have a different beautiful journal for every time I travel - travel journals are my favourite and then I feel like my special travel memories are all bound up in something beautiful in itself. 2) I also did "pages" (from Julia Cameron's The Artists Way) every single morning for over 2 years. (That was just in exercise books and anything I could get my hands on really 3 or 4 pages a day is a lot. Also it was pretty messy.) I was in my 20s, I had a lot of stuff to work out with myself, it was SO important to me. And then, somewhere along the line it stopped working and made me anxious instead so I had to stop and I was really sad to let go of that daily ritual. 3) THEN a few years later I adapted "pages" into a video journal exercise to help me get more comfortable on camera (if you're interested in watching me meltdown in public... ruclips.net/p/PLJfpti7Mokk3UD1fs-ojG2EWvEUu5VNkh) and that was AMAZING! 4) And now I do an annual Krapp's Last Tape type video for myself every birthday and I write in my journal (lives by my bed because it's pretty but I don't use it much) when I'm feeling complicated feelings, but it's not a super regular thing for me any more and I must admit I miss it. I'm travelling again soon so maybe I'll start a new one then... Thanks for the great video! XO
I've been keeping a journal since 2013, writing everyday. I very much like a physical journal, and my thumbs bend backwards more than even yours :p. Not necessary of course, but if one were to do a papery journal I suggest two things: pencil not pen (personally, I like being able to constantly erase and edit), and most importantly USE CURSIVE. Why the modern American education system has forsaken cursive is totally beyond me, because if you're gunna be doing a lot of handwriting, which sometimes you gotta do, you DO NOT want to write in print. The flow of cursive is designed specifically to make writing faster and easier on the hand. When I was young I hated writing essays and crap for school, because my hand would be in total hell afterwards. I study Japanese now, and if I have to write a lot of Japanese, using lots of kanji with all their short linear strokes, I'm miserable afterwards. However writing in cursive, I can write forever. I also personally love the visual beauty of my writing when I use cursive, and that too helped me love writing. When I switched to using cursive around middle school, I had a totally different relationship with writing. It's also important to understand that cursive should be your personal handwriting, your style, your artistry. I think one reason so many young people in America now hate cursive is that they're taught this one ridged, stupid way to do it, and then are never expected to use it again, so they just go back to print letters without ever learning how to make their cursive truly their own. In Russian where my mother grew up, there is no such thing as writing in print. Print is for printers, but as soon as you learn to write your letters, you learn cursive. I think we should have gone that route too. But more on the journal itself, I write an entry for everyday. Originally this was, "write everyday" but I made some cheats where I can get behind a day with finishing an entry, but still there's one for every day of the year. I always write at least two pages per entry, though can go up to 4 or 6 or higher if I really got a lot to write. I typically do it pairs of two like that, left and right, but originally I would do 1 and odd numbers too, and sometimes I go back to that if I need a little vacation from the journal. These are my main rules. I write about something on my mind, typically. When I was younger I tried to journal while I visited my family in Russia, but at that time I thought I had to go over everything that I did in the day, and that got hard, and I got behind, and gave up one month into our two month stay. So when I took up a journal again in college, I had the wisdom to drop such an idea and do what you are doing, write about what I'm thinking. Sometimes that's about all the stuff that happened today, sometimes not. As I continued, I also used my journal as a space to put down poetry, write entries on stories I was working on, and then sometimes I write a dialogue between me and this other me in this sublime mirror world. There are also days I can't really write what's on my mind, as it's just too difficult to face it like that, and so I find words to hide in. The main goal is to write, and to keep the rules and structure that help me do that.
![Digital Circus Episode 4 [TRAILER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/abZtsmMUbJo/mqdefault.jpg)
Craig: "never liked the idea of journaling"
Also Craig: not realising that his videos are pretty much like journaling but in video format
ikr???
yeah not exactly. His videos tend to be about an specific subject, not about everything that is going on in his life.
Juan Cruz Rabaglia Sometimes journal entries are specific. And if you think his old videos where specific as a rule, you are wrong.
@@chickenmonger123 thata true though, olds videos used to be mode about whatever, kins of missed them
Journaling is for yourself, RUclips videos are for others. Rewind to the start and you'll see the reasons he had against journaling don't apply to videos.
My jaw DROPPED when you said you slept through the night - delighted for you!
My eyes popped wide open and I contemplated rewinding to see if I heard you correctly. Amazing! Congratulations!
I was also amazed when you told me about this! I also realized I should stop reading the comments before finishing the video.
7:19 Chyna's face is the Classic "I'm trying to show interest but want you to stop rambling on so I can get back to what I was doing." face.
She's such a good sport! :)
LOL
pahahhaah that is literally my mother majority of the time i tell her something
A few weeks ago I found my old journal that I wrote in often from like age 13 to 19. I only wrote in it when I needed to vent and rarely when I was happy. I sat and read some pages out loud to my husband, it was about how abusive and drugged my mother was most of my life and the writing was frantic and angry and desperate. The last thing I wrote in that journal was at 19, when I met him and went on a date with him. It says something about how I felt it was different. He eventually got me out of that house. He saved me. Journaling kept me going at times though. That last entry could've been SO different. We've been together almost 10 years and seeing that little entry stating how I was happy and how it was strange and different was so crazy.
