Journaling

So, here is this blog that I share with you on a daily basis, and you probably have it figured out that I am a prolific journaler. Yes, I even have a private journal that not even you get to read. Sometimes I do share snippets from it, but that is the joy, it is completely up to my whim. It is definitely my own form of therapy, uncensored (un-spell-checked - you can just imagine).

I have kept a journal since I was 16. A few journals have gotten me in trouble because others have felt a need to pry into them, which if you have ever had that happen, feels like a violation of the soul. For a while I would stop writing journals because of this and find myself feeling like something was missing from my life. It was. My words, my conclusions, my thoughts, they had no outlet. So, hence another journal would be started.

Often I find myself suggesting to clients that they keep journals to track their habits, patterns, and stresses. Surprisingly, several have admitted that they used to keep journals but had had experiences like mine and did not feel like they could keep one without it being read. (Shame on you if you violate someone by reading his or her journal).

So, I have been searching for a solution and may have just found one with MyTherapyJournal.com. It is online and secure (and you know, if those who feel a need to read your journal hack the system, well, maybe you need to face some truth yourself). The trick is to not let any one know your password (but you can change it if someone figures it out). The big plus, though it does cost a bit to have a journal here, is that the information is stored outside of your location. It cannot be happened upon accidentally.

Additional factors I like about this program are that it automatically graphs information, so you can see progress (or patterns). There are two ways it does this. There are preset questions you answer in your journal entries or you can customize the questions for your specific needs. How you answer these will be recorded on the Progress Graph(sm). It also tracks your mood.

There are several other factors that make this attractive as well. There is a key word search for finding information quickly, so if you want to look back on a particular issue, you can easily find your past entries. And for the visually inclined, one can upload photos to it and email entries that can be shared.

In today's earlier post, we talked about the truth. It seems like this idea of a safe journal would really help one to understand personal truths, to plan out life accordingly, and see the growth process.


To visit MyTherapyJournal.com, please click here.


Here is an example of the Progress Graph(sm).