How important is journaling

[Alora]

Hey ladies,

So as I just starting on this journey of discovering the girl within, how important is journaling/blogging/vlogging?

I'm a talker for sure, but I've never been much for journaling. It's always felt weird. Like it was a girl thing lol. Maybe I should just try it now and shut up! 😁😁

Anyways I'm wondering has it help you deal with everything your experiencing?

As always,

Loves 💋❤️💋

[Michelle_P]

I found it (and still find it) to be incredibly useful. Getting my thoughts on paper, through the mechanical process of pen in hand, helped me clarify my thoughts and feelings. 

I've occasionally, particularly in times of uncertainty, gone back and re-read old entries. This can really drive home how much I've changed over even a short time.

When I was unsure about leaving home and going full time, I wrote and determined my alternatives, basically, halting transition and going back to hiding, giving up hope of eventually being myself. That clarified things, but then I made myself reread the early entries where I had no hope and was locked up in depression.

No, thank you very much, I'm on the right course.

Having those records of the past, even recent, to refer to can help us move forward and avoid repeating the same old traps and pitfalls.

That make any sense?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Denise]

I too kept a journal from the day I came out to the first person for the next 3 or 4 months.  Then I trailed off when things became "routine."  Looking back I wish I had kept it up.  It was definitely therapeutic and allowed me to have discussions with myself in slow motion.  I could go back and rewrite my thoughts to make them easier to understand.  It did two things - 1 It made it more real, is this really happening - Yes it is, after 50 years...etc.  The second thing was it helped put into words what I wanted to talk to my therapist about.  Once on "paper" it was more real and I had an easier time talking to my therapist about some things.

The other motivation was if, in the future, someone wanted to know what it was like for me I could hand them my journal and they could follow all the ups and downs.  Maybe I'll start again, but on a weekly or event basis.

- thanks for the kick in the butt to start again. 

- Dee

[Mariah]

It can be a huge benefit for when you need it for some. I found it helpful for a little while early on when I had the most to communicate and just get out in some form.. In the it's personal preference and comfort as to what your needs are. Hugs
Mariah

[Alora]

Thanks ladies,

I think I'm going to transcribe a lot of my forum post to a journal. I now while I'm on a high right now, there are going to be some dark days on the horizon followed by some wonderful after that. I will definitely need to look back and remember why I chose to become the woman I've always wanted to be.

Loves 💋❤️💋

[Yuusui]

I started my blog because I wanted to see how I was feeling some day in the future. I do it for me alone, but have shared it with a few friends and family that might be interested. I have found it quite useful so far.

[Karlee]

Hi Alora!

I've found writing in a journal to be a very good exercise.

I made the conscious effort earlier this year to start a journal and write my thoughts and feelings, as a part of a bigger goal to actually take some steps to sort myself out. Though I have been a bit off and on with it and I haven't exactly found myself completely yet, it has proved to be helpful.

The main benefit for me was writing down what I was feeling, so I'd be more accountable to it. It also helped to clarify some things and put other things in focus. I've had a few little epiphanies whilst writing - some things sunk in.

Finding yourself is a very long road, and a journal (as well as this forum) can be a really good companion. <3

Much love,
Karlee.x

[Sophia Sage]

I ended up using the boards as my journal.  Regardless, writing helps a lot, I think. 

[JoanneB]

I found that it helps a lot in two major ways

First, as Michelle said, putting things into writing forces your brain to work and process your thoughts far differently then talking. Now add in, as a child of the pre-autocorrect and Backspace age, there is a difference between typing, when you tend to freewheel the fingers almost like a tongue, vs putting pen to paper wanting to, needing to, get it down right the first time. But this also tends to lead to over-thinking vs letting the unfiltered emotion of the moment out and later adding some clarification.

Second, keeping some of the above in mind, it pays by allowing you to look back in time and relive the raw unclouded by time moments and re-experience the time as it was and not my the rewrite of history by our brains. Mostly you see what a mess you were back then compared to now. No matter how hard or scary something may seem today you get to look back and realize just how much better overall life is

YMMV

[LizK]

I have tried to take one selfie a day since 25 September last year...on the whole I have been fairly successful...I am going to turn them into a gif or short "morphing movie" sometime early next year...so it will be a pictorial timeline of head and shoulders from the day of deciding to transition till the day I went full time. It will be about 18months of photo's in total. I haven't managed to do it every day but at least 20 days a month. I also have a private blog to write which I found invaluable.

Enjoy

Liz

[HappyMoni]

Hey ladies,

So as I just starting on this journey of discovering the girl within, how important is journaling/blogging/vlogging?

Anyways I'm wondering has it help you deal with everything your experiencing?

Alora,
   I think if you are still in the figuring things out stage, writing is very helpful. I struggled for many years trying to figure out  my direction. Once I decided to transition, I still had years of conflict still in my head. I thought, maybe my decision wouldn't last, fear fear fear! I started writing in a particular way. I split time between writing from the male perspective and time writing from the female. It was as if two people were doing it. As month after month became year after year I realized my decision was real, was correct, and was not going to change. I saw it in my writing. The  two personalities changed a lot. The male viewpoint was no longer a real perspective, it was a shadow. The female entity was me. It gave me confidence in the decisions I made. It really helped me work through some confusing thoughts. I seem to no longer need to do it. It is nice to be able to go back and see my thought process though. Good luck to you!