by Brandon Jubar

When we are younger, it is called a diary. That little book we wrote in for a few days, then stuck in a drawer for a year or so. For most of us, it seemed like a cool idea, but ended up being more work than it was worth. But as we got older, the concept came back -- but with a much more grown-up name. No more diaries for us. Big kids are into "journaling"!

There are, of course, many different types of journaling suited for many different reasons. For our purposes, though, when I refer to "journaling" I am speaking of a way to use writing as a means to gain new perspectives that can help us think and solve our problems. At a bare minimum, journaling is a way for us to gather our scattered thoughts and feelings, and begin to get a handle on them.

The important thing is that our journals are records of our thoughts and feelings. That means we can write it any way we choose. For instance, I will often just write down key words or short phrases to capture what I'm thinking. If anyone else were to read it, they probably wouldn't have a clue as to what it really meant. But that doesn't matter. Your journal only needs to make sense to you.

Even if you are not artistically inclined, I would also recommend that you sketch pictures in your journal. They don't need to be beautiful line drawings of actual things, either. Your drawings can be nothing more than doodles. The idea is to use them to capture your emotions in a way that complements what you've written. There is no right or wrong way, so just experiment and have fun with it.

Whatever you do, don't worry about pleasing the English teacher. Use punctuation if it helps clarify, in your own mind, what you mean. Otherwise it's optional.

Likewise, spelling and grammar should be used as needed. As long as you can read what you wrote (penmanship is a concern) it matters little if the spelling is accurate or if the finer points of sentence construction are adhered to.

In fact, complete sentences are not really necessary, as long as what you've written makes sense to you. If you ever become famous and decide to publish your memoirs, you can always go back and polish up your writing (or let an editor do it for you). For the time being, let's just assume that your journal is for your eyes only.

I used to have a journal called, "Letters I've Written, Never Meaning To Send." Yes, I stole the line from a song, but I didn't think anyone would care. The premise is one that you may want to try. You see, whenever I was having a problem with someone and I wasn't quite sure what to do about it, I'd simply write him or her a letter in my journal.

This worked especially well if it were something I was mad about. I could write whatever I wanted to in the letter, and then I wouldn't look at it again for a while. Whenever I wrote something out of anger, I would read it after I had calmed down, and inevitably I would be very glad that I had not given it to the person! Writing the letter had allowed me to vent without lashing out and potentially harming someone I care about.

Another thing I've tried is writing poems in my journal. By romanticizing or dramatizing an issue, it almost makes it seem unreal. It's as if I'm able to take on the role of storyteller, which gives me the illusion of distance. And even though this "distance" may truly be illusory, I can often change my perspective because of it.

And finally, the tried and true method of journaling is simply putting thoughts and ideas into words. For many of us, the mere act of verbalizing a problem through the written word actually helps crystallize our ideas. Putting things in writing can also help us to identify the reasons behind our feelings -- both logical and illogical. Again, this clarification can help us to change our perspective and gain new insights into our lives.

Journaling is a way to use writing as a means to gain new perspectives that can help us think and solve our problems. But there is not a specific way that it must be done. In fact, there are probably as many different styles of journaling as there are people journaling! So don't worry about how to journal. Do it your way -- and just do it.

What do you see as the value in keeping a journal?
Have you ever kept a journal? If so, are you still journaling?
What are some other ways you could help organize and clarify your thoughts?