This made me tear up
Saltatia *Tonguepop* that’s incredible! I’m so happy for you. I’ve kept a journal from age 11 it’s been a similar outlet for me
I hope you always stay happy together, so happy for both
Years ago I used to do diary-style journals chronicling my relationships and daily life and I hated it. I used it as therapy, but it didn’t help or inspire me.
In the last few years I’ve been doing journals with no rules-I make lists, try affirmations out, write random things, and write longer therapeutic entries that truly help. The key for me was to let go of any rules or requirements, and practice being satisfied with entries of any size and scope.
Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm!
I can't also make myself sit and journal in the common sense, but I do have my alternatives. For example I "journal" with my friends and we talk about all the deepest fears we have and how to handle them. It's purifying.
I agree - I used to try to write about my life and it never went well. I just ended up with overdramatic entries that were embarrassing to look back on.
Now I don't really journal, but I sort of have a bullet journal where I set goals and keep lists of nice things that have happened that month. It's been helpful to set a lower bar and do what works for me :)
yes! ths for sharing
Fearless Dreams wow, that goes beyond journaling to community building! That’s beautiful. 👍🏼
NiMkoTlaGi I hear you. I’m learning that when I feel apprehensive about doing sth in my journal I probably should switch something up and roll the dice again.
My friends 76 year old mother has journaled every day for essentially her whole life. She’s a brilliant woman and she has a personal daily record of her entire life, it’s amazing. You could say “hey Martha what were you doing on May 22 1985” and she could tell you exactly what like to the hour. Incredible
Mia Lee incredible. I would love to hear more over a coffee with you. Next Saturday?
Wow!! I have always wanted to Beira this, but I ended up forgetting to write in my diary lol
Wow, she does sound like a fantastic lady. I wish people like that would share their lives with the world (the parts they're comfortable with ofc). There's something magical about seeing the past not through news articles but through journal entries of such people.
May 22 1985. It was my first birthday. Apparently, I slept through my birthday party.
I'd like to see a 'I started a bunch of things a year ago' as a long-term retrospective, to see what sticks and what your views are on things now.
THIS!
He made it!
I journal whenever I feel overwhelmed or stuck in a thought loop, because then I can look at things objectively instead of subjectively. I try to write my stream of thoughts without censoring them, or even organizing and just write whatever comes to mind. It has helps a lot! Keep up the awesome content
Same! I try to do it at least once a week, go to a coffee shop and have some 'me-time' emptying my thoughts onto paper
yeah i do the same
I do the same thing. It really helps.
I love journaling because it stops the thought spirals. By putting each of those thoughts on paper, my brain no longer circles back to those thoughts and reduces my perception of the volume of things that I'm thinking about.
I've journaled since sixth grade. I never tried to do it daily but as I've gotten older it's gone from once a month to once every couple of days. It's my favorite way to process things in my life, and I find it amusing to read back on my younger self and see how much my worldview has changed. It reminds me that my problems now will be mostly insignificant in a few years.
As someone who has kept a journal for approximately 14 years now, the biggest benefit I've found from journaling is looking back at my past worries and concerns and seeing how things worked out and life went on despite those problems seeming the biggest deal in the world at the time. It really keeps your entire life in perspective, that the things you worry a lot about now will pass and maybe someday even seem insignificant.
Journalling is cathartic! I've kept a journal consistently for the past seven years or so. I don't write every day, but I would love to start! Since I don't write daily, I do tend to write a few pages worth of thoughts, most of the time just a brain dump of what's happening in my life, how I feel about it etc. One thing I love doing is writing a list of hopes/goals every year on my birthday. I try to come up with a # of goals that corresponds with how old I am, ie 27 things I hope to accomplish within the year.
Me - I should do journal to improve the quality of my life!
Also Me - Ehhhh, Craig’ll probably do that soon I’ll see how he likes it
Me now - Yeah, I should try journaling
Joke's on you, therapy is rarely relaxing in the moment of doing it, but it does help me sleep better and stress less and be more relaxed in life. It's awesome.
Yeah therapy is fucking intense, at least for me
Therapy......so hard!
Haha yes! I came to the comment section specifically to make this comment.
So interesting to see how others experience it
I feel like I get out quite relaxed
Especially when it comes to things I surpressed
I’m not a long-term journal-er (is that a word?) - I hadn’t done it in years until this winter. I lost twins I’d been carrying and writing every day in a notebook (probably never to be visited again) helped me process my grief in ways I’d never expected. All the things you discovered about its benefits I found as well.
This has nothing to do with the point of the video, but "Word Vomeet, as the french dont say." was the funniest thing ive heard today. Props xD
Actually, we call it "verbal diarrhea". Not very distinguished :-D I think using "word vomit" isn't as brutal but perfectly reflects the original meaning in French.
I concur.
I have kept a journal since January. Yes, Evernote is honestly amazing and you should you use it. I don’t write everyday though. Just whenever I have something to talk about or when I need to vent. So far there has been 40 entries in it. Sometimes I take weeks before each journal entry other times I do multiple in a single day.
That was 5 months ago. I just reached about 140 entries
I have journals to complain in so no one has to hear me. It’s very helpful
I found being grateful and journaling about it was really helpful.
Same
That’s toxic.
