By Books Author Denise Turney

Journal writing aids self-discovery because it’s a safe way to be curious about yourself. Yet, that’s not all. Writing in a journal is a form of personal research. Although you can just start writing freestyle. To dig deeper inside your psyche, there are certain types of journal writing that might prove more helpful.

Topical Journal Writing

Topical journal writing is when you identify a specific topic or experience that you want to write about. For instance, if you realize that you have developed a pattern of being attracted to jobs or people who leave you feeling drained and taken advantage of, you could write about this pattern.

Reaching the point of self-discovery calls for freestyle writing about the pattern. Keep your writing focused on the pattern. Ask probing and clarifying questions. Types of questions you could ask yourself include:

• When did I start feeling attracted to relationships, work and/or personal, that generate feelings of fatigue and abuse?
• Why did it take me so long to realize that I had developed this pattern? Am I trying to hide something from myself? What am I trying to protect myself from?
• Do I remember feeling fatigued or uncomfortable around someone when I was a kid? What was this person like?
• How can I start to interrupt then break this pattern while loving myself and others?

Self-Discovery Support

Should your psyche currently be fragile, consider working with an ethical, licensed and experienced therapist as you do this work. Also, pay attention to your dreams (more about dreams later).

Return to topical journal writing as you continue the art of self-discovery. This is not a one-and-done process. Instead, it’s a lifelong journey.

Age Stage Journal Writing Descriptions

Use your journal to create descriptions of yourself at different ages. As an example, you could write a description of the preschool you. Write about your preschool self until you feel there is nothing left to write. Other ages you could write about in your journal are:

• What you were like when you were in the third grade (Write about key experiences you had, friends and how you perceived yourself.)
• Middle school (What were the middle school years like for you? How smoothly did you transition from elementary school to middle school?)
• High school years (Looking back, were your high school years fun and exciting, a time of adventure? Did you struggle to feel like you belonged? Had you started to take smart risks or were you living on the edge?)
• College life (If you went to college, how did you perceive life while you were in college? Was this a time when you entered a serious romantic relationship? Had you discovered one or more of your passions by this time?)
• Adulthood (Within adulthood, you could write about your late 20s or what it was like to become a parent, if you have children. Other experiences you could write about include jobs you worked and why you choose those particular jobs.)

Link Between Family History and Journaling Self-Discovery

Learning more about your family is part of the path to self-discovery. Similar to the way elders once wrote family genealogy in the family Bible, you could use your journal to write about your genealogy. In addition to writing down your family tree, write about your relationship with family members you had close and distant relationships with.

As you continue to write, don’t be surprised if you find links between what you write about a certain stage in your life and a relationship you have with one or more family members. For instance, you might have spent a lot of time with your maternal grandmother during your elementary and middle school years.

Your grandmother’s courage and her work in the family and community, how she empowered others, might have had a great impact on you. Her smarts and the way she communicated with relatives, neighbors and other community members might have inspired the good works that you do where you live.

Fun with Journaling

The longer you engage in journal writing, the more you will notice how you’re changing. Continue to ask yourself probing questions. To get the most out of journal writing, be courageous enough to be completely honest with yourself.

Make writing in a journal fun too. Regarding self-discovery, there may be fewer ways to peek inside your subconscious than it is to write down your dreams. If you rarely recall your dreams when you wake, keep your journal and a pen at your bedside.

Jot down notes about your dreams as soon as you have them and start to awaken. When it comes to dreams that you recall just before you get out of bed for the day, take time to write down the full details of those dreams.

Lifelong Journal Writing

The more you write about the details of your dreams in your journal, the more you might recall your dreams. And you won’t just recall your dreams, you might recall greater details in your dreams. Once this happens, you might spot symbols, patterns and recurring themes in your dreams.

There may be fewer effective ways to watch your subconscious thoughts at work. Another benefit associated with this type of journal writing is the ability to become aware of future events. As surprising as it might sound, you could very well be your best friend, looking out for yourself, preparing yourself for the future.