I love this post and that you've kept them all! I recently found a journal from 5 years ago and enjoyed going through it to see how much things have changed. I started journaling more consistently 2 years ago and still go through old journals, especially around the end of the year or my birthday.
I wish I kept a journal. Your handwriting took me back- if someone showed me it I can easily be like “oh, Rachel wrote that.” I think some random entries would be nice to read. Maybe have someone pick a random date between the 10 years and you share the date closest to it? Just an idea.
This was really a reminder I don’t need to have it all together- who does anyway?
Hahahaha, that’s so funny! I went by Cat’s apt recently and she had a note I wrote her on her fridge. I was like “that looks like my handwriting, did I write that?” 😂
I love your idea and need to consider if I am ready for that level of vulnerability.
i love this piece. as someone who has been journaling over the years, it’s an everyday battle with myself to decide upon what to do with those stacks of diaries and pages taking up so much space in my bookshelf. but by the end of all that battling, i always end up keeping them as they are. maybe it’s just me but storing them digitally would take away something that i cannot name from those handwritten pieces.
Right!! One of the biggest things I noticed is how my handwriting has evolved over the years. And the way emotion slants and changes the curves. There’s so much more feeling, emotion, and substance in the physical form. I keep them safe and tucked away from the elements but am always open to hearing what others would do.
It’s nice to hear I’m not the only one who lets their former selves hang around on bookshelfs. Thanks for sharing, Shubhi.
Keep the journals! I was talking to a friend recently about this and we both noticed how we've been writing the same stuff for years, over and over. It's good to see how you get yourself through the challenges, there are always slight variations and growth, I think.
“Writing the same thing over and over” that’s exactly what I mean about things change and don’t change. You’ve made me excited to see how much of my current self has been with me all along.
Loved this and getting to see someone’s handwriting always feels special to me. I also deeply relate with the part of you that wrote that entry. Sending her a hug and nod of recognition.
I keep a journal. Im very fly by the seat of my pants with it. I don’t do it daily, for I know that is a recipe for resentment for me. I do suspect maybe someday in my life that may be more available. I have ones scattered across our home. My nightstand, under our bed, in closets. It’s quite helpful in grounding me if I’m spinning out, especially relationally. If I’m seething with rage toward my husband, and let’s be real there are journals dedicated to this subject, I let that out on the page. That usually makes way for other parts.
My go-to on a hard day lately is a walk. I never thought that would be my thing but it’s found me and I love it.
Thank you for the hug and recognition. I debated long and hard about sharing something so vulnerable but figured someone needs the reminder that at all stages we get to be kind to ourselves.
“That usually makes way for other parts” 💗
I love that. We get to express our truths without diminishing them or the fullness that is the rest of us. Thank you for so often being willing to share, Kaitlyn.
Reading journal entries from a past self is kind of therapeutic. It’s always cringy and sometimes heartbreaking, but it’s always a reminder that you’re still here and you made it through something that you thought would swallow you whole. It’s an opportunity to hug all of your selves.
Yes, I presented an entire workshop on how to mine your journals for writing ideas (you have themes, characters, scenes, plot, tension, it’s all in your journals, you just need to change names to protect the innocent), work them over, Rachel, and push out tons of content as a result!
“I want more than anything to add value to the world. There’s a book in me I know it1. I want to make my mom proud. I want to help. It’s a unique pressure/burden to feel like you must outperform.”
this this this!! stole the words right out of my subconscious. It’s unreal!!
i want to bring something unique to the table of the world. Always wanted to. I’m not sure from what age but that yearning is ever present!
writing on the internet feels like it keeps getting me closer and closer to that thing i’m looking for, to that place i want to be. 🥹
thanks for sharing this, Rachel. You should share more from the journals. We can defo relate.
Whoa, didn’t realize I wasn’t subscribed to you until just now! Glad we made it official lol.
I totally understand that yearn. There’s something inside all of us that we get to listen to and be guided to things larger than we could ever imagine.
I’m so happy it resonates. I feel we’ve all been in the state of grappling with what to let go of and keep. It’s nice to share from the other side.
I treat my journals the same way you do, it seems: I don't need to write in them every single day, because they're there for me, not the other way around. As for what to do with them...well, I plan on keeping mine forever and ever, whether I look inside them or not. :) (I probably will take a peek eventually, but I feel it's more fun the longer I wait!)