I do this too, I look back to it and think oh yeah good thing I didn’t say it out loud….also it helps because I feel like I actually did complain as in I still let it out but no one knows about it which is great! And I can move on from it
My depression has ruined my sence of time. All of last month is just a mush, with almost nothing I can specifically remember. So writing down the days events helps with that. There is also this exercise, my therapist recommended, where you write down a few things you are grateful for this week.
Arcadius Winther I have been experiencing that feeling of mush as well. I may have to try this myself. ❤️
Your werewolf comment brought a smile to my face. I love this channel. Journaling is cool too. I give myself monthly challenges and one of them was to focus on things I was grateful for and write it down in a journal. I've long since accomplished that goal and have developed a nightly habit of journaling about my day.
I just started a few weeks ago. I got the Daily Stoic journal, which asks you a question of the day to write about. The entire week usually focuses on one area of life, and those daily questions help break it down into purpose and action. Loving it so far. Any journaling I’ve done before has shown me I can be boring and whiny, without direction. And I don’t want my family reading that after I die. Or the After People, come to think of it.
I like these videos because it's basically you "reviewing" ordinary stuff in life that's supposed to be beneficial. It inspires to try out some things for yourself, which I have actually done!
I kept a journal for my pregnancy and it kick started me into a yearly journal since his birth 7 years ago. It's been such a great gift to have especially when my husband started adding entries to our family book. I hope my future grandbabies will enjoy it too!
Journaling has saved my ass more times than I can count. Being able to pour myself into a journal has helped me to get over the loss of a marriage, cancer, job losses, big moves, great events, victories, losses and everything that life threw at me. It's vital. Great video, Craig. I'll stay subbed....for now.
You're speaking to my heart here. Journaling is one of my favorite things. There is literally (not figuratively) nothing like the feeling you get when you finish the last page of a journal.
At long last, all those empty journals with three filled pages have been redeemed
I started journaling a year and a half ago and it’s been the best. I do it almost every morning writing three pages, sometimes more, and then do what you do and write down worries when I can’t sleep. It’s been great for my brain and a good hobby just for me... all I needed to do was get I over the childhood fear that a sibling would find it and bring it to school to show all their friends (I live alone and my siblings don’t attend school anymore).
I've been journaling longhand (nearly) every morning since November, on the recommendation of another RUclipsr who talked about the morning pages method from a book called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.
You write 3 pages every morning, no more or less, and you just write, it's almost free association writing - you're meant to just move the pen and see what comes out. But you inevitably end up doing pretty much what you've been doing, which is to write down and give structure to your own internal chatter.
I had a sleep disorder for nearly 18 months and I've just had my first 3 weeks of unmedicated sleep - I definitely think journaling has played a part in that.
Simply emptying the contents of your head, organising them on a page (paper, digital, whatever kind of page works for you) is really powerful.
I find that the thoughts and worries inside my head are incomplete - they are actually prompts and nudges, internal alarms for me to do something, and if I keep them there they manifest as anxiety, overwhelm, procrastination and life-crippling insomnia. Once I give them form and structure on a page, they become complete ideas or tasks. Sometimes just writing something down is enough to close the loop - I've acknowledged it, it's done.
One of my favourite quotes, and it's basically a manifesto for writing shit down rather than keeping it inside your head, is from David Allen, who wrote Getting Things Done. He says, "Your mind is for having ideas, not for holding them" Your mind has ideas but you have to put them somewhere or they won't resolve; they'll just loop and drive you nuts.
I've also started bullet journaling recently and it's honestly a really nice complement to the longform writing and has brought even more structure and clarity.
Anyway I think this comment certainly demonstrates that I like to write! Imma do you a favour and leave it there 😂
Journaling is SO like meditation and therapy. I sleep so much better when I journal and I get a lot more done. I do a similar brain-vomit in an electronic journal (I use Microsoft OneNote), I've done it for four years now, and I completely love it.
I journal every day. Might be just a single sentence but I've done it for 2 years and I love it! It helps me vent and clears my mind. I've been more creative since I started too.
I have journalled basically every day since I was 10 and I'm 24 now. Not only does it help me organize and work out my thoughts/feelings, but you actually get to see how far you've come over the years. Something huge I have learned from doing this is to calm down in times of stress or turmoil and remember that my future self will be reading back on this time and telling my past self that everything is going to work out perfectly. It's preeeeeetty great
I journaled for years growing up, stopped a couple years, then picked it back up again. Recently I’ve been journaling “letters” to help cope with relationship issues or for those I’ve lost.
I'm glad you tried it and liked it!
When I'm at work I journal all my thoughts and feelings in notepad, and at the end of the week I delete it. It feels very cathartic to be able to get my thoughts out then be able to erase it. I feel pressure putting things down permanently because I worry someone will read it someday, but this way I can write freely ^^
I should probably try that! Thanks
Walfie I always have that same fear of someone reading my personal stuff, but at the same time I want to keep them.
So I ended up hiding my journal in the closet 😂
@@beebikinis I really recommend trying it! I like the feeling of getting my thoughts about then at the end of the week erasing it and moving on ^^
@@linhng2790 right! I feel like I can't be completely honest because "what if someone reads it??"
Hiding your journal in the closet is a good move!
That's insanity!!!!! What will you leave for the After People?!?
