Bookmark Website  | Free Registration  | The Team
The Lounge  | Champions  | The Wire |  Schedule |  Audio  |  Arcade  |  The Top Ten  |  Historical  |  Email  |  Video

Journaling - A Tool for Healing and Growth


The word "journal" comes from the French. It dates back to the 14th century and means daily. As recently as April 26, 1999, "Newsweek" magazine ran an article entitled "Pen, Paper, & Power. Confessional Writing can be Good for You."

Recently, the JAMA had completed a study in which sick participants wrote about their feelings and events in their lives. "Newsweek" wrote, "Researchers found that asthma patients who wrote about painful experiences, improved their lung function by 19%. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis saw their symptoms decrease by 27%."

Journaling can be a wonderful experience. It can be a place to express feelings not yet ready for verbal communication. The journal provides a private and safe place to reveal yourself. It can serve as a reflective experience to explore and interpret your inner feelings. It can also offer a tool to express your anger and hurts. It is a vehicle to help you to get the feelings out of your body. When we repress negative feelings, we may experience headaches, stomach aches, high blood pressure, to name a few.

Do not worry about grammar, punctuation, or spelling. Let your words flow freely and do not judge them. This is a place to unwind, to focus, and to experience clarity.

If you take the time to write out your thoughts and feelings, you will discover that you usually feel much calmer than when you started. And you may find that the answer you seek is a few lines away.

Sound too simple? There are some guidelines to help you along the way. You can buy a notebook or plain paper. The important thing is to keep it in a safe place but get everyone in your family, home, office, to agree not to read it should they come across it.

Where to begin? A simple exercise can be writing down your name. Look at it and think about what it means to you. Free association can be very helpful too. Here are some other ideas for getting started:

Write down words to a song and what they mean to you.

Make a list of important people in your life and what they mean to you.

Write about what makes you happy.

Write about what makes you angry or sad.

Write about what hurts.

Write letters that you are never going to send, about your anger, sorrow, disappointments with someone.

Also be sure to write about some positive things in your life also. This is not a place to dump on yourself.

If you feel your emotions are getting out of control, you can stop writing for a time. It is important to return, but sometimes a pause is healthy.

If you seek more information, there is a wealth of information on the Internet. Although not a substitute for professional help, should you need it, journaling can offer joy, relief, and insight.

Karlynn Baker grew up in Los Angeles, California, and moved to Arizona in 1972 to receive her MS degree in rehabilitation counseling. She also specializes in addictions. She owns her own counseling business and enjoys life with her husband, David, three daughters, and three adorable grandsons.


MORE RESOURCES:

Brisbane Times

Website attacks motivated by politics
Stuff.co.nz
Large internet organisations believe ideological and political motivations have become the single most common motivation behind the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks hitting their networks, a survey of major Internet firms by has found.
DDoS attacks motivated by politics not criminality, Arbor Networks findsNetwork World
Hacktivism Trumps Money as Motivation for Denial-of-Service AttacksPCWorld
DDoS the Weapon of Choice for Hackers Driven by Politics, Not ProfitsTechNewsWorld
SmartHouse -SC Magazine
all 86 news articles »


GIRLS BASKETBALL: Motivated Seven Lakes squad enters playoffs as 19-5A champions
Your Houston News
Spurlock said falling short an undefeated district record is a little extra motivation for the 19-5A champions. It was the first loss for Seven Lakes since Dec. 29, 2011. This is a team that's spent most of the season on top of 19-5A after missing the ...

and more »


SoccerNation.com

Danny Jackson on Motivation Matters: Getting the Real Win
SoccerNation.com
With the media portraying such glitz and glamor, it's easy to see why people can be motivated by the possibility of money and fame. So let's step back and emphasize the basics. In premier soccer, there is an intense focus on winning, which is important ...
Another curriculum! (US Youth Soccer's is worth a read)Soccer America

all 3 news articles »


Motivated: Brignac snub among issues getting UL focused in 2012
The Daily Advertiser
(Photo by Brad Kemp/ bkemp@theadvertiser.com) / Brad Kemp/ bkemp@theadvertiser.c A little extra motivation is never a bad thing for a coach to have in the bullpen. So if some issues arise that help to give players — especially the top performers — a ...

and more »


Manuel Gives Extra Motivation to the Braves
Rant Sports
It is not like the Atlanta Braves really needed any extra motivation headed into this offseason. They collapsed in amazing fashion and saw the team that edged them out of a playoff spot celebrate with a World Series title. Questions of 'What if?

and more »


The Talon: Motivation is the key to success in high school and life
my.hsj.org
As students turn the corner in their lives together and really get the chance to debut and represent who they are as a generation, it's fair to say that they all need goals, for motivation's sake. The key to becoming motivated is understanding how it ...



Past, future motivate Spartan wrestling
Fox11online.com
Berceau's top-ranked team, according to WIWrestling.com, has plenty of motivation to go around. They can look at the walls, with plaques of former team champions and the names of individual champions painted on walls. They can also look across their ...

and more »


Ricciardo more motivated for 2012
Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Daniel Ricciardo says that starting the season with Toro Rosso - and therefore having a car he can fully call his own - has boosted his motivation for his forthcoming Formula 1 campaign. The Australian, 22, had previously tested for the team on grand ...

and more »


We need motivation, says Thwaite
Gold Coast Bulletin News
FRUSTRATED Gold Coast United skipper Michael Thwaite admits the club's motivation level is at an all-time low heading into Sunday's clash against Adelaide United. Coming off a 4-0 spanking by Perth on the road on Monday night, United are on the bottom ...



Motivation camp on bird water held
E-Pao.net
"We've spotted these birds in Loktak and Ungamen wetland areas since last year", says Dr Kh Shamungou,noted environmentalist while sharing his experience on water bird census during a day-long motivation camp on water bird census 2012 here at Toubul ...
Bird census to begin from Feb 11KanglaOnline

all 4 news articles »

Google News


Advertisement



Section Site Map - Submit News - Feedback - Comments - Advertise with Us

Copyright © 2006 Luminati Inc. All rights reserved.