Is It Normal For Non-ptsd Victims To Keep A Journal?

[Tei-Saji]

I've been self-conscious about keeping one because if I do keep one, it would be a sign that I would still need a journal to recover, that I'm reliant on it for help. Do people without PTSD keep journals/diaries, and is it considered normal? I'm not worried about it being discovered, but I am ambivalent about keeping one because it would be a sign that I still have PTSD.

 

[SeanCharles]

Sure, people keep them for a variety of different reasons.

 

[darrenS]

many many people keep a journal or a diary, it can be an excellent way to keep track of whats going on etc, and also good at looking back on to see how far you have come, but having said that i myself have been hopeless at trying to maintain a journal for ptsd or any other thing, its not that i relate to keeping a journal as an identifier for ptsd, its just im too damn lazy :)..But many others swear by them and i know a few very successful people that keep them as a matter of personal management

 

[Tei-Saji]

Okay, thanks guys.

 

[Friday]

Many of the most famous ones are published. Virginia Woolf & the Diary of Anne Frank, are just two of thousands that come to mind. Spanning hundreds of years and dozens of countries.

It's part of why in many wills there was a standard clause where "personal papers" were instructed to be burned until recently.

More modernly, people tend to blog more than journal. Which is essentially an online public diary. Not a new concept; many people journaled with the express purpose of publishing them at some later date. Just as many others never intended anyone but themselves to read their journals.

 

[falling_wave]

I keep a journal on an app which also has a rating graph for my mood. I journal and then rate what my mood is and what level. I can then go back and see how much I have improved or when things fell down etc. If I've been doing well for a while it's actually a great tool to keep me aware of that and show progress.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Yes, normies keep journals, too.

 

[Fadeaway]

I have never associated journals with PTSD before. I think it is a very non PTSD thing to do.

but I am ambivalent about keeping one because it would be a sign that I still have PTSD.

I assume you are talking about a remission of symptoms?

 

[Suzetig]

I've kept a journal on and off for most of my adult life, it's a good tool for me to mark progress, set goals and express feelings. At the moment it's full of trauma processing stuff, but that's not always been the case.

 

[shrinkingviolet]

I've used a poetry book myself, more imagery that I've been comfortable with to deal with my trauma memories and feelings.

 

[Changing4Best]

I have kept journals for different purposes over the years, ones that I hold onto are my prayer journals. I would write prayers in them and then read them back later on, to see how many prayers have been answered. This is very important to me to know, especially when I am awaiting an answer to a prayer I have just prayed. It is a hope builder. These journals have nothing to do with PTSD, but instead faith.

 

[WhisperingUnicorn]

Yes, normies keep journals, too.

NORMIES?? *giggle!*