Uncovering Your Joy: Using a Personal Journal to Discover a Life Filled with Happiness
Author Tristine Rainer wrote "Happiness within a diary has less to do with the events you encounter in life than with the way you experience the process of living." Because a diary mirrors how you perceive and deal with events, it can be used for developing the capacity to more fully experience joy.
Do you use your journal only for problem-solving, dark days, sorrowful feelings, or depressive thoughts? If so, why not start recording the happiness's as well. In fact, why not keep a special Joy Journal? That way, when you're having a bad day, just pull out your Joy Journal and re-experience the small happiness's.
Will keeping a journal actually bring you joy? No. However, many diarists have used their journals to alter their perceptions and in the process achieve a joy filled life. For example, Rainer cites one woman's first attempt at writing positive emotions, after years of negative entries:
"As we walked to the fruit stand at twilight, I was overcome with ecstasy. Each house had a new charm and a story to tell. Colors seemed to have been applied with a brush. At the stand each orange demanded a caress. . . "
Do you see how an everyday walk to the store became a sensory delight? All because the writer began to alter her perception of the experience.
To begin your Joy Journal, we suggest a Rainer-inspired technique called a List of Joys. Use this technique to collect the joyful moments of your life. You can list things that make you happy on a routine basis (like watching a sunset), or extraordinary events that put a smile on your face. Your list might look something like this:
1. I really, really, really felt the grass between my toes and it made me feel like one living creature (me) was intimately communicating with another (the grass).
2. Listening to of Lorena McKinnett's Dante's Prayer filled my body with an intense rush of love. How could anyone write something so unearthly beautiful?
3. I rode my bicycle today and the feeling of the breeze rushing through my hair made me feel like I was 10 years old. What joy!
Help balance those serious, difficult days by re-reading your Joy Journal, and remembering that life IS filled with moments of pure happiness.
Copyright 2004 Patti Testerman
Journal Genie, The Website That Talks Back
http://www.journalgenie.com
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included and the resource box is left unchanged. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.
About The Author
Patti Testerman is content manager at JournalGenie.com, the only online site that analyzes your writing and then gives you instant feedback. Discover self-defeating patterns, find better ways to communicate in relationships. Contact her at mailto:patti@journalgenie.com
Latest News
guardian.co.uk | Twitter hacker says admin password was 'happiness' Los Angeles Times, CA - Happiness. The hack victim, a Twitter staffer who goes by the name Crystal on the social network, used that nine-letter word as the password for her account ... Twitter Hacker Says Admin Password Was 'Happiness' Simple, brute-force dictionary attack was used on Twitter Password guessing attack exposed in Twitter pwn |
Ten Ways To Be Happier Now Forbes, NY - It might seem that happiness is in short supply these days. Still-slumping housing prices, bleak consumer spending, high unemployment and a recession are ... |
The Sun | Ofsted rates children's happiness The Press Association - The data gives each local authority a score on five different measures - the emotional health of children (happiness), bullying, participation in "positive" ... Inner London teenagers least likely to take drugs Half of all pupils are bully victims Region's children happiest in country, data shows |
Get High on Happiness: Jewishinstlouis.org, MO - By Max Weiman According to the Book of Creation, (an ancient kabbalistic book written by the patriarch, Abraham) every month has a Hebrew letter associated ... |
![]() Metro | Twitter 'happiness' hack exposed Britney Metro, UK - ... but then discovered she was a staff member called Crystal with access to all profiles and passwords. Her simple password, Happiness, was easy to crack. |
It's Never Too Late: Happiness Now! Examiner.com - OK So sometime in December I was minding my own business and I get this email that I missed because I was very busy minding my own business but actually the ... |
Bihar government jobs bringing happiness but with pain Indian Muslims, CA - By Abdul Wahid Azad, During the last few years some positive changes took place in the Indian province of Bihar which was earlier dubbed as BIMARU state of ... |
It's Nothing but Happiness For Kate and Len PopSugar.com, CA - Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman traveled with Lily from London to LA over the weekend and then hit the streets for some grocery shopping yesterday. ... |
Happiness in hockey Morgan Hill Times, CA - At the Sharks Ice in San Jose, a hodgepodge group of men sporting full hockey pads, carrying sticks and wearing face masks emerges from the rink-side locker ... |
Happiness is ... Enid News & Eagle, OK - Ask each one their definition of happiness and you would likely get 6.7 billion different answers. Some people say being rich would make them happy, ... |
Resources
-
Save Your Relationship, Save Your Marriage, Stop Your Divorce, Stop Your Break Ups, Broken Heart Adv
Save Relationship, Broken Heart, Breakup, Breaking up Advice, Save Marriage, Stops Divorce, Bring Back Lost Love
-
Mind Power Studio; the power of affirmations, subliminal messages and subconscious mind for self imp
Discover the power of affirmations, subliminal messages, self improvement,subconscious mind with Mind Power Studio
-
Mind Control Secrets for a Lifetime of Health, Happiness and Success
25 of the World's Great Masters Reveal the Secrets of Creating Wealth and Prosperity with the Power of Your Mind.
-
Eliminate Negative Thinking, Achieve Your Dreams - RightandWrongThinking.info
Take charge of your life and create the success and Happiness you want and deserve! Learn how to eliminate negative thoughts, control your mind and achieve your dreams. Why Learning to Control Negative Thoughts is the Key to Your Achieving Success!
-
Conquering Fear
Discover how to conquer fear.
-
The Motivated Mind - A Complete Guide to Personal Change
Motivation tips and techniques to help you achieve greater Happiness and success.
-
Mind Control Secrets for a Lifetime of Health, Happiness and Success
Step-by-step instructions in this absolute beginner's guide to using mind power for wealth.
-
Your Quantum Leap into the Understanding, Having and Enjoying of Immense Wealth and Happiness
Your Quantum Leap to Understanding, Having and Enjoying Immense Wealth & Happiness.
-
The Master Key System - Charles F. Haanel
The Master Key System by Charles Haanel. A 24-part course on achievement and success. Also, free books by Thomas Troward.
-
Yoga Health Secrets: relaxation, stress-relief, health and inner peace
Yoga Health Secrets is a comprehensive guide to yogic techniques for Happiness and good health.
