r/Journaling • u/TangerineOk6005 • 1d ago
Question Who's gonna read your journal?
I kept seeing "start journaling" on my soc med algorithm so I bought a journal yesterday. I am someone who talks to myself a lot. I self therapize a lot. I started writing today and my mind and hand were just vibing and I couldnt stop. I could see myself writing down my thought endlessly. I think its good and therapeutic but I'm thinking whos gonna read it? Just write stuff and like keep it? Wouldnt it be a waste of paper and effort and energy? Whats happens when you finished a whole journal? Throw it away? Keep it?
93
u/MsMrSaturn 1d ago
Process vs product. Not everything we do needs to result in a finished product. Going for a walk in a beautiful place doesn’t create something tangible, but it’s food for our souls. To me, journaling is more like that. The process itself is the value.
6
32
u/Homicidal_muffin 1d ago
Personally, I’ll occasionally go back and read my own entries. I can see what things I’m still stuck on, what things were never an issue and it’s a good way to track personal growth. On the flip side, nobody actually has to read it. It’s for you to articulate yourself in a meaningful way. So if you fill a journal and never read it, and decide to burn it, or destroy it? It’s not time wasted, it’s a tool used. Either way, it’s your choice, your journal, and your prerogative.
5
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
Yeah I was thinking when I wrote my first journal. Should I make it rated PG just in case someone reads? Or do I make it censored and leave out details? I still dont know what to put as far as being honest goes. But it does feel good to just keep on writing and not pausing to kinda leave out specific details or names etc.
11
u/JohnnyVaults 1d ago
On stuff like that, it really is up to you and different people will have different approaches, all of them valid. Personally I write as if no one will read it - I use people's names, I don't leave details out for the sake of privacy. You can be just as honest as you want to be and use whatever level of frankness feels good to you when you write. Sometimes, the only place I ever put something into words is my journal.
2
21
u/frobnosticus 1d ago
85% of journaling has nothing to do with reading it.
I actually really like going back and looking at the old stuff, especially the mundane day to dayness. It gives me a really good picture of life back then and how much my head has changed (rather considerably, which is reassuring.)
5
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
I guess I could treat it like O do my photos. I dont delete. Just keep adding space to store even the most mundane photos.
14
u/AnStudiousBinch 1d ago
It’s a processing tool and a creative outlet. People use it personally and no one person journals the same: some itinerize their day, some process events, some use it as a vent space with thoughts they need to withdraw from their mind but don’t want to place on others. You’re not creating for an audience—unless your journal is for drafting creative work, which it can be. Is learning to draw a waste of paper? Is helping yourself self actualize a waste of energy? Only you can answer that for yourself. Do what you want with it after you’ve filled it.
8
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
I plan to make it a vent space i guess in between my therapy sessions. An hour a week with a therapy isnt enough. Lol. But then they are people and they have limits. And i guess a journal notebook's is that they dont talk back and judge you for what you wrote in it. Lol
10
u/Visible-Map-6732 1d ago
Writing Down the Bones is a short, excellent book about the value of a regular writing practice. I highly recommend you give it a read if you are looking for purpose
2
8
u/thesphinxistheriddle 1d ago
I think of mine as a log of my life — a primary historical document. In my vision, my kids and grandkids read them after I’m gone to feel closer to me, and my great-grandkids use them for a history project. I’m candid but not necessarily pouring out any deep dark secrets. Certainly some of it is embarrassing (I’ve been journaling regularly for 16 years) and I don’t want to read it, but I like the idea of my kids connecting with a version of me they never knew.
2
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
Thats what I was thinking. I kinda want to write about my darkest secrets but I'm afraid of people finding them out. While Im alive. Lol. Cause I would probably die of embarassment. But at the same time, I'm like who cares? When you're dead people forget about you anyways. Long enough you'll be that stranger in one of them books. Or a fading memory. Sad but real
1
u/gruntsculpinfanclub 1d ago
This is how I feel, too. I don't have kids now, but I'd like to one day, and I think it would be cool for them to get to hear stories from when they were little. I wish I could read a journal from my parent's or grandparent's childhood, or any time of their life, really! I think it would be cool to learn more about their thought processes and perspectives.
