by Kelly Smith
Adults write journals for various reasons – for some, it's an activity meant to enhance their self-discipline, others treat it as a therapeutic way of expressing their feelings and reflecting about reality. In either case, journal writing helps many people to unleash creativity and open doors to self-discovery, but it can only work as long as we're honest and up for an open expression of our thoughts.
Unfortunately, adults often lose this kind of sensibility and find it hard to let their mind be free from the rigors of everyday life. That's why when writing a journal, it's not a bad idea to adopt the attitude of kids. They are carefree, honest, open about their feelings and not afraid to speak their minds. Sounds great, doesn't it? Here's a short overview of what you can learn from kids and teenagers about self-expression in writing.
Express Yourself Freely
Suppressing one's feelings is not a good strategy in life and it certainly won't help anyone who treats journal writing as an important method of self-expression. Keeping our feelings to ourselves is nothing healthy – letting them out in a journal, on the other hand, provides a safe way to deal with them. Try to remember that emotional intensity and openness you felt when you were young – somewhere deep down, you still have this capacity to freely express yourself. Keep in mind that when you're writing, it's only you and a piece of blank paper/computer screen. Nobody will judge you here.
Admit When You're Scared
Kids and teenagers don't shy away from admitting that they're scared or hurt. Take a cue from them and, if you're harboring any kid of negative emotion, channel it into your writing.
Trust Your Instinct
Instead of endlessly weighing their decisions, mulling over the past and asking themselves “What if”, young individuals tend to go with their gut. For therapeutic journal writing, following your instinct is key to unlocking your inner wisdom, intelligence and creative potential. Shut down the logical side of your brain for a moment to discover where your writing takes you.
Speak Your Mind
Kids aren't afraid to say what they think or how they feel – and you shouldn't be either. Articulating everything that's on your mind is important if you want your journal writing to become a real life-altering experience.
Use Your Imagination
In today's information age, access to information has never been easier. In order to truly unlock your creativity, you need to let go of the world as you know it and let yourself be taken to wherever your imagination takes you, just like we all did when we were young and carefree. Those imaginary excursions are beneficial for another reason as well – they will provide you with novel perspectives on your life.
Dream Big
Follow the example of youngsters and stop limiting yourself. You're only going to become as good as you allow yourself to be – the truth is, your mind plays a major role in your perception of the world and yourself. When taking up a journal writing challenge, be optimistic. If you allow yourself to change and battle your insecurities through writing, you'll find a way to achieve it.
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Kelly Smith works at CourseFinder, an Australian online education resource. She also provides career advice for students and job seekers and works as a freelance writer.
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