I’ve been journaling for almost 15 years and I still have them all. I occasionally pick and only one up and flip to a few pages. It’s hard to see the growth I’ve had day to day, plus I get to laugh at my thoughts and feelings from when I first met my boyfriend, now husband.
I have audio, video, and written journals dating back to 2012 and it’s been quite a ride going through. Because I know there are stories and experiences within them that I want to include in my book, I’m going through them. I say go through them. Yes you’ll cringe, but you’ll also beam with pride, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll surprise yourself. Doooo it!!!
Keep the journals. I've been journaling on and off for about 15 years. I have them all. Occasionally read through them as a point of reference for something I'm writing. A few years ago, I was reading my Facebook Memories when I realized, I've been complaining about the same shit for years. I decided to quit therapy, and take action.
I took a “writing to heal” course with Alex Elle. I started journaling every day and asking myself some tough questions on the page. I made concrete changes to my life. I'm happier than I've been in a long time. Healing will be a lifelong endeavor.
Wow wow wow, Deirdre said the same thing in her response - the ability to see the fuller landscape of the last for years and see she’d been talking about the same thing repeatedly. Good on you for being decisive and like you said, take action. It’s so clarifying to hear so much good came out of it and you’re the happiest you’ve been in a long time. That’s so heartwarming and energizing! Thank you for sharing, Karen. There’s so much power in going back to survey.
I’ve been journaling for a very long time and I have some that date back to my teen years. I don’t reread mine often but I keep them. I’m not sure why I do lol but maybe one day in the future, having all of them will turn into something collaborative.
The teen years!! There’s definitely an opportunity to reference your first person narratives if you ever decide to create a memoir or just write anything longer form. There’s so much possibility I am realizing from the comments you and others have shared. Thanks so much, Jeanice!
I journal A LOT. I work from home, and my journal is pretty much always within reach. I write in it multiple times a day and go through three or four journals a year. I've kept all my ones since high school, but would burn them rather than reread them. I've tried a few times, but with my mental illness, the passages can get dark. I also journal in part to vent and help manage my anger, so I feel like there's a lot of not great parts of me captured in the notebooks
That’s exactly why I started journaling in the first place - to release anger and confusion from a breakup. It sounds like your journal has been a lifeline of a companion. I’m not clear on the size of your books but getting through 3 or 4 a year means you have a lot to share. I’m curious, do you start a new page for each entry of continue on the following lines of the same sheet that the previous entry ended?
The journals are A5, just under 200 pages each, so they're decently sized. I usually just start entries on new lines. I splurge on nice notebooks since they're my constant companions, so I don't want to waste pages 😅 then again there are pages where I'm so frustrated that my writing gets pretty large!
I kept journals for years, and they are in a box in our attic loft. I have no idea what to do with them! But I can’t bring myself to toss them out because I feel like those pages are part of me.
LeeAnn, thanks for sharing! It sounds like you know they are safe and sound so there’s no rush (pun intended) in your book. I’m curious to know if you’ve ever thought of sharing or giving them to someone of a rising generation like a child, niece, or Godchild? I think about if I have kids what age would it be appropriate for them to see the real REAL me?
I don’t have children but I wouldn’t want other members of my family to read them. I worked stuff out there, often about them, and we’re on the other side of that now. So I guess someday I would shred them or burn them. Now my poetry and writing journals—I will pass those along. I’m not sure to who at this point.
I love this post and that you've kept them all! I recently found a journal from 5 years ago and enjoyed going through it to see how much things have changed. I started journaling more consistently 2 years ago and still go through old journals, especially around the end of the year or my birthday.
I’m sure some things in that journal seem like an eternity ago. This piece I shared sure did. Thanks so much for reading and enjoying, Megan.
I wish I kept a journal. Your handwriting took me back- if someone showed me it I can easily be like “oh, Rachel wrote that.” I think some random entries would be nice to read. Maybe have someone pick a random date between the 10 years and you share the date closest to it? Just an idea.
This was really a reminder I don’t need to have it all together- who does anyway?