However, because of this, I leave out stuff related to sex or at least if it's mentioned, it's not descriptive at all. The last thing I want if for my future kids or grandkids to learn something they can't unlearn haha!
2
u/thesphinxistheriddle 1d ago
Yeah I actually fell out of the habit for a year, but got back in when my son was born — I want him to be able to read in my own words, in the moment, what it was like to love him as a baby. I think that will be a really wonderful gift I’ll be able to give him one day!
6
u/quietleavess 1d ago
No one reads my journal. And i dont plan to reread it.
1
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
Respect.
2
u/quietleavess 1d ago
To be fair, is because my last journals are an abhorrent expression of untreated mental illness and the suffering I am experiencing physically due to adhesion disease.
So imagine a christian becoming resentful to God and planning their suicide if the pain becomes unbearable.
Is awful.
When I started journaling, I was in a better headspace and wanted to travel to fulfill the notebooks with actual cute memories. But life happens lol.
2
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
Wow. Thats still something. A journey is still story. And you have a story to tell. Life is full of ups and downs. I hope you find love and light ao you could fill at least a many pages with cute memories.
4
u/Formal_Sympathey 1d ago
Some people shred them as they fill up, but they’re probably in the minority. Some people bequeath them to certain foundations that have journal archives, or leave them for their kids or families.
I use mine as a cbt tool and to help me recalibrate. I go back and check if the way I remember something a year later is how it felt at the time. It’s really helpful in keeping me grounded and validating my emotional responses, and for helping to identify patterns I might be too close to otherwise see.
At the same time, I don’t want anyone else to read them and I worry about what will happen to them if I don’t come home one day. I have journals going back to 2006, and I’m starting to think I should digitize the important bits to a password protected hard-drive and shred anything more than two years old. But its up to you.
2
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
I see how it can be useful in CBT. I am only atarting but I think I want someone to read it but not in the very near future. Maybe years or so. I think I would feel embarassed. But I would actually like someone to have a perspective of my mind through my writing
3
u/ghostgirrrrrrrrrrrrl 1d ago
Journals, especially the journals of ordinary people, are great primary documents for historians to pour over. As someone who isn't planning to have descendants, that's who I imagine might read my journals, if they manage to survive. I look forward to grad students in the future diagnosing my mental illnesses, lol.
1
4
u/ramblinrabbitt 22h ago
Everyday I pray to God no one ever does LOL- I have charged my best friend with getting rid of them if I die
2
1
3
u/somilge 1d ago
Why would it be a waste if it serves a purpose? If it helps you process things, thoughts and/ or feelings then it has served your needs well.
Nobody else needs to read your journal, not even you if you choose not to. You're writing for yourself, not for an audience necessarily. Should you choose to write for an audience, then that's different. Your voice and tone of writing might reflect that. The thing though is, it would be up to you.
Read it, don't read it. Share it or not. Burn it when it's filled or keep it. The choice is ultimately up to its owner. That's why no two journals are the same. It's as different as the people who write them.
1
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
I see. Im new to this hobby and I guess i was hating on it but actually I was so interested. I just never really liked writing in school. I felt free when I wrote my first entry today. I might write some more to recap the previous many many years of my past and my life thus far. I plan to give my journal a part of my spirit/soul/energy. I'll do my best to keep it secret but if someone is meant to read it even if by accident then so be it.
3
u/somilge 1d ago
I hope you enjoy the habit and the process. I hope it helps you even more.
I didn't really volunteer or submit much of what I wrote when I was in school, but I found solace in writing in my journal.
Should you really need to, you can make for own cypher so other people won't be able to read your entries. You can mix and match alphabets, or even jumble them up.