I've kept a journal (on and off) starting when I was 11 so that's been... 21 years. I'm on my 77th notebook, or "volume". Yeah, I'm bragging a bit, but I'm proud of it! For almost my entire life, journaling has helped me define myself by my own terms, instead of exterior ones. I stopped journaling during some of my most difficult times and they only got better again when I picked up the pen or pencil again. I write about everything and anything also. Mostly it's just been dated entries in notebooks. In the past few years, I've started using the Bullet Journal method which helps a lot in keeping dates, tasks, and goals organized, but I always give myself time and space to free-write. A time to hang out with myself, to get to know myself, to process whatever's happening in my life or the broader world. I mostly write "to" myself, I guess. But there have been times throughout my life when I've given my diaries names, like Anne Frank did with her "dear Kitty", and write a sort of letter to and with myself. I love it. Always have and probably always will.
I keep a "to do" journal. I write what I need to do, what I want to do, and how I feel about those things. I always add a short blurb about the day and how it's going and what I plan on doing and it has helped me a lot.
Up the journaling game with a fountain pen. Makes it even more addictive.
I've been keeping journals for most of my life and have more journals than I'm willing to admit publicly. i love it, and i love opening up an old one and getting a blast from the past
I love that you took to journaling. When I was a teenager, I did what I called, an 'anger journal' - when I was upset I'd write as though I was speaking to the person and it helped me to settle my emotions and understand if the interaction was misunderstood or if I had a genuine reason to be upset.
I've switched over to the line a day journaling and have a regular journal available if I'm needing to elaborate.
ive been journaling for almost 15 years now and its just part of my routine tbh, i dont do it everyday or every week. I do whenever i feel like my heart is heavy, or if i want to express gratitude or just put random thoughts or affirmations into my journal :) its really therapeutic for me. It helped get over my last heartbreak and made things easier for me in a difficult time. Try it out, you wont regret it. Also its a great way to feel lighter as you declutter your monkeymind...hehe :) Thanks for that amazing video. Love your humour.
I love the Bullet Journal technique. Hand writing - Keeps me organized and I write down quotes and notes and sketch - mine gets messy - not like demonstrated by the incredible artists.
Journaling tip that helped me:
Brutally unmitigated honesty
Avoid “telling a pretty story” especially on days when you aren’t feeling like writing an entry.
The honesty factor is the most important...there are things we think in our minds that we are way too embarrassed or ashamed to even acknowledge that we think about when interacting with others. But a journal is for you, not for anyone else. You should always respect someone else’s journal and never read it without consent and honestly you shouldn’t even read it if someone gives you consent. It’s important to be aware that if you’re writing with the expectation of someone else reading it one day...it skews your honesty, and that is what I believe makes journaling the most therapeutic. So I would suggest brutal honesty and putting your journal under heavy lock and key from EVERYONE in order to help foster that sense of a safe space. And if you don’t feel like writing sometimes, do a stream of consciousness or abrupt statements on important things and feelings at that moment, avoiding flowery language or even complete sentences if you feel the need. Always remember it isn’t a novel, it isn’t an autobiography....it’s a journal. And if it feels like a chore some days, then make it an easy chore and don’t sweat it or try to force it too much. Good luck man! Stay awesome!
Yes, agree to everything in this. Writing for an audience tampers with authenticity, inhibits us from confronting our own darkness.
"Wait, can I marry hummus?" I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair
Been journaling since the age of 17, I‘m 53yo now. Last year, I digitalized every single pages of each journal-1983 to 2001. It took me a whole month to scan every thing, and it was very nice and such a positive feeling of decluttering stuff away from my bookshelves and insert all my past life into a modern life format. All is nicely organized now, and available to (re)read on my iPad Mini that never leave my sight. I am not really considering using a journaling app, (which I have tried already) I intend to stay old school and keep on writing w/a pen, on an empty page. It‘s for me a way to disconnect from everything.
Love love LOVE this! I've kept an online journal for 12 years and it has become an invaluable chronicle of my life, thoughts, feelings, and memories. I'm so glad Craig tried this challenge even though he initially thought journaling might be self-absorbed, because I know many who think the same and it prevents them from experiencing the benefits of journaling!
On the contrary, I have found my journal to be a wonderful celebration of my creativity - I often go back to entries from years ago and read old poems, stream-of-consciousness ideas, and even existential questions and I'm PROUD that I've documented all of the activity that goes on in my mind. It's very possible that as we age, we will forget a lot of it and I'm so glad I have a record of my life in journal form.
Such an empowering video on self-improvement as usual, Wheezy! Love everything you do.
Have you ever talked about hoooowwwww you stick to all of these challenges?!
I could not do there challenges
@@RealGalaxyGamers yes, you could
I think the videos (or the promise of a video) keeps him to it-- he's said this in a couple of 'em
I've always loved writing since I was a kid. Journaling regularly is one of the best things anyone can do for their mental health and wellness (along with therapy and a bunch of other things). :) I'm trying to make it a very regular coping mechanism for whenever I'm unsettled. I think often times, we don't realise how much we hold on to thoughts. I like to write just whatever is on my mind and often it really helps me problem solve! I like The School Of Life's philosophical meditation as a prompt sometimes. I also like to keep notes of interesting podcasts in my journal to sometimes flip through. I sometimes highlight stuff after I write freely to see some recurring themes and reflect on them.
