I started to post this in mental health and decided to post here instead as it veered into creative writing.
From around 9 - 32 I wrote diaries / journals.
It started when I was about 5 and I fell out with a girl at school. I told DM and her response was that I could write down how I felt in the form of a letter. I'm not sure if that was the right response to that, but around 9 I started a diary.
A lot of it in my teen years was all about friendships and relationships. Some of it was family worries. Lots of encouraging myself.
I also wrote a lot in my mid 20s as there were more family worries, I journalled about time I spent abroad to document it. I had some journals in my late 20s which mainly focused on a relationship I was in that wasn't working.
After that relationship ended, I'm not sure why but I threw out the earlier diaries. A big regret as I'm sure they were hilarious in parts.
I do still have some of the older ones. I think they are a bit anguished (just couldn't see word for trees with the relationship - oh how I needed mumsnet then!). Also a lot of the writing was...how to say it, stressed. It was often me just word vomiting I need to do this, that, I'm really stressed about this etc.
I've since been diagnosed with ADHD so I get it now.
Slight detour to the story- I upgraded my smart phone around 2017/18 and since then I have a massive mumsnet habit.
I came on to look up egg freezing and never left. I decided not to have children, but I've had some health and mental health things which it's been helpful with. Sometimes I look at the S&B board, weight loss for inspiration, chat to see what's what, and sometimes AIBU for amusement. I like to reply and I'm not even sure why- I like feeling like I'm being helpful I guess. Other than MN, I deleted Instagram and I don't use Facebook much.
What I'd like to do is cutback my MN use, but I need to replace it. I love writing, I think through writing
Before I got the smart phone I had a very long commute, and I'd spend that time doing life admin on my mobile, so I think I need to reintroduce a life admin hour after work as it's quite a good transition activity.
But I'd also like to journal, hopefully in a less stressed way.
Barriers to this are:
1 With the advent of social media, I'm judging my own writing. I feel like it's pointless and self indulgent if it's not going to be published (this is my issue I know!). I feel like I need to come up with some kind of theme. Turn it into an annual project. Measure it in some way. This is too extreme.
2 How to structure it? Equally though I don't want it to be a stressy emotional rant. Lots of suggestions online for journal questions - I need a way of giving myself some time for stream of consciousness writing.
3 To journal, or to write? Maybe doing the Artists Way book might help? It might help me get in touch with my creative side again which I feel I've lost somewhat. Maybe the journalling could turn into writing projects. Maybe I just need to always have writing projects going on. When I was a kid I used to spend my summer holidays writing creative essays 🤣, and won a prize for writing, but I didn't want to become an author as I thought it would be lonely. But maybe I do just need to write little and often every day.
4 How to just get started and stick to it?
Any experiences, feedback, tips for sparking my curiosity welcome.