Kati Morton
How to Journal: Start Here | Kati Morton
I'm Kati Morton, a licensed therapist making Mental Health videos!
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hey everybody happy Thursday now today we're gonna talk all about journaling but before I jump into that are you new to my channel welcome I release videos on Mondays and on Thursdays so make sure you're subscribed and have your notifications turned on and I also have a book coming out December 11th you can pre-order through the link in the description but let's get into today's question Katie could you maybe do a video on journaling how do you start what are you write about is there any direction or just what's on your mind and what if your mind is completely blank thank you of course I'll do a video about this I realize I talk about journaling all the time yet I've never really gotten into how to journal and how to start and what if you don't even know what to write down so thanks for asking I think the most common misconception about journaling is that it has to be like keeping a diary where we have to know what we want to write and we have to write it out kind of like in a certain form that it needs to flow it needs to make sense if we read it back like 10 years from now we'd be like oh I remember that day that's not what journaling has to be it can be for some people but the reason journaling can help so much and the reason that I encourage people to do it is because when we can find a way to use it to our benefit and the main benefit being that we have a place to vent or a way to process through all that's going on things that maybe went on in our past or things that are happening today or last week just gives us a place to kind of talk about it and so some people prefer to write it out like a story like hey you know this week's been a little rough it started off with this thing at work and some people like to write it like that kind of in a letter form or a story form but most people don't most of my patients enjoy keeping bullet we call them like I think there's a whole thing now like bullet journals I don't even know if this is really what a bullet journal is I just know that my patients like to do bullet points like today was a good day I got to ride my horse for the first time in 20 you know 20 days or whatever I feel so much better I was I felt anguish and the more anxious in the morning and then later I felt you know happy basic stuff like that just bullet points throughout your day week or you know two or three weeks however often you journal and it could also be something as simple as just tracking your mood or symptoms going back to that kind of bullet idea a lot of my patients who don't like to journal will say that they just write down like three or four emotions they felt that day or symptoms they experienced and especially if we're starting a new medication I always always have my patients track their symptoms as much as they can like at least three days a week for the next month I know that sounds intense but it's important that we note how we're doing because we often when we start medication won't recognize if we have a side effects sometimes because it's not that intense and maybe we think we just ate something weird and that's why we're not just or we won't even know if the medications really working for us because we haven't been tracking how we've been doing and so basically I guess journaling can be just a way to track those symptoms to write down you know today I slept well last night I got seven hours of solid sleep my appetite seems pretty normal my energy levels pretty normal although I got tired right after lunch I know that stuff sounds silly but it's really really helpful when it comes to medication as well as when you're tracking on your treatment plan with your therapist how well you're doing and if you're improving and working towards your goals I also will ask my patients sometimes to bring in their journals whether it's like tracking bullet points of symptoms or it's journals as a whole so that I can take a look at certain entries that they say it's okay and they feel it's appropriate but it allows me to see how the tools that I'm asking them to use are working when I'm not with them oftentimes we forget how things are really going in a week can feel like a really long time and so keeping track and a journal just jotting some things down can help your therapist stay on point with you and meet you where you're at so that I know what you're working on I know what's working or not and then I can adapt what I'm doing with you so that you get better more quickly and feel like you know we're in it together and so those kinds of bullet points and tracking symptoms are things you can do when your mind is just blank and you don't even know where to start and I find that if we actually do have a lot that maybe we need to vent because the whole goal of journaling is to have a place where you can vent all that you're going through safely and healthfully versus using an unhealthy coping skill you know like drinking self-injury eating disorders overspending any of that stuff anyways what I find is is that when we do that basic tracking if we have a lot to share it comes out anyways while we're just writing down what's happening and how we're feeling we can be prompted in while we're writing to be like oh yeah and then that thing was really frustrating and then and we can fill pages and pages of our journal without even realizing it thinking that our mind was blanking me weren't able to and I honestly hypothesize that's because it can we can feel like pressure to journal we can feel pressure to tell a story when in reality we maybe don't have a full story we just have like this situation it's really frustrating and then we're feeling all of this and so if we like sneak our way in by distracting symptoms in tracking how we're doing then everything else comes out and