We're rooting for you! Best of luck 🍀
1
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
Thanks. I decided to just be honest. Im a little introverted and I dont have a lot of listening ears around me. so in a way, im glad I can be all honest and raw to even just a notebook
3
u/kustom-Kyle 1d ago
I have dozens of journals filled up.
I’ve been backpacking my way across the world for the past 15 years. My favorite line I ever wrote was, “A photo will take me back to a place, but a journal will take me back to a feeling.”
1
3
u/Ankit_preet 1d ago
Nobody's gonna read it. It's a conversation between you and you. That's the entire point.
3
u/Pot_Yogurt 1d ago
I saw something about a similar topic recently, about how modern society conditions us to try and monetise or show off everything, and that these ideas really just get in the way of people developing hobbies.
It's nice to create something just to create something. Whether it be art, literature, or whatever else, it doesn't have to be for anyone or anything, it's just for you and the action is it's own reward :)
3
u/Ghost_Kat_ 1d ago
No one! Mine is on my iPad. No one knows the code to the iPad. And I did not assign any legacy users for my account. What I write in my journal is for me and me only.
3
u/KiKi_Strikes 1d ago
Sometimes I go back and read my own journals to reminisce (sometimes journal entries from childhood are kind of funny), but most recently I've been using them to track symptoms for medical issues to figure out what could have caused them.
2
u/Shadowfallrising 1d ago
My journal is for my eyeballs only. I write as if speaking to a person who can't talk.
I tend to self-therapize because I have trust issues and one bad experience with a therapist (nothing terrible, just bad communication), so I don't see it as a waste of energy or resources (I journal digitally). I can look back at previous entries to see how far I've come.
1
2
u/Willing-Mammoth-6256 1d ago
I reread them often. I get curious about what was happening in my life on this day in different years. You said you’re someone who talks to themselves a lot, tell us more about it! ‘Cause me too! Haha! Do you talk to yourself out loud? Do you record voice memos or videos where you talk to yourself? Do you use prompts or just free flow? I am someone who can easily talk to myself walking on the street. And not to seem weird in a crowded place I sometimes hold my phone near my ear and pretend I’m talking to someone, lol.
1
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
I am! I talk to myself out loud when I'm by myself. I guess its the hyperindependent, self therapizer in me. I'm glad I have a therapist. I dont do voice memos nor videos. I am not as secure with my own voice or self recording. Thats something I should work on next.
2
u/witchsabrina 1d ago
I like to imagine my future kids or something. I have found a few of my moms journals since she’s passed and they’re so meaningful to me
1
2
u/RoseDedron 1d ago
Sometimes I reread, I think I’ll let my kids and grandkids have them if they want.
Maybe I’ll burn them once I decide to clear clutter.
2
u/reticulatingspleen 1d ago
not everything you do needs to be a performance or a product to be consumed by others. you’re allowed to exist/create for yourself/the sake of doing it, and not for other people’s validation.
1
2
2
u/Snoo-11861 1d ago
It’s for you to read and self reflect. It’s for you to track your progress. For you to see areas you need to work on. It’s also a good way to keep good memories on. For you to read back and reexperience good memories. Or to see how much you’ve grown over the years.
2
u/huhhuyoyyp 1d ago
for me, ts a way for me to express myself and simply keep track of stuff + when i reread my older journals, i can really see how much I've changed and it's basically a history book of my life in a way
2
2
u/noalsthetic 1d ago
if you want someone can read it like someone you trust to that level. i personally don't just write in my journal. I have my daily to-do organized by months and days. i make junk spreads about things i keep, bought, found (collages of receipts, packaging of things i bought, etc). i also draw and make art or write poetry. at the end of the day, for me personally, it's for future me to see and go through. like a memory capsule. if throwing the book away suits you when you're done, go wild. journaling is a very "each to their own" process lolll so do what feels right for you! if you do want someone to read it, you could always have a designated friend or partner that reads it. like a letter but make it a journal.
