• Home
  • Connect
    • Links
    • PSAP Directory
  • Training
    • ENP
    • About 9-1-1
  • Officers
    • President
    • 1st Vice President
    • 2nd Vice President
    • Secretary
    • Treasurer
    • Immediate Past President
  • Committees
    • Conference Committee >
      • Conference Committee Blog
      • 2012 Conference Pictures
      • 2013 Conference Photos
    • Legislative Committee >
      • Legislative Committee Blog
    • Media and Outreach Committee >
      • Media and Outreach Committee Blog
    • MOTERT Comittee >
      • Motert Committee Blog
    • Nominating Committee >
      • Nominating Committee Blog
  • Contact Us
  • News
  • Awards
  • Members
MISSOURI CHAPTER OF NENA

Sifting through the CHAOS-Journaling

4/30/2012

0 Comments

 
Do you Journal?

A really good friend of mine made mention of this practice in a presentation she was doing.  It was the only way she could remember what had happened during and in the aftermath of the Joplin tornado.  You know how things, minutes, and days just run together?  I'm sure she felt as though she'd never come out of the other end.  So it was a way for her to document what was going on.  It got me to thinking.  What a better way to remember what goes on in our lives than to write it down.  Remember, if it's not logged, it didn't happen.

During the really important moments of my life, I've written down feelings, thoughts, and detailed what's going on around me. I have datebooks scattered throughout my home and at work with bits and pieces of life.  But, I've never looked at Journaling as a way to cope with everyday life. 

My family survived the '93 flood.  We are Missouri River bottom farmers.  We moved in with my mother-in-law for three months.  I had three children,  ages 9, 7, and almost 2.  My two year old was potty trained and we'd weaned him from "the binkie" and bottle, and almost instantly he reverted back to diapers, binkie, and bottle.  (He'd kill me if he knew I was talking about him!)  We were slammed with the very real possibility of losing everything, our crops, our home, and our way of living.  So you see why I say survived.  I had to rationalize what was happening some way.  So I put it down on paper.  I journaled every day about what was going on, how I was feeling, what my children were doing, and feeling.  It was one of the ways I worked through what was happening to me and those I dearly loved.  It actually put things in perspective; regardless of what material things we lost, repaired, replaced, as long as my family was safe and sound, we were good! 
  
My life is probably just as chaotic, just in a different way, so I decided to take it up again.


Putting your thoughts into black and white, can put them into perspective and clarifies them.  You get to know yourself better.  You can find out what makes you happy and confident.  Journaling also is known to reduce stress.  Writing about emotions helps release the intensity.  Through Journaling you can solve problems more effectively.  It can trigger creativity and intuition.  Rather than stewing over a disagreement, Journaling can enable you to work through it.  Journaling can enable you to track your progress of accomplishment of goals.  Journaling is a great tool to record your life for future generations.  Journaling improves communication by exploring new words and ways of thinking. 

Ultimately, Journaling can empower you. 

Be prepared for the questions-what are you doing, what are you writing about (especially from your husband), can I read it?  That's entirely up to you, but for me my journal is MINE!  It's private.  It's my innermost thoughts, feelings, dreams, and goals.  It's also my anger, rantings, cussings, and unhappiness.  

So I challenge you to Journal.  Take 20 minutes a day, dump your thoughts on paper, and start over again!

Walk the talk, E 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Thoughts and words from our President, 
    Elizabeth Pierson ENP RPL

    Archives

    June 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
    monena_by-laws.docx
    File Size: 40 kb
    File Type: docx
    Download File