that's when journaling really like works for us and also I just want to mention that journaling doesn't work for everybody some not at all some of my patients don't even like to track any symptoms and I have to like really push them to do at least tell me three to five emotions they felt that day if that's the case there's art and music we can collage while we think about what's going on we can you know if we play guitar or sing you can make a song up while you think about you know the past couple of weeks of your life or the day that's been really hard or really good I encourage you to use other art forms and other things to express what we're going through and that's a really cool thing if you sculpt if you want a scope if you you know if you like like I said collages or any other painting any kind of form of an art that you can pull out that can also be another way to express all that may be going on in our head because I find that most of us aren't even aware of what's going on in fact when I was writing my book I had asked a bunch of people in my life like my mom and Sean and some of my close friends like hey could you give me some examples I'm gonna include these things in the book like three to five emotions that you feel and a lot of them were like I don't even know how do I figure it out and I realized at that point I was like oh my god most of us don't even check in and so just finding some way to check in meditation is even a good thing or doing yoga all of this can surprisingly bring up what's going on inside that we might not even be privy to a lot of times we're stuffing things down and going about our day not even engaging and so I think that that's truly why journaling is so beneficial but again journaling can come in many forms for many different people I hope you found that helpful what a great question I think this will really help a lot of people who hear me talk about journaling how important it is all the time and don't even know where to start but if you have any tips and tricks on how you've gotten started in journaling or what form of journaling you use we will let us know in those comments down below and I will see you next time I you
#Journal #Start #Kati #Morton
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Journaling is something I want to learn to do so this vid is helpful, many thanks Kati and many thanks to the person who asked the question
This was helpful. Journaling has always felt like a chore and never made me feel better. It took so long to get out very little bc it was like a story I was trying to explain to someone else, not just getting to the meat and potatoes of what I needed to express. I like the bullet point idea. Tried it just now and felt a lot less tedious and like I got something out of it.
Wow. Thank you for your work ❤ I’m starting a new healing journal with help from your videos
Absolutely a Great Took https://youtube.com/shorts/KQRjUfmn7aY?si=QKBPNW7xE0gN6TSO
1:47 the Lakers beat the Supersonics.
For me its seeming to help hold my thoughts down. Instead of my brain being a thought blender, it makes me have to slow down my thinking. Even if im writing stories, or thoughts, to have to presently transcribe thought helps me get some organized thinking, as opposed to the constant buzzsaw of inner monologue
ive been so against joirnalong or writing things out becuz ive been paranoid about people seeing what i writr about. i now just write whatverr comes on my mind becuz i truamaa dump so mich on my friends it caused me to lose friends and i noticed i didnt have to tell everyone evrything. i can literally have like liteally 1 hr converaations with myself if i just tell it everyhting i have on my mind than just go directly to friends about my probelms. by the way im on my first day of this writijg on my notes app so im want to see how this goes
my biggest issue is, i don’t want anyone to read my journal. i enjoy journaling, but i feel like i have to censor myself, or i will downplay how i’m feeling because how i feel every day isn’t interesting.
i love writing, i just struggle with opening up, even in a “safe space.”
A time to ‘Check In’ is a million dollar idea. Thank you.
This is a really helpful intro to journalling.
This is a really helpful introduction to journalling.
Bullet notes are part of Bullet Journal system, yes. Namely they are called "notes" in daily log and have special sign. For futher info I recommend to look into Ryder Carroll book (he created BuJo method)
Dear diary,
My moods today:
– angry
– angry
– angry
– angry
Aargh I've given up on journaling because I'm one of those people writing entire stories, watching the grammar and sentences, not only that but decorating each page… made it too hard for myself. Even made the journal myself to make it more special but instead I took the joy and purpose out of it. Starting over again lol
Every year on my birthday I write my future self a letter for 2 years into the future. Also, every decade I write for the decade ahead (at 20 I wrote to my 30 year old self) and every half decade (at 25 I also wrote to my 30 year old self) they make amazing birthday presents every year! I turned 30 this year (2022) and had a letter from myself at 20 (before meeting my husband) at 25 (after 3 years of marriage) and at 28 (after a year of motherhood) it was awesome!
For me, audio journaling takes less effort and can be maintained easier. I have a dedicated dictaphone, but any smartphone can record voice. During a walk or while driving alone in a car, I can record what's on my mind, and journaling is done. When and if to revisit or analyze recordings, is not so important, in fact, I rarely listen to them. For me, journaling helps to release those thoughts from my mind, so I can better concentrate on work or any other task at hand, instead of ruminating about things I can not change. I know that those thoughts are "captured" in audio recording, and I can forget about them.
