Comment by wenc | Hacker News Reader

Comment by wenc | Hacker News Reader

Journaling is actually a great way of promoting mental and emotional health.

I don't journal daily because I don't have enough to say every day, but I do something similar called "writing therapy", especially when I'm feeling emotionally stuck. I find bad emotions to only be bothersome because they are inside and unprocessed. Externalizing emotions onto a physical page (not digital!) helps me process them. The physical act of subsequently crumpling the piece of paper and throwing it out is catharsis. The act itself somehow tells my brain not to hold on to certain feelings -- I've done the work to process them and I can now let them go.

I do this when I'm experiencing minor issues that don't rise to the level of needing to talk to a $150/hr therapist. Some people prefer talking things out, but I prefer writing.

"So what do therapy, journaling, and meditation all have in common?

All three are techniques to help us convert what is usually the subject of our consciousness into the object of our consciousness.

That’s it." [1]

[1] https://markmanson.net/how-to-get-better

> Journaling is actually a great way of promoting mental and emotional health.

Can't agree more. I built myself a simple writing app[1] a couple of years back, purely because I wanted to have a place to slow down, somewhere I could just pour my emotions/thoughts into, without self-editing. I posted a bit more about in the root thread. If you give the app a shot, let me know. I think you might like it.

> "So what do therapy, journaling, and meditation all have in common? [...]

I'd add any unconstrained (and ideally "childish") form of art to the list. I write in the morning then doodle just before going to bed [2]. I generally struggle with sticking to new habits but relying on this form of mental hygiene, plus therapy made a huge improvement in my quality of life.

[1] https://write.sonnet.io and https://sonnet.io/posts/ulysses/ [2] https://potato.horse

write.sonnet.io is beautiful, you're quite the artist :)

going to set this as my homepage and use it daily. thank you.

Glad to hear that, good luck!

When my friends ask why I pay for my journaling software instead of a free option, I tell them $22 a year is a great price for my primary therapist.

I found I wasn’t being completely open and honest when I was journaling on pen and paper because I was subconsciously concerned someone else would read it. A password protected journal works better for me.

curious, whats the software called.

Maybe https://dayoneapp.com/ which is popular on Apple platforms.

DayOne. OP mentions it as well.

I like it because it’s password protected and cross platform. It doesn’t hurt that I can add pictures in for trip reports.

> I don't journal daily because I don't have enough to say every day

Just recount what happened I the last 24 hours. Had to be something even if you just worked and watched netflix. ie, what specifically did you do at work, how could you have done it better, etc

I journal off and on, not currently doing it. But I found it to be a great tool for introspection and improvement. I would think in depth about technical problems, social interactions, various distractions and impediments to productivity. It's a great tool if you have the time. but you have to make yourself do it, every day

And, although it may be obvious, journaling is not a general miracle cure;there are many stories of suicide where a diary has been left, only to show to those left how someone has been stuck in a spiral of desperation, self-hatred and anxiety for a long time

I can really recommend the book “If you want to write” by B. Ueland.

It’s a lovely ode to writing and ofcourse goes into the subject of the title.

Forgetting is as good as journaling.

Ah, if only my brain would let me selectively forget!

Journaling is actually a way to forget as long as one throws out what one writes and never revisit (which I never do). It works like an accelerated Ebbinghaus curve.

That said, I suspect forgetful people are often less emotionally burdened.

Similar to how heavy sleepers tend not to be grumpy people because nothing prevents them from having a good night's sleep.

I'm really forgetful to the point I'm starting to worry about its impact on my career. I also ruminate like hell even about things that happened in high school, constantly feeling bad about things I said, did or didn't do.

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