journaling class

some interesting things i read today:

a journal is a record of inward-focused reflections

Lois Guarino interprets the differences between diaries and journals to mean that the journal is a place where :"you can commune with rarely explored parts of yourself and where those parts can answer back. It is this dialogue, carried on over an extended period of time, that has the potential to bear surprising insights, support truth-telling, and foster courage." The insights Guarino refers to are among the most important fruits of reflection—the act of forming an idea, thought, or opinion as a result of rumination. When you ruminate, you turn something over and over in your mind, slowly and deliberately. If you do it consciously enough, ruminating will lead you into reflection—into forming an idea, thought, or opinion—about what you've been turning over and over in your mind.

What's so important about that? Well, it just so happens that reflection is one activity that can create awareness. And awareness leads directly to learning. So, by journaling instead of keeping a diary, you open the door to gaining awareness of yourself, and therefore to learning more about who you are and what you want for your life. By inviting you to reflect on yourself and your experiences on a regular basis, journaling also invites you to get to know yourself.

Journalers claim three often-cited benefits:


Self-discovery


Stress reduction


Easier decision making

Um...yep, need help on all three counts...keep reading!!!!