Daily Journal

[Ava32]

My councillor told me to keep a journal of things I do during the day because rarely do I remember the whole day and I dissociate and do things without remembering. What exactly did she mean by this? I really should have asked her to clarify.

 

[Abstract]

I can only tell you how I did it. I had a similar situation to you without realising it at the time. I just realised something was wrong.

What I did was write in my diary every evening. I started at the beginning of the day and wrote out each of the things I did and what happened in them. Who I interacted with what I felt. Usually it would be hard and emotions were totally absent. As I went on I started to find it easier.

Doing this had many benefits. It started training me to be more self aware. More present. My brain started getting used to needing to notice what happened around me and what I felt at the time. Often I found that I had to logically deduce what I would have felt and then look for it.

Doing this was life changing for me. It also helped me sort through the tidal wave of seemingly random emotions that hit me in the evening every day. The displaced stuff that I sectioned off from myself and then hit later in a boomerang action.

Good luck. I hope it helps you like it did me. It took time so be patient and keep going....

 

[Andydh127]

I also keep a journal. It started out as a "to-do list" i.e. There were a few things pissing me off one day about 4 years ago and I wrote them down and 4 years later, it has become a journal. It's very therapeutic and helps my memory function better. Making a journal entry feels kind of like chatting to a really good friend as it brings out the honest feelings of the days events regardless of how mundane they were...