Do you write down your thoughts in a journal?

16 comments

1. Yes, but not every day – not even every month. I use it for a brain dump when I need to do that, or write down some important things that have happened. It also kinda took the role Facebook once had – I kinda use it to “share” some news, but as it is a journal it is only for me.

   I use an app called “Day One” that has some good privacy functions that doesn’t make me too worried about it getting into the wrong hands. And I don’t think it would be too interesting if it did happen.

2. > Is it even manly to do so?

   That’s a weird question. Who says what is/isn’t “manly”? Why is “writing down your thoughts” some gendered thing? Who would be removing your manhood if you wrote some things down? Nobody, that’s who – you define your own masculinity. The only thing that’s not “manly” is feeling threatened/pressured by some other person’s idea of what is or isn’t manly.

   I’ve been keeping a journal for 25+ years, basically one **epic** Word document at this point. Not daily or anything close to it, but a handy record of stuff that’s gone on, my thoughts/feelings about things, etc. Simple enough to password protect it if you’re worried about the wrong person seeing it, and realistically how would that happen anyway?

3. I’d say it’s not manly to worry about if keeping a journal is manly or not.

   I’ve found it helpful in the past to write things down. It helped me organise my thoughts and be introspective. For me it became a bit of a chore and stopped being helpful when I tried to do it continuously, so now I only really do it when I feel like it’ll help.

4. I write a year end summary on new years day every year. Might make an interesting read some day

5. I used to write things down in a journal but I stopped about a year ago. I didn’t like the idea of there being a written record that took effort to secure. You could ask the valid question “why didn’t you type your thoughts?”. There are easy ways to secure that information but it felt robotic. There’s nothing more relaxing than typing your thoughts on paper.

   What I ended up settling on was voice recordings from my phone. They are convenient since I can do them anywhere at anytime, they capture my tone and emotion fully, and it still produces the same benefit of me writing. Last but not least, I can secure these recordings easily on a flash drive with encryption using a lightning to USB flash drive.

   I highly recommend any form of journaling. Experiment and play with it. You will feel better. If you’re an overthinker, it will teach you to slow down to identify irrational thoughts and if you’re open to being honest with yourself, you can absolutely work through your problems and anxieties. I find myself better equipped to handle my daily challenges by using those strategies to talk myself through them internally.

6. I consider “manly” an outdated term, and yes I journal on occasion. It helps clear my head and acts as a Time Machine in a way, where I can go back and see what my thoughts and emotions were over situations in the past. Mine is a moleskine journal so it’s physical, but I’m not worried about anyone taking it because it never leaves my home office.

7. Good question.

   Some thoughts for your consideration:

   -Really liked & agreed with what the commenter above said about…

   *I’ve found it helpful in the past to write things down. It helped me organise my thoughts and be introspective. For me it became a bit of a chore and stopped being helpful when I tried to do it continuously, so now I only really do it when I feel like it’ll help.*

   My piggyback on that would be to say, I have utilized writing in a notebook when there’s something going on… something causing inner turmoil or confusion or heartache. Something I need to process.

   And the magic is that at times when strong, uncomfortable feelings are going on in me, I can sit down with my notebook and pen and start writing… Then when I’m done and stand up again, the emotional discomfort is no longer there. In other words, journaling helped me sort out and resolve whatever my soul had been sending me a “You need to do some internal work on this” signal about. 👌🏾

   There’s a reason journaling has been described as therapeutic.

   So, related to what the other commenter said – this sort of journaling doesn’t become a chore because it isn’t something you try to make yourself do every day; instead, it is utilized when a need arises.

   -As far as journaling at a frequency that is more regular – in my case, “Gratitude Journaling” is what I find to be constructive and valuable. I don’t necessarily need to sit and write sentences and paragraphs at the end of every day to describe what happened all day. But when it comes to gratitude journaling, there is research that suggests a person’s happiness increases with the amount of gratitude expressed (note: gratitude *expressed* is something different than gratitude simply felt).

   The practice of focusing on gratitude often is a beautiful thing. It’s good whether I do it a few times a week; or every day; or if time passes where I reach for it again only after I feel my contentment in life going down in a way I don’t like.

   Here’s the simplest and most impactful gratitude journal system I know of –

   [https://www.theyogimovement.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Your-Goals-For-Meditation-4.png](https://www.theyogimovement.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Your-Goals-For-Meditation-4.png)

   -As far as privacy concerns, I had the same concern as you, way back years ago when an older guy talked with me about the journal he had enjoyed keeping for a long time.

   But these days, heck – I have a number of notebooks at home where different pages contain all sorts of journaling entries; notes I wrote down from great books I was reading about personal growth/leadership/spirituality/et cetera; song ideas and song lyrics for my original music; and so on.

   Privacy-wise, at times I use little tricks to keep someone from, say, snooping over my shoulder and knowing exactly my deepest thoughts… tricks like starting at the very bottom of a new page and writing to the end of the line, but then I go **up** to the line above that one to continue writing. Haha

   That way, a person would be a little confused if they look over my shoulder and read my words in the normal “top to bottom” direction on the page.

   But for the most part, if someone stumbles across any of my notebooks and actually is nosey enough to sit there and try to read my stuff, then that would be a lame on their part – but in the end, who really cares. It’s not the end of the world if they glean some tidbits about me that I did not choose to share with them.

8. There is no way I would keep a written record of my thoughts. I won’t even share them verbally. I have no confidence doing so won’t be used against me, it’s happened too many times in the past.

9. I keep a journal. Mine doesn’t focus on venting or analyzing my thoughts. Instead it’s about capturing my excitement about life. Re-discovering those memories through my journal is amazing. There’s a richness that unravels. I take it on trips because those seem to be the most novel moments. Its an investment to pause and write, but it’s been so worth it. Little things especially. I should say my memory is generally lacking. I noticed I write about food a lot.

10. I’ve never journaled nor considered doing so beyond fleeting thoughts in threads like this. I simply don’t grok the attraction. That said, if you want to journal, then journal. Why should you give a shit if anyone else does it? We’re talking about an activity that effects literally no one else!

11. Nope. Instant failure every time I’ve tried, for decades. Embraced short notes on paper and note apps. You probably don’t need to journal to record, you need to write to process.

12. I have written a diary daily since 1985.

    But I am not at all manly.

13. My thoughts come and go so quickly I barely have time to process them

14. No, I don’t journal because if it’s just for my eyes, it turns into a self directed screed of abuse and self hatred. That’s why I end up posting on this account so much – I tend to approach it as semi-interactive journaling where I have to be honest and exact with what I’m feeling because it’s in front of other people, instead of being horrible, endless tirades of self abuse behind closed doors.

15. I alchemize my thoughts into principles and then write them down. Like my little black book of knowledge I’ve discovered over the years

16. You shouldn’t focus on if it’s manly or not. You should focus what’s best for your mental health. I used to write what’s been eating away at me and have stopped and lately I’ve been letting it out as anger and it nearly cost me my relationship with an amazing woman. Do not bottle what’s bothering you because it will come out and will complicate your life, all because you or someone told you writing your thoughts isn’t manly. The most manly thing you can do is be able to express your feelings comfortably.