Hahahaha, that’s so funny! I went by Cat’s apt recently and she had a note I wrote her on her fridge. I was like “that looks like my handwriting, did I write that?” 😂
I love your idea and need to consider if I am ready for that level of vulnerability.
i love this piece. as someone who has been journaling over the years, it’s an everyday battle with myself to decide upon what to do with those stacks of diaries and pages taking up so much space in my bookshelf. but by the end of all that battling, i always end up keeping them as they are. maybe it’s just me but storing them digitally would take away something that i cannot name from those handwritten pieces.
Right!! One of the biggest things I noticed is how my handwriting has evolved over the years. And the way emotion slants and changes the curves. There’s so much more feeling, emotion, and substance in the physical form. I keep them safe and tucked away from the elements but am always open to hearing what others would do.
It’s nice to hear I’m not the only one who lets their former selves hang around on bookshelfs. Thanks for sharing, Shubhi.
Keep the journals! I was talking to a friend recently about this and we both noticed how we've been writing the same stuff for years, over and over. It's good to see how you get yourself through the challenges, there are always slight variations and growth, I think.
“Writing the same thing over and over” that’s exactly what I mean about things change and don’t change. You’ve made me excited to see how much of my current self has been with me all along.
Loved this and getting to see someone’s handwriting always feels special to me. I also deeply relate with the part of you that wrote that entry. Sending her a hug and nod of recognition.
I keep a journal. Im very fly by the seat of my pants with it. I don’t do it daily, for I know that is a recipe for resentment for me. I do suspect maybe someday in my life that may be more available. I have ones scattered across our home. My nightstand, under our bed, in closets. It’s quite helpful in grounding me if I’m spinning out, especially relationally. If I’m seething with rage toward my husband, and let’s be real there are journals dedicated to this subject, I let that out on the page. That usually makes way for other parts.
My go-to on a hard day lately is a walk. I never thought that would be my thing but it’s found me and I love it.
Thank you for the hug and recognition. I debated long and hard about sharing something so vulnerable but figured someone needs the reminder that at all stages we get to be kind to ourselves.
“That usually makes way for other parts” 💗
I love that. We get to express our truths without diminishing them or the fullness that is the rest of us. Thank you for so often being willing to share, Kaitlyn.
So glad you did. Anything to remind us that we are together in this thing 🙏🏼
Reading journal entries from a past self is kind of therapeutic. It’s always cringy and sometimes heartbreaking, but it’s always a reminder that you’re still here and you made it through something that you thought would swallow you whole. It’s an opportunity to hug all of your selves.
“Still here and made it through” 🎯
Reminds me of the quote “you’ve survived 100% of your bad days”
Thanks for that. I’m holding the uncertain parts of me really gently today and allowing the cringe to show me how much I’ve grown.
Retain and use the content to connect themes and ideas for future postings
That part! About to mine these thangs for the diamonds and gold they certainly hold. Great idea.
Yes, I presented an entire workshop on how to mine your journals for writing ideas (you have themes, characters, scenes, plot, tension, it’s all in your journals, you just need to change names to protect the innocent), work them over, Rachel, and push out tons of content as a result!
“I want more than anything to add value to the world. There’s a book in me I know it1. I want to make my mom proud. I want to help. It’s a unique pressure/burden to feel like you must outperform.”
this this this!! stole the words right out of my subconscious. It’s unreal!!
i want to bring something unique to the table of the world. Always wanted to. I’m not sure from what age but that yearning is ever present!
writing on the internet feels like it keeps getting me closer and closer to that thing i’m looking for, to that place i want to be. 🥹
thanks for sharing this, Rachel. You should share more from the journals. We can defo relate.
Whoa, didn’t realize I wasn’t subscribed to you until just now! Glad we made it official lol.
I totally understand that yearn. There’s something inside all of us that we get to listen to and be guided to things larger than we could ever imagine.
I’m so happy it resonates. I feel we’ve all been in the state of grappling with what to let go of and keep. It’s nice to share from the other side.
it’s nice reading from your desk. Utmost respect. 🫡
for your question “do you keep a journal?”
i don’t have a physical journal. Especially, not since my parents read my diary.
However, i audio journal. I house my audio recordings in the cloud. If i want to transcribe them to text, i use chatgpt to do that.
Clever. You’re techie I see lol. Have you ever listened to them back or is it a comfort just knowing they are secure where no one can access?
honestly, it’s a bit of both.
but i love knowing the fact it’s safe and i can always go listen to it at anytime just like i’ll listen to a podcast.