I like to make a list of all the happy things that happened that day. My mom says it's like a thankful journal but i just like to call it a happy things list. It's helped a LOT with a lot of the mental health problems I've had. I definitely can see the benefits of writing whatever's in your head, but for someone whose brain immediately goes to all the negatives, it's been SO helpful to focus on the good stuff (haha the good stuff)
Your experience with the journal and sleep made me think about what I do when I'm having a hard time falling asleep. I usually start playing back what I did for the day in my head in as much detail as I can remember and I usually never get to the end before I fall asleep.
I've kept a journal off and on for the past 20 years. I write when I feel like it, usually before going to sleep. Sometimes I'll write every day, sometimes I'll go months without cracking it open. In that time I've filled 10+ (? I'm not exactly sure if the number and can't be bothered to dig them out and count) notebooks. I write by hand, because for me that's part of the ritual and I enjoy it. I have typed out journal entries, though, like when I want to get things down more quickly. And just like this comment, my journals are self-centered. One change I have made in the past year, though, is to try to document more of what's going on in the lives of my family and friends. The two main benefits I see are being able to put thoughts down where I can examine them more easily, and being able to look back and remember things that have happened.
I’ve always been a big journal keeper. As a parent now, I think it’ll be so valuable to look back on these years while my kids are so small and having new phases and phrases constantly. I do enjoy it as I journal, but more than that, I can always tell when I stop doing it for too long. It’s great for my mental state even when I don’t feel like I’m doing much of anything. Definitely recommend! Glad this is something you’ve found to help you!
I've been on the fence about journaling for a while now, but have also been feeling drawn to it. You've convinced me! I'm definitely going to start trying to journal every day now. Also, I like how you did it digitally, one major factor that's been putting me off is thinking that I had to write by hand for it to be effective for some reason. Thanks for putting that worry to rest!
I bought a journal, suggested pens for fancy writing, watched several bullet journal videos, have nothing with them. It the past i did digital journal and just writing in a regular notebook...was more successful. I found if I wrote the same time I stuck with it, but always i get busy and drop the habit. I do love going back and reading them. I have journals when my kids were little, but it was busy with twins so that wasn’t very consistent...yet I recorded some memories. It does make thoughts get out of your head!
This is one of those channels that I expect to have 2m+ subs but it doesn't even have a golden play button. C'mon RUclips, get weezy out there!
I kinda like the small intimate audience.
@@jobansand yeah I can understand how it is nice to be able to get to know everyone who is subbed to the same guy as you. All 900,000 of them.
You can contribute by sharing gis videos with your friends and ask them to share it with their friends.
I tried Artist's Pages, and it led to some huge breakthroughs for me. Basically, you write 3 pages every day. Just stream of consciousness, not trying to write well or even be coherent. Some surprising stuff comes out. Good luck with your journaling! It's life changing.
this has always been the bedrock of my writing habit haha and it's such a great way to practice writing and come up with ideas 😁
I love journaling. Filled out 7 journals, each around 120-150 pgs, front and back pages, I’ve been doing it for 14 years. I’ve found rather than telling people things right away, I reason them out on paper. Decisions, arguments, confrontations, even good news or good news have been put on paper first and then deliver the news when I’m ready. It’s helped me be mindful, empathetic, reasonable and just be a reliable friend/partner. Long comment but thank you Weezy! Love your videos!
I use a journal to help me keep track of how my rock climbing training is going. I really focus on writing down all the successes I've had as I am someone who is far more likely to focus on the times I didn't do as well as I wanted to. Writing down all the positive things helps me to see how far I've come. It's great for my mental game when climbing and self esteem in general. Glad it's helping you sleep at night and calm your brain down. Nice work!
what you said on day 6 about feeling clear is also what i love about journaling. I really need the ability to put my thoughts to paper so I'm not constantly cycling and sorting through them. writing them down means i can check back in with them later, or tomorrow.
I've bee journaling on and off my whole life ever since I was a kid and boy how fun it is to read your past memories and cringe like crazy. And it's definitely a form of therapy. I love it. I started again last night after a two year gap and felt like I'd lost a chunk of time. Glad I found this video. I'm motivated.
I don’t journal consistently but have done intermittently since I was in high school. My fave types are 1. Stream of consciousness (write whatever comes to mind as soon as you wake up) 2. Gratitude (three good things) and 3. Life overview. When I was seeing a counselling she recommended the third one and I love it, you give a contentment score out of ten for each area of your life at the time of writing (I use friends and family, dating/relationship, health, personal growth, home, fun, money, career but obviously you can tailor it for yourself) and write about any reflections that come to mind. It’s really helped me to take stock on what’s going well for me and what might need some extra attention. I love your videos Wheezy 🙏🏻🤗
When something or someone bothers me a lot I seem to and up writing letter - that I always fully think that I will send to right place, but I never do. I have no need ti after writing it all out and often the thing doesn't bother me that much anymore..
So I think that's my accidental journaling.
Journaling helps me sleep too! I feel like it allows you to escape overthinking because you "take out" the thoughts on your head and you put them outside. In the journal. Yeah.
I just started bullet journaling and love it like this too. I also include freeform journal between my weekly/monthly logs, not quite daily but it's where I process all the feels and brainstorm new projects and "anxiety dump" before bed. Also helps me with stress levels, sleep, and focus on goals! Samesies!
I started Journaling now as I went traveling. First I was just writing words but after a while I started drawing pictures to describe the day, or maybe something that I thought of that day.
The best part about this is that I found out that I really enjoyed drawing, so if you would like to do Journaling but want to mix things up I would suggest you to try draw a line or two. I really like it! Happy Journaling!
