Journals

Writing is an excellent way to express yourself.  Writing in a journal can really help you organize your thoughts and understand yourself better.  It can also help you deal with your emotions.  Not only is journaling helpful for yourself, it’s helpful for future generations.  Children, grandchildren, and many others can learn from our experiences.  Another important reason for keeping a journal is documentation.  Especially in abusive situations, it can be vital to keep a record of events by writing the date and what happened.  If you end up needing to go to court, this can really help.

Creative Journaling

Creative journaling is a little different than regular journaling.  Creative journaling is more artistic and can be more expressive.  It focuses on emotions.  You do some writing, but you also get to draw pictures and then write about the meaning in those pictures.  Dr. Lucia Capacchione created this method, and it can be very therapeutic.  To learn more about creative journaling, check out her books:  The Power of the Other Hand and Recovery of Your Inner Child.

Gratitude Journals

Especially when going through a crisis, we can easily forget the good things in life.  A good way to remember ways we are blessed is to keep a gratitude journal.  Every night or every week, you can simply record a few things you’re grateful for.  You will be amazed at the difference you feel.  You will start to recognize more and more things you’re grateful for.  Hopefully, life will not seem quite so dreary.  Abusive situations are extremely difficult and draining, but if you can find even one tiny reason to smile, it can make a big difference.

Humor Journals

A humor journal is a journal you record funny experiences or jokes in.  Someone very wise once said, “The crisis of today is the humor of tomorrow.”  Laughter and humor give us hope.  Compiling humorous stories into a humor journal can be something fun for you, your children, or your friends to look at on a day you or they need to laugh.  Laughter can lighten our moods and remind us we don’t always need to be so serious.  It can also relieve stress.

Anger Journals

Sometimes we may hesitate to record something in our regular journal because it may not be something we want anyone else to read.  This is one of the reasons an anger journal may be helpful for you.  Anger journals don’t need to be shown to anyone else unless you want to.  You can write freely without worrying about what someone will think.  Anyone who has been abused or is involved currently in an abusive situation understands you can feel a lot of anger.  Whenever you feel angry or upset, you can open your anger journal and write or draw a picture about your anger, and no one ever has to see it.  If you’re worried about someone finding your anger journal you may want to lock it up or keep it at a trusted friend’s house.  Too often, we think of anger as a negative emotion.  It is not a negative emotion, but it can cause negative actions if not dealt with properly.  Instead of bottling up anger, let it out in an anger journal.