I treat my journals the same way you do, it seems: I don't need to write in them every single day, because they're there for me, not the other way around. As for what to do with them...well, I plan on keeping mine forever and ever, whether I look inside them or not. :) (I probably will take a peek eventually, but I feel it's more fun the longer I wait!)
Agreed! I love the perspective of not adding ANOTHER thing to be indebted to, especially if it’s supposed to be to our mental/emotional benefit.
Maybe I’ll take it slow and read one a year. By then I’ll have a whole other stack waiting for me be the time I finish 😂
I’ve been journaling for almost 15 years and I still have them all. I occasionally pick and only one up and flip to a few pages. It’s hard to see the growth I’ve had day to day, plus I get to laugh at my thoughts and feelings from when I first met my boyfriend, now husband.
Omg yes! 😂 I journaled the night my husband asked me on a date the first time. It ended with “let’s see where this goes…” 💍🏡👩🏾🤝👨🏽
I should go read that entry for me again. It’s been awhile.
I have audio, video, and written journals dating back to 2012 and it’s been quite a ride going through. Because I know there are stories and experiences within them that I want to include in my book, I’m going through them. I say go through them. Yes you’ll cringe, but you’ll also beam with pride, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll surprise yourself. Doooo it!!!
Oooooohhhh I can’t wait for the book Ash! I’m certain all of those pieces will help you weave together an AMAZING tapestry! I’m so excited for you.
Keep the journals. I've been journaling on and off for about 15 years. I have them all. Occasionally read through them as a point of reference for something I'm writing. A few years ago, I was reading my Facebook Memories when I realized, I've been complaining about the same shit for years. I decided to quit therapy, and take action.
I took a “writing to heal” course with Alex Elle. I started journaling every day and asking myself some tough questions on the page. I made concrete changes to my life. I'm happier than I've been in a long time. Healing will be a lifelong endeavor.
Wow wow wow, Deirdre said the same thing in her response - the ability to see the fuller landscape of the last for years and see she’d been talking about the same thing repeatedly. Good on you for being decisive and like you said, take action. It’s so clarifying to hear so much good came out of it and you’re the happiest you’ve been in a long time. That’s so heartwarming and energizing! Thank you for sharing, Karen. There’s so much power in going back to survey.
I’ve been journaling for a very long time and I have some that date back to my teen years. I don’t reread mine often but I keep them. I’m not sure why I do lol but maybe one day in the future, having all of them will turn into something collaborative.
The teen years!! There’s definitely an opportunity to reference your first person narratives if you ever decide to create a memoir or just write anything longer form. There’s so much possibility I am realizing from the comments you and others have shared. Thanks so much, Jeanice!
I journal A LOT. I work from home, and my journal is pretty much always within reach. I write in it multiple times a day and go through three or four journals a year. I've kept all my ones since high school, but would burn them rather than reread them. I've tried a few times, but with my mental illness, the passages can get dark. I also journal in part to vent and help manage my anger, so I feel like there's a lot of not great parts of me captured in the notebooks
That’s exactly why I started journaling in the first place - to release anger and confusion from a breakup. It sounds like your journal has been a lifeline of a companion. I’m not clear on the size of your books but getting through 3 or 4 a year means you have a lot to share. I’m curious, do you start a new page for each entry of continue on the following lines of the same sheet that the previous entry ended?
The journals are A5, just under 200 pages each, so they're decently sized. I usually just start entries on new lines. I splurge on nice notebooks since they're my constant companions, so I don't want to waste pages 😅 then again there are pages where I'm so frustrated that my writing gets pretty large!
I kept journals for years, and they are in a box in our attic loft. I have no idea what to do with them! But I can’t bring myself to toss them out because I feel like those pages are part of me.
LeeAnn, thanks for sharing! It sounds like you know they are safe and sound so there’s no rush (pun intended) in your book. I’m curious to know if you’ve ever thought of sharing or giving them to someone of a rising generation like a child, niece, or Godchild? I think about if I have kids what age would it be appropriate for them to see the real REAL me?
I don’t have children but I wouldn’t want other members of my family to read them. I worked stuff out there, often about them, and we’re on the other side of that now. So I guess someday I would shred them or burn them. Now my poetry and writing journals—I will pass those along. I’m not sure to who at this point.