I just started journaling and I agree with your benefits list. I've loved it way more than I thought I would have
I do freewiriting when I journal. This is the way i generate ideas for my poetry. Brings so many thoughts to the surface that I had no idea I even had.
I got my first journal when I turned 5, and have written in one since! Not as religiously now that I'm old and boring, but I love going back and reading old entries, some of which my mom wrote for me as I dictated. Also for posterity! My mom wrote a pregnancy journal back in 1984/85, and she just recently gave it to me. Love it!
When we put our thoughts into words, we shift them in our brains from the emotional amygdala to the analytical prefrontal cortex. It sucks the anxiety out of them and helps us see things more clearly.
Great video!
I kept a near-daily journal during my childhood and throughout high school, and on-and-off in college (which are all horribly embarrassing to look back on), but I kind of fell off the wagon after that. It became like this huge thing to undertake whenever I thought about starting it again. But then life got chaotic and one thing led to another, and now I'm fully into bullet journaling because for me it's a great balance between planning, writing, and tracking. I'll never remember to check digital notes, but carrying around my physical notebook in my purse doesn't let me forget my daily tasks. It hasn't really helped with my sleep, but some of my anxiety has dropped off because even if my memory is crap I know that I've written down the important things as they've come up, and I can always go back and check.
I tried a bunch of different things to tackle my anxiety and journaling is one of those that stuck. I do both the daily gratitude journaling and the just-writing-down-whatever-pops-in-my-mind journaling. And you're right, it is very therapeutic and can help you organize thoughts. And I noticed the same thing you did. Quite often when writing down a problem or worry, it's seems pretty silly once it's on paper. And much more managable. The daily gratitude journaling has been shown to physically change your brain to focus more on positives you often overlook and take for granted. You also appreciate them more. I started off just writing down three things a day and now I write down 10. That's the right number for me. I'd like to do both more often, but I'm just glad I gave it a chance. Highly recommended. I mean ... there's a reason folks have been doing it for centuries before it came to be seen as something only 13 year old girls do haha.
Just listening to the benefits you felt from journaling made me feel HIGH. This sounds like a solution to all the issues I have, feeling stuck creatively, overwhelmed feeling of needing to do stuff and wanting to do stuff I didn't have the motivation to do, sleeping more soundly etc......... I think im going to try this
I just started journaling right before you did, coincidentally and I've found it immensely valuable for practicing mindfulness. Meditation is nice, but I feel like it doesn't help me move through turbulent thought spirals. It helps me distance myself from them, but it's always felt like they still existed after.
Journaling is letting me *see* my thoughts and feelings and that is immensely valuable for being able to feel like I've *done* something with them. It's really great.
I started journaling in Jan 2020 and I haven’t stopped - for all the reasons you said. I love it and now won’t stop. Glad you gave it a go 👍
I've journaled for nearly thirty years and always done it on some kind of computer with a proper keyboard. It allows the fastest flow of thoughts straight into the screen. It's a way of reminding your future self what was happening at this moment in time, because it's amazing what you forget, and how one random reference can open all the connected memories to that. Brains are amazing like that. My memory is terrible so it's also a way for me to know my life isn't just forgotten.
Hi. New subscriber here. When I was turning 9, my parents took me to the store to pick out birthday presents. One of the things I chose was a little padlock diary. I have been journaling ever since. I turned 32 Monday. I write in the standard ‘letter format’. When I was a kid, each journal got a different name. In 2006, my life turned upside down and I couldn’t imagine writing to a new ‘person’ and having to summarize my life up to that point. I’ve been writing to Melody ever since. My journals are a combination of letter style entries, poems, favorite quotes, song lyrics, sermon notes, and scrapbooking. I hand write my journals because anything else is less secure and feels impersonal. Journaling saved my life, both literally and metaphorically.
When I get stressed about something I open up a word doc I have where I, as you say, "word vomeet" on the page. I make it a point not to use any punctuation so that it's a continuous fountain of garbage and when I'm done it feels amazing.
Next video- ‘I started murdering for 30 days and here’s why you should too!’
He should do that for april fools
He was murdering for about ten years-throwing clones in the alligator pit! Fortunately, it looks like werewolf clone survived and will soon write the Great American Novel in his journal.
Hitman?
Murdering germs! Seriously guys, wash your hands.
Yeah, I journal - started bullet journaling as it does double duty or triple duty. Calendar, appointments, notes here and there, space to doodle, to-do list, memories, and gratitude. I jot down anything I want to. I love it, I sleep well too, and I have quit whining and feeling sorry for myself.
Yes, I love journaling. I've done it on and off for years, and now I'm getting back into it again this year, and it definitely correlates to better sleep for me too.
This year I'm using a bullet journal to stay organized as well as the word spatter/emotional dumping ground journal that I've always kept by my bed for those pesky thoughts that keep me from sleep.
I journaled often (not everyday or week) when my kids grew up, especially when we traveled. It has been such a great gift to my older self.
Thank you for reminding me to journal. It helped me a lot in the past. I am having a hard time right know and still did not think of journaling as a helpful thing I can do right now.
I always tend to watch/read something so I don't have to think about the stuff that hurts me/stresses me out/makes me worry... but this does not work longterm. The thoughts come back when you go to bed and try to sleep.