Thanks for Sharing this inspiring video
I quote song lyrics or quote from books/movies.
Or make a music playlist related to how I feel when I dont even understand what my feeling is
I prefer writing to someone when I need to express an opinion . I began correspondence with Silvia at 12-ish
I have tried it but nothing ever changed or got better I have Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s dementia
Hi Kati. Just wanted to drop a comment to tell you how much I love your videos. I stumbled across one of your videos while looking for online therapy reviews (although after further research I realized I can't even afford it..) Your videos are amazing because they are so informative. The way you explain each point is so thorough and easy to understand. The examples you describe are so relatable and the tips you give are practical. Most importantly I like how inclusive your content is. Like the way you mentioned journaling might not be for everyone and that singing a song about your emotions could work too. Thank you for blessing me with your knowledge and heart. Keep doing what you're doing!
Did she get a hiccup at 0:07 …😂😂
If I vent daily in my journal will it become my habit? I have lot going on n wanna vent I know it's in my head and bad mindset . I feel may be writing it is just giving myself sympathy n reason to justify it n not change
This is such a coincidence, I just started journaling today, and came to the realization that it'll help me with my stress, in that it will help me vent (because I'm just using it more as a brain dump, or a stream of consciousness), and now I'm seeing a lot of videos saying the same thing!
I personally like to do voice memos as a way to journal. I can tell a lot from my tone of voice and stream of consciousness that way. I can also speak a lot faster than I can write. 🙂
I bet my internet history would show how I’m doing on a given day/week
I started my journal with a written promise to myself that it didn't matter how much or what I put in the journal, so it's filled with to-dos, plans, day descriptions, random reflections, and sketches. So far it's gone a lot better than the journal I kept when I was little. I also write with the journals you read in the fiction section at the library in mind. You're supposed to be able to follow a plot and stuff for those, so I write like that because I like having context and pretending to have a (mostly sympathetic) audience.
I keep a Journal because I suffer from depression ever since I was a kid and write ✍️ down my thoughts and feelings in my little diary and it helps me to cope with everything but it hard to open up at time deo
Almost all the time it's difficult to get started but am seeking to better practice forming a habit for a journaling practice but first need to over the fear and Anxiety over the Blank page.
Thank you this has been really beneficial for me. I never knew where to start when it came to journaling and always felt pressured to make it into a story and have it make sense when I doesn’t need to be. The bullet point idea is just what my mind needed. Keep making this awesome videos they truly have helped me 🙂
I started about a week ago and it's been great. Kinda feels like a therapy session with yourself. Just dump everything out.
Something I like to do is write my mood down along with the time. If my mood is sad I practice gratitude, so write 3 things that I'm greatful for.
How I journal:
– write a short diary of the day
– track my mood
– write at least 3 positive things of the day no matter how small or big (tasty food, calling a friend)
– reflect on myself and write tips to improve the situation next time
– I write random thoughts and poems to have an outlet
The first three things I do every day and the other ones are there for when I need it or want to enjoy myself:)
I don't journal but think the pen and paper is a good way to tell your shrink what you feel or what happened without actually saying it face to face. Or after the fact you think of more things you want to work on but couldn't think of right there when they ask.
Either way make notes and either hand it to them or read it to them.
That way your not on the spot but important info gets passed along to work on. I guess I do notes lol.
How do you do when you want to journal but you don't trust your family because there is no boundaries and respect so they might find your journal and read it…?
I usally jot down my concerns mental and physical so I know to mention them to my dr on my monthly appointment without missing anything
I don’t know if you will even see this since so much time has passed since you posted this video but I will share anyway. I have been in therapy and anti depression medication for years. I started journaling this past year and I cannot believe how helpful it has been. Every day that I journal I get more done and feel more positive. I just write in a spiral notebook. For years I have set goals – the same goals year after year and no movement ever on any of them. Over the last couple of months I have really begun to focus in on those goals with the most focus going to one specific goal. I am making headway and I feel optimistic and that is unusual for me. Give journaling a try – it is incredible!!!
A bullet journal is a totally blank journal like a notepad but instead of the paper being totally plain or lined the pages are covered in an array of very small dots. Some people find them easier to work with so they're less constrained by lines but have more structure than plain paper. I haven't used on myself yet, I've been using lined notebooks as bullet journals cost a lot more for some reason, they seem to be very popular by language learners and some polyglots on YouTube.
i get really really attached to strangers who r nice really fast needless to say you are so nice ;-;