Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
Has anyone here kept therapy journals in both manual and digital formats? Do you note differences in the therapuetic value of the two formats?
I started keeping a therapy journal -sporadically- in the late 60s. An electric typewriter was the closest to a digital format available then and for the next decade or so. I maintained my hand-written therapy journal until well into the 21st century while keeping a variety of blogs across social media, beginning with the pre-internet BBS (Bulliten Board Services). The shift to keeping my therapy journal in digital was in slow fits and starts, but pretty much complete by the time I began my journal here on DS in 2012.
In recent months I have reverted to my old spiral notebooks for therapy journaling. I believe I am noting some important diffs. I think. Maybe. For sure I miss the editing functions of digital journaling but ? ? ? Could the manual method be reaching more deeply into my organic neural network?
Am I making any sense, whatsoever? It's okay if I am not making sense. Just testing. . . I be a testy wench by Nature.
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I did the dumbest thing today. I charged my earbuds, unplugged the block and put the block in my little bag instead of the earbuds. I wasn't happy about that when I got to the gym. What a dummy!
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Ever since I stopped doing therapy because of insurance, I've been feeling that old tense and irritable sense of anxiety and stress. I hate that. I was making so many strides and changes during therapy, my therapist would acknowledge all of my progress and accomplishments, and I miss that reassurance. Today I thought about it, and I made those changes! She would always tell me that I chose to...
I find both to be helpful, but there is something about pen and paper... I've been told that writing it out on paper activates the brain in a different way and we process the information differently. I don't know if that's true or not. Since most of us spend more time transferring thoughts from our head to words on a keyboard these days maybe we're evolving and that's changing. Who knows, but, like I said, there is something about putting pen to paper that just feels different.
One, with pen and paper, you're processing the information through the actual procedure of motion of every single letter into words, then into sentences.
When I do the snowball word in pen and paper, often words show up that do not make it digitally.
Both are helpful, because when using digital writing, I have found thoughts pushing out through similar words that help me figure out a 'wall'.
Being able to use pen and paper, has given me some interesting 'wall' views as well.
Here's to finding what works and making the most of the moment!
So what you're saying makes total sense to me :) From one testy wench to another!
In the early 90's, I suffered tendon seizures in my right arm from advanced carpul tunnel. This forced me to learn how to right left-handed. Many of the subtle diffs I am feeling now feel quite similar to my memories of that effort.
Still sorting. . .
Trivia question
According to the left/right brain theories, left-handers are in their right minds and right-handers are in their left mind. Are the ambidextrous of their whole minds?
Interesting!
I also agree that my handwriting says almost as much about my mood/state of mind is what I'm writing. Another thing that the digital world just cannot convey.
Alas, I have had little choice but to use digital journals - to avoid being snuck into and read by scrupulous eyes who take my feelings too personally for their self definition. Tough spot.
And I love your stories and insights arfie. You have helped this stranger from afar many times in the past months. So, I hope you keep on writing digitally. :)