I just signed up for an e-learning "Introduction to journalling", it starts next week. I'm excited, its 6 weeks (I think) of twice-weekly content. I'm excited!
Hi--I'm 55 and have been keeping journals for years. The trick is not to put pressure on yourself to write every day. I mainly use one notebook to just jot down story ideas, and have a main journal to write about life issues, possible plans, and events that had an important impact on me. It's great that you're having fun with it--It's an awesome and constructive habit! 😀
I have kept a daily journal for nearly seven years now. I usually write first thing in the morning, and then last thing before going to bed. I think it's very similar to what you described. It helps me clear my mind, it helps me celebrate my successes, and it gives me something to look back on when the going gets tough and I feel like it's always been this way. It has helped me a lot, and I really can't imagine not being able to write in my journal every day.
I did maintain a journal for some years, but never got to do it in a daily basis, because I suck at creating habits. This video greatly encouraged me to go back to journaling.
I usually wrote at night, going over that day's events. I started mostly because I wanted to remember (years from now) what was happening, how I was feeling and what I was thinking about it. Also I wanted to better my handwriting, and later I started writing only with my left hand (I am right-handed) for... brain reasons? I guess? I'm not sure how it works, but writing with the other hand considerably made my normal writing much more legible. Also, it was fun and made very difficult for other people to understand whatever I wrote. Most of it was no secret, but you never know.
I believe it works a little bit like that thing Dumbledore puts his thoughts in. It frees the mind to think other stuff, or to think better about same stuff.
It feels pretty amazing when you fill a notebook with your entries, too. Like you accomplished something for not only having the thoughts, but putting them in the real world as well.
If you keep that up it would be awesome if you did a video about it again in a few weeks. Maybe you discover medium and long term consequences of keeping a journal. Who knows.
I love your channel, good job man!
One thing you could try is an achievement journal! I'm hiper critical of myself and my "lazyness" and writing a list of everything i have accomplished in a day, even little things, helps me feel less useless and actually motivates me by giving me the feeling that i can do things.
great suggestion! i personally can relate to this myself. when i'm feeling really down on myself, i make sure to write down what i Have achieved. if i'm feeling poorly, i can write a gratitude journal. it's not an instant effect for me, but it at least gets me out of the negative mindset. i usually have a more balanced outlook after filling it out :-)
I have always struggled with journaling. I seem to be the most inspired to write when I'm angry or want to vent. The problem is that writing like that makes the journal incredibly depressing to read and makes me not want to continue. I want to record more happy things in my life, but I'm rarely motivated to do that.
But Craig, I think I'll give it another shot.
LOL! You're a funny dude. I'm 61. I've been journaling for a decade now. I Started it to get clarity on my convoluted view of the day's events. To see how I needed to change my actions, IF I needed to change my actions. It also helps me work out paths of possibilities. You're right. It is addictive. Now I'm working on meditation. I don't love it - yet.
I journal and have done for about 20 years. It's been really interesting to look back on the journals that I have kept, although many I have torn out.
It really helps me sort things out in my head which is great when I have truck loads of loud thoughts thundering around my head.
I love journaling! I've been journaling since I was 11. I have well over 60. It is so much better than meditation for calming my mind. It allows me to sort my thoughts and focus on my goals. I love looking back at funny memories I recorded. I love pen and paper, very particular about which pen and what notebook, and I tape special paper items in there movie tickets for my first date, etc.
I started journaling as an extra credit project in high school and haven’t stoped. I keep two journals, my everyday one and what books I have read and my thoughts. It’s a huge stress reliever.
"Me, me, me, me, me, me, me!!
Myself! - Myself!
Yours, truly!
DONE!!"
I laughed so hard!!😂🤣😂
I started a diary in 1980 at the age of 8, and wrote prolifically through high school. As a young adult and mother my journal-writing slowed down but I became a photographer and always caption my photos. Plus I have always saved emails. In 2015 I discovered the app Day One and now I write every day again. I do it mostly because I love that it captures memories I’d otherwise lose. My memory is not very good. And I also write down complaints and write to help me figure things out.
i love journaling! it always helps me and i always forget that it always helps me when i'm having a hard time.
I world love an update video on your progress in a couple of months!!
I myself have been writing since I started college 2.5 years ago and it’s a really fulfilling “me”-time at the end of every day. I do it more as a diary entry about my day, but I totally agree that it helps me clear my thoughts and I get to look back on what was important for me that day.
There’s one thing though that has become a bit of a problem for me because of my personality and how obsessive I can sometimes be with habits. It has always been every single day and in periods I feel like it has to fill out a single page. So my advice is for you to have a very low barrier of entry when you write so for those days that you don’t feel like doing it you aren’t obliged to do, or just write something short.
Have fun journaling!!!
I've been doing 'Morning Pages' for about six months now and it's changed my life. Takes about a half hour, you handwrite three pages brain dump style, and man, if I don't do that now in the morning, it makes all the difference between having a 'good' day and having a 'bad' day. I don't know what I'm going to do with all these notebooks piling up but they're a small price to pay to alleviate all the guilt surrounding my werewolfism. Cheers!
I started journaling 11 years ago when I was procrastinating an english assignment. It's missing some large chunks unfortunately, but I value what's there so much. I've obviously changed a lot in that time and being able to go back and read my internal monologue is illuminating. It's amazing how much you forget and how your brain distorts memories based on your current worldview, and there's no way of realizing that until you go back and read your own contemporary account.
