THEstarting to write a diary in the summer could be a right move, especially for those who have never approached writing, or at least this type of activity. It is well known that writing has therapeutic powerthere are many studies documenting it, but it is not easy to start doing it, because, as with all therapies, it requires an important initial approach.
Writing is like looking in the mirror, but only in a deeper way. If our eyes speak to the mirror, whether they laugh or cry, our mouth speaks, which smiles or is frowning, and finally our face speaks, when it is pale or rosy, we put ourselves in writing, in full, without discounts.
Journaling is therapeutic
That’s right. As we write we get naked. We do it for ourselves and for no one else, we talk to us, to each other and to us. Initially it may be difficult for those who have never done it, but then the pen will start scrolling between the pages almost by itself, and without realizing it we will have filled sheets upon sheets of things about us that we still knew little about.
There is a sentence, very true, that we often say perhaps superficially: “It was hard to admit to myself”. Here, writing could help us in this painful task, admitting to ourselves things that we have never been able to process well. There will be no judgment to attack or wait for us in those pages or in that pen. There will be no stance, unsolicited criticism, often useless suggestions, false solutions. It will be us, with and against us.
Why start writing a diary on vacation
Summer is synonymous with vacation, but what does vacation mean? Vacation comes from the Latin vacantianeuter plural noun of vacanspresent particular of vacare, to be empty, free. This is why summer is the right time, because it is as if we put everyday life on standby to welcome a new one. Often in the summer we are out of our comfort zone or, indeed, we return to the fold, to childhood places or to those we have always loved. Just in those moments and in those places we feel prepared to welcome the new, to come to terms with ourselves and to release all our emotions. We also do not underestimate the fact that to start writing a diary you need some free time. This appears to be a perfect mix to approach this new business.
How to start writing a diary
To start writing a diary, first, let’s get something to write about. You don’t need big things, okay one notebookan agenda, a pad, some papers. The important thing is that it is something that we visually like, which does not confuse or disturb us. That it has a type of paper that is pleasant to the touch, that makes the ink flow well and therefore our thoughts.
The choice of pen is also very important. Everyone has a precise way of handling it, as well as a defined marking. There are those who have a heavy stroke, others light. There are those who prefer a thick tip, others thin, for some it is indifferent. To start writing a diary, however, it will be good to understand “What kind of pen are we”. Would you choose a mattress on which you do not feel comfortable? Would you wear a pair of tight or hard shoes? Would you wear a dress of a different size? You have to know that even a pen deserves attention.
Many stationery libraries give you the opportunity to try them, but if this were not the case, let’s buy more than one, different by type (which is known, despite the digital age, pens are still useful and above all they do not play jokes, unless the ink runs out. ). We probably won’t find the right one right away. If we have never written a diary, we will need a little practice to understand what our perfect “weapon” is, the one that fits us perfectly, and perhaps we will also want to change it according to mood, time and inspiration, but then we will understand what kind of pen we are.
Are there right or wrong times to write?
Everything we need now is here for us. We have summer, a notebook and some pens, but above all we have ourselves, to which we must already thank for this small step. We are ready. Now let’s choose our moment. Here too the choice is very subjective. There are those who are more inspired and well prepared in the morning, others in the evening. There are those who need to go out, to be outdoors and prefer the afternoon hours. But the moment is easily recognized, and it doesn’t have to be always the same. The artist, writer and recorder Julia Cameron invented an exercise called “Morning Pages”which is clearly explained in his book “The artist’s way”.
The artist suggests that write as soon as you wake up in the morning, just to overcome the famous writer’s block, or even a certain reluctance to write. However, he advises to approach this activity without thinking too much about it, throwing everything that comes into our minds on a sheet of paper, even disjointed ones, separate phrases or words, in short, a sort of brainstorming. It would be advisable to wake up earlier in the morning specifically, to have the time to fill at least 3 pages of a notebook which must be no smaller than an A5. Another fundamental rule is never to reread what you have written immediately, but let at least 3 months pass. If you are wondering what benefits all this brings is always Cameron who answers us. This exercise is a kind of self-analysis, a way to reduce stress and put our life in order.
We prefer not to talk about a real psychological therapy, but certainly an important help to understand the mechanisms with which our mind reacts to certain stimuli and to get to know each other better, thus managing to face some small obstacles of daily life in a proactive way. In general, every moment can be the right one, even in the evening, before going to sleep, when the calm descends on the day and we have some time to review it, relive it or simply to say goodbye.
In conclusion
To finish it is important to say that you start at writing a diary is not a superficial thing, but it’s still a simple thing. Surely to learn how to do it we must trust ourselves a little, or at least try to trust us. There is no beginning or end, there is no way to write it, luckily there is no rule except those we give ourselves, if we feel like it. All the rest of the work will come by itselfwhen we find ourselves seated somewhere, comfortable or uncomfortable and we will experience a new emotion, perhaps not immediately understandable, but very strong, that of being in the right place, at the right time and with the right person, ourselves.
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