Why I’m Not too Fond of Journaling

Summary

The author expresses a personal aversion to journaling, despite its benefits for writing, due to a tendency to focus on negative emotions and a preference for direct reader engagement through platforms like Medium.

Abstract

The article "Why I’m Not too Fond of Journaling" delves into the author's personal experience with journaling and why it doesn't resonate with them. The author acknowledges that journaling can aid in writing and emotional expression but finds it unsuitable for their writing style. They have attempted various forms of journaling, including gratitude journals, but consistently struggle with consistency due to ADHD and a lack of interest. The author prefers writing on Medium, where they can engage with an audience and explore more informative topics, rather than dwelling on personal complaints. The article concludes by suggesting that while journaling may be beneficial for some, it is not universally effective.

Opinions

Journaling is recognized as helpful for writing and processing emotions, but it's not enjoyable or effective for the author.
The author feels that journaling tends to capture only negative emotions, lacking a balance with positive experiences.
Attempts at gratitude journaling were short-lived, as the author quickly ran out of things to express gratitude for.
The author suspects that ADHD contributes to their difficulty in maintaining a journaling habit.
Writing on Medium is preferred because it provides a platform for reader engagement and the exploration of diverse topics beyond personal grievances.
The author notes that their journaling as a teen was mostly complaints about life and their mother, which led to misunderstandings rather than the desired connection.
Despite the personal nature of journal entries, the author's mother misinterpreted them as expressions of hatred, which was not the intent.
The author's experience with a work journal was also negative, as it became a repository for work-related complaints.
The author observes that their more informative articles on Medium receive more attention than those that are purely complaints.

It’s not for every writer

I know that journaling does help with your writing, but it’s not for me. It isn’t just because I rarely write in it, and the only time that I do, it’s always negative emotions, never the positive ones.

I have tried doing a gratitude journal. My issue with it is that I quickly run out of things that I am grateful for. Then I leave it and forget about it (This is a theme for me about journaling).

I am pretty sure that my ADHD has something to do with it. We tend to forget from time to time. But besides that, I am not a big fan of journaling.

I do agree that it’s good to get your feeling onto paper or anything electronic so that others can read and relate to you. But is it worth it?

I do remember doing the same thing about journaling as a teen. I remember one time, my mother gave me a diary for Christmas. As I think about it now, she did that to show that she could sneak in and read what I wrote. Strangely enough, I didn’t mind her doing that. Most girls would be shocked when they found out that their parents had read their diary. I wasn’t. That was the first time that I realize that I love it when people read what I write, diary or journal. I guess that was the future author in me.

Most of what I wrote on there was me complaining about my life and my mother. She mentioned to me one time that she did read it. I was hoping that she could read between the lines, know how I feel, and relate to me. But that didn’t happen. After reading my diary, she thought that I hated her, which isn’t true.

But even then, I didn’t write much in that. I had a life outside of it.

When I got my last job nine years ago, my boss said it was okay for me to write and keep a journal, if I had nothing to do. I did that a few times, and each time, I found out that all I did was complain about my work. There was something off about it the first couple of months I started working there. Anyway, when I decided to stop writing in my journal because all I did was nag.

Writing on Medium

I am not going to say that Medium is like a journal, because it isn’t. To me, it’s better than a that because it is addictive in another way. What is that, you might ask? Well, I am getting fans and coming up with some new ideas that I want to write about. Some of these topics are more informative than me b****ing about something. However, I did notice a few of my complaining articles not getting that much attention on Medium. But that is to be expected.

I’ve got a few ideal topics at the moment that I am in the middle of or thinking about writing.

All in all, journaling might be suitable for some people, but it’s not for everyone.

Why I’m Not too Fond of Journaling

It’s not for every writer

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