Journaling

 Writing has always been a therapeutic activity for me. Journaling while an adolescent helped me to make sense of friends and social situations. I practiced using correct punctuation or vocabulary (because I am nerdy like that) when describing conversations. For years I wrote in my personal journal religiously. But somewhere in the last decade I derailed a bit. Sporadic and inconsistent are better descriptors to how often I journal. I would like to say that I will get better and be more dedicated, but likely not. Writing personal goals and dreams frankly scares me a bit. I spend most days just working at my librarian job and I come home exhausted. My remaining time is spent doing housework and helping my family with various tasks. So often I think, "Wow! I really just want to spend a day reflecting on my life and focus in on how to become better." But it doesn't happen. Those desires get swallowed up in the busyness of everyday life. I hope that Heavenly Father has mercy on people like me who have great intentions, but never seem to change very much. I truly believe I was a better version of myself about a decade ago when I was a stay-at-home mom who could exercise, read scriptures, visit my neighbors and take care of my family. I think one aspect of that perceived progress was journaling. I believe in the quote, "We do not learn from experience. . . We learn from reflecting on experience."  Journaling was key to that reflecting. Looking back helps one make sense of experiences and feelings. I want to have that be part of my life again. As a way to better take care of my mental health, I think journaling needs to be a more regular activity than once or twice a year.