Ask the Experts: Journaling with B. Lynn Goodwin

Journaling Works

Not long ago, a woman in one of my Journaling for Caregivers workshops asked, “When did you start journaling?”

That got me thinking.

I kept a journal for a while in college. I recorded my thoughts and fears in it. The entry I made on my sister’s wedding day still lives in my mind. I wrote about being her bridesmaid, and my handwriting rose optimistically on the unlined page until the minister said, “I now pronounce you man and wife.” Then it turned downward. When I reread it after taking a class in handwriting analysis, I was fascinated to see depression setting in as I wrote the minister’s words.

In my twenties and thirties, I kept spiral steno pads where I listed daily lesson plans and rehearsal schedules. I made lots of notes and today those old, green notebooks are a timeline.

I did not take up journaling again until my mother gave me a blank red book with lined pages and Snoopy dancing across its cover. I was a big fan of Peanuts, back when I was in high school, and the association lingered in my mother’s memory, even though I was well into my forties when I received this book.

I began filling this blank notebook by copying quotations from books I was reading. How well these authors expressed themselves. Many of the quotes were either poetry to my ears or suggested philosophies that mirrored my own life. I was in early caregiving at the time, and was uncomfortable putting my own thoughts in writing. They seemed personal and I was afraid they might dishonor others. I no longer worry about that, since my journal is private, and I make the decisions on what I share.

Here are three samples from the early, undated pages of my first journal:
“God will help you through this, not away from it.” -- Source Unknown
“Why does every interaction…upset me?” --What Matters Most
“Strange how alert she could be at times, and how confused at others.” -- Source Unknown

I did not realize I was collecting lines about being trapped in the world of caregiving as my mother’s health failed. That whole first journal is quotes that related to my life, plus notes from a writing conference and my training to be an adult literacy tutor. By the time I got to the end of my red Snoopy notebook, I was reacting to the quotes I had copied and reflecting on them. I was starting to journal again without even realizing it.

Curious about how I moved from listing quotes to journaling about my life? Wondering how I found the time to journal and the courage to be honest? I’ll write about these things and more in future articles, so bookmark this page and keep checking back.

Journaling works. Give it a try. If you have questions, please write to me at Lgood67334@comcast.net. I might share your questions and comments in future articles.

*****

B. Lynn Goodwin, Lgood67334@comcast.net runs Writer Advice, www.writeradvice.com. Visit the site and click on Journaling for Caregivers to learn about her book You Want Me to Do What? Journaling for Caregivers and her workshops. She is a former drama and English teacher in high school and college as well as a former caregiver.