The other morning I woke a bit depressed. I did not know why or how to fix it; I tried to get on with my morning, do positive thinking exercises, laughing aloud. But I couldn’t seem to shake my gloomy mood. After several hours of this, I decided to sit down with my journal and investigate.
The personal journal is the perfect place to investigate/explore/heal/attend to our emotional confusions or upsets. It is a private and non-judgemental medium for asking questions and digging deeper into ourselves. The journal truly can be, as Kay Adams says, your 79 cent therapist.
One way to approach this mode of exploratory journaling is to cultivate writing with Curiosita. As you write, ask questions (be sure to write down the question in your journal, too!) Probe your own writing to see what you can uncover. What do I mean by that look?, for example. What do I mean when I say, it was careless? Or, why did I feel so hurt when X couldn’t come to the movies last night?
Trying this may feel clumsy at first–that’s ok. It just takes a little practice. What we’re learning here is how to add an extra dimension to the journal: moving through catharsis towards understanding and meaning.
Tags: curiosita, da vinci, journaling, writing
September 19, 2009 at 22:42 |
[...] with Yourself: Using the Dialog Method By creativexs In my September 7th post, I encouraged the practice of curiosita. Not just recording events and feelings in your journal but [...]