When I went through one of my darkest times whilst overcoming an eating disorder, I started to do that 3 pages a day or something like that... so journaling but with rules I guess (I started doing this when I noticed I wanted to write more than the 2 lines I left of space on my bullet journal). I liked it, and I stuck to it for a couple of months, filled notebooks I was not using at all. But then I stoped just like I stoped doing my bullet journal (which I loved). I used to like journaling, but it was very taxing to do 3 pages by hand; and there were days I was not looking forward to it and just wanted to finish and go to bed. Thinking back to all the stuff I did, maybe it was as much of a controlling coping mechanism as my eating disorder. I'm thinking I should try it by not following rules in especific, I know I'm probably going to want to write more the more I do it anyways.
You may want to check out 750words.com, it's an online journalling site. The goal is to write 750 words (at a minimum) everyday.
I've been journaling since I was 16 (I'm now 27). When I stop for some time (rarely more than a few months) I feel like I'm just less. It's become part of how I am human. It feels like it enhances my experience of time and events and thoughts and everything. Also sometimes since come out in journaling that I use in my poetry, or that help me advance in my therapy. (I'm not saying that everybody is less human when they don't journal, I imagine each one has their own different way of feeling this connection)
I've been journaling for over 10 years. Pen to paper. Best feeling ever. After I journal I feel relieved, and I definitely sleep better because I dont have to remember all kinds of things... because they are on my journal lol
Well, you did ask...ready? I LOVE journalling! Different types of journalling for different times in my life.
1) I have a different beautiful journal for every time I travel - travel journals are my favourite and then I feel like my special travel memories are all bound up in something beautiful in itself.
2) I also did "pages" (from Julia Cameron's The Artists Way) every single morning for over 2 years. (That was just in exercise books and anything I could get my hands on really 3 or 4 pages a day is a lot. Also it was pretty messy.) I was in my 20s, I had a lot of stuff to work out with myself, it was SO important to me. And then, somewhere along the line it stopped working and made me anxious instead so I had to stop and I was really sad to let go of that daily ritual.
3) THEN a few years later I adapted "pages" into a video journal exercise to help me get more comfortable on camera (if you're interested in watching me meltdown in public... ruclips.net/p/PLJfpti7Mokk3UD1fs-ojG2EWvEUu5VNkh) and that was AMAZING!
4) And now I do an annual Krapp's Last Tape type video for myself every birthday and I write in my journal (lives by my bed because it's pretty but I don't use it much) when I'm feeling complicated feelings, but it's not a super regular thing for me any more and I must admit I miss it.
I'm travelling again soon so maybe I'll start a new one then...
Thanks for the great video! XO
I've been keeping a journal since 2013, writing everyday. I very much like a physical journal, and my thumbs bend backwards more than even yours :p. Not necessary of course, but if one were to do a papery journal I suggest two things: pencil not pen (personally, I like being able to constantly erase and edit), and most importantly USE CURSIVE.
Why the modern American education system has forsaken cursive is totally beyond me, because if you're gunna be doing a lot of handwriting, which sometimes you gotta do, you DO NOT want to write in print. The flow of cursive is designed specifically to make writing faster and easier on the hand. When I was young I hated writing essays and crap for school, because my hand would be in total hell afterwards. I study Japanese now, and if I have to write a lot of Japanese, using lots of kanji with all their short linear strokes, I'm miserable afterwards. However writing in cursive, I can write forever.
I also personally love the visual beauty of my writing when I use cursive, and that too helped me love writing. When I switched to using cursive around middle school, I had a totally different relationship with writing. It's also important to understand that cursive should be your personal handwriting, your style, your artistry. I think one reason so many young people in America now hate cursive is that they're taught this one ridged, stupid way to do it, and then are never expected to use it again, so they just go back to print letters without ever learning how to make their cursive truly their own.
In Russian where my mother grew up, there is no such thing as writing in print. Print is for printers, but as soon as you learn to write your letters, you learn cursive. I think we should have gone that route too.
But more on the journal itself, I write an entry for everyday. Originally this was, "write everyday" but I made some cheats where I can get behind a day with finishing an entry, but still there's one for every day of the year. I always write at least two pages per entry, though can go up to 4 or 6 or higher if I really got a lot to write. I typically do it pairs of two like that, left and right, but originally I would do 1 and odd numbers too, and sometimes I go back to that if I need a little vacation from the journal. These are my main rules.
I write about something on my mind, typically. When I was younger I tried to journal while I visited my family in Russia, but at that time I thought I had to go over everything that I did in the day, and that got hard, and I got behind, and gave up one month into our two month stay. So when I took up a journal again in college, I had the wisdom to drop such an idea and do what you are doing, write about what I'm thinking. Sometimes that's about all the stuff that happened today, sometimes not.
As I continued, I also used my journal as a space to put down poetry, write entries on stories I was working on, and then sometimes I write a dialogue between me and this other me in this sublime mirror world. There are also days I can't really write what's on my mind, as it's just too difficult to face it like that, and so I find words to hide in. The main goal is to write, and to keep the rules and structure that help me do that.
R Dreher I always write in cursive as well!
In Comtinental Europe, we learn cursive. I only learned cursive, not print. That's just passive, for reading.
I like the term you used “find words to hide in”