How do I start writing a diary?
One of my resolutions this year is to start a diary, but I've never had one before. Does anyone have any tips on how to get started? Not totally sure what I should write about or how to even format the entries. I'd also love any advice on how to stick to writing in it every day!
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Expert Comments
Your diary is your personal place to vent, work through emotions, jot down ideas, and write about anything else that comes to mind—there are no rules! Many people like to write about recent life events and their relationships, but it's totally up to you. To format your entries, just flip to a blank new page and put the date (including the year) at the top. Try writing in your diary at the same time each day, like right after you wake up or just before bed, to make it a habit and stick with it.
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Try writing about how you feel. Journaling is a powerful tool to get clarity and separate emotion from fact. When you're operating from past patterns and traumas, you carry those emotions, and it's hard to clearly see the truth of the situation. If you're not processing those emotions or feeling them and letting them go, they're going to be sitting dormant in your system. Journaling is about getting that out of the body and processing the emotion. It's about feeling it so you can let it go.
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Reader Comments
Your diary is your "place." Write the truth in it. Don't lie, and don't let anyone else read it. Also, you may look back at your diary 20 years from now, so write neatly!
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Your diary can be a fascinating time capsule of who you are and what you were thinking when you read through it in the future, so be yourself and don't try to tailor it to someone else!
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I personally try to write in my journal in the heat of the moment. It makes your feelings more raw and dramatic and truthful! And you can always add to it later.
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