2
u/TheTrueGoatMom 1d ago
I hope no one! My mom read everything, my ex was very snoopy as well. He went so far he found my online journal that I used my main email for(lessons learned!). I burn everything now.
2
u/Inevitable-Listen546 1d ago
I write to myself. For me, writing is a way to arrange my thoughts, but it’s also useful to be able to go back and check what has happened and when. I have ADHD and a pretty skewed perception of time, so without a journal, I often can’t tell how long ago certain things happened.
Have I been complaining about certain aspects of my work for two years, or just two months? How often does that happen, and are there enough good moments to balance the situation? I can make better decisions about my career if I know the answers to these questions.
What kind of things annoyed me the most when I was still with my ex? Do I still feel that those things were important, or would I be willing to tolerate them in future relationships?
What wishes did I have for the coming year last New Year’s? What about a year—or five—before that? Have those wishes come true, or are they even relevant anymore?
What art exhibitions, books, or vinyls have I enjoyed the most lately? Sometimes I need a reminder of an author or an artist so I can check whether they’ve published something new.
Of course, there are also really boring entries in my journal, and I doubt I’ll ever read some of them again. But mostly, I value the chance to remember the thoughts I once had and the feelings I once felt. This also helps me whenever I feel lost in my identity and start doubting whether I’m the kind of person I want to be.
I hope that no one I know will ever read my journals after I’ve passed away. I’m okay with the idea of donating them to a project or a museum of some kind, but I feel uncomfortable with the thought of friends or relatives reading them.
2
u/Busy_Vegetable3324 1d ago
It doesn’t have to be for anyone but you. It’s more about the process than the end product. Personally, it helps me clear my head and put things in perspective.
2
u/zerooneoneonezer 23h ago
I only write things that are interesting questions concepts or something out of the norm. For this reason I go back and reread mine all the time to find things that I want to learn more about or remind myself of some truism. I also have a lot of projects/ ideas so it’s good to see those again too.
2
u/WorldPeaceGirl 1d ago
If you think it's interesting enough, you can publish your journal so you can reach those you think it will affect positively. Maybe add a doodle/comic or two too.
0
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
Maybe but Im only one in billions so maybe someone elses is more intetesting.
1
u/Niftydog1163 1d ago
I do not care. I will most likely be dead. Again, charlie browning life unnecessarily.
1
1
u/JarOfDirt0531 20h ago
I have found for myself that as soon as I start creating little “rules” for my journaling, it was doomed to be added to the piles of forgotten journals.
Two years ago I bought a new journal and I told myself that I would have no rules regarding journaling. I decided my journal didn’t have to make linear progressive sense or be grammatically correct. I wouldn’t tell myself I had to put in an entry every day, I wouldn’t tell myself this journal was for my future children only, for people to read after I die only, for me to burn later, or anything else.
And… funny enough this tactic worked for me. My journal has turned into a beautiful work of art, with random sketches and graphs and things that don’t make sense, but it’s something I have actually been able to STICK to, because there’s no expectation :)
1
u/Sea_Deer7471 1d ago
I used to journal when I was younger but they always ended up being found and read by the wrong people so I started talking to myself instead and developed MDD lol
1
u/TangerineOk6005 1d ago
Oh no... you just werent in an environment meant to nurture a wonderful spirit like you. Hope you're doing better nowadays.
1
u/Constant_Nobody4607 7h ago
I write my journal entries w/ the knowledge that my kids will read at least some of it. So, I write mostly truth, w/ plenty of souped up lies, just to screw w/ 'em after I'm gone. I'm laughing, just thinking about it.
103
u/cosmogony99 1d ago
Sometimes I reread, mostly not. The writing is the goal, not to necessarily have a finished notebook. You can throw it away if that suits you better than keeping it on a shelf forever, but many people keep them for sentimental value. It's not a waste if it's served its purpose.