Journaling was one of the greatest tools to help me cope with depression.
During the treatment I've discovered that the condition was in fact because I didn't have balance in my life (too much work, studying, exercising, and almost no rest, leisure, bad diet, etc...).
One of the therapists suggested at the time that, I started to write what came to my mind 3x a day.
This practice helped to clean my mind when I was full of thoughts, and it seemed like I couldn't control, and after you started to feel more at easy, insights would occur.
And this, because, as said in the quote by Paul Graham, and as said by Jordan Peterson, "Writing is formalized thinking".
Writing is an incredibly useful activity regardless of whether you are writing professionally or simply journalling to benefit yourself on a personal basis. Terry Pratchett indicated that one should always write at least 400 words a day, it gets the writing muscles supple and polished as as well as as practised in retrieving better words for better prose. Richard Dansky is a professional game writer and indicates that a lot of times words build up like Flotsam and Jetsam around the kitchen sink drain that need to be flushed and by writing over and over during the day you get this Flotsam and Jetsam out of your way so that you can write the good words.
Writing also accesses a different part of the brain than simply speaking , it contains a whole additional level of thought , allowing comprehension and coherent construction as well as oiling comprehension and assisting in meditation.
As a side note, one of my duties as a "Strength Management Officer" at 98th Division Training in Rochester NY was to write "White Papers". These were requested by our higher HQ at "First Army"! As "one pagers", these talked about current policies, and proposed policies. This I did while I was on Active Guard Reserve Duty for 3 years, and in line to become Master of Webster Masonic Lodge No. 538 near Rochester NY.
I personally keep a journal, and it definitely helps me think. But there is an element of writing I think we are really missing, "letters." In the past, much of what we know about people's thoughts, and events, is captured in letters exchanged between family, friends, and colleagues. Beautiful, personal, meaningful letters. If you compare a 19th century letter with a modern email, you'll see that the convenience of an email, and the relieve difficulty in sending a letter, make the writing in the letter more mindful. I really miss letters, and I think history will too.
Strangely enough, I started my first journal about 2 hours ago. It wasn't much. Seven lines and a poem, which is strange as I've never written a poem. And that proves to me that the written word is very much different than the typed word.
If writing important to Freemasonry? I believe it is, but I can't put it into words yet as to why. I'm just discovering it myself.
Journaling was one of the greatest tools to help me cope with depression.
During the treatment I've discovered that the condition was in fact because I didn't have balance in my life (too much work, studying, exercising, and almost no rest, leisure, bad diet, etc...).
One of the therapists suggested at the time that, I started to write what came to my mind 3x a day.
This practice helped to clean my mind when I was full of thoughts, and it seemed like I couldn't control, and after you started to feel more at easy, insights would occur.
And this, because, as said in the quote by Paul Graham, and as said by Jordan Peterson, "Writing is formalized thinking".
Writing is an incredibly useful activity regardless of whether you are writing professionally or simply journalling to benefit yourself on a personal basis. Terry Pratchett indicated that one should always write at least 400 words a day, it gets the writing muscles supple and polished as as well as as practised in retrieving better words for better prose. Richard Dansky is a professional game writer and indicates that a lot of times words build up like Flotsam and Jetsam around the kitchen sink drain that need to be flushed and by writing over and over during the day you get this Flotsam and Jetsam out of your way so that you can write the good words.
Writing also accesses a different part of the brain than simply speaking , it contains a whole additional level of thought , allowing comprehension and coherent construction as well as oiling comprehension and assisting in meditation.
As a side note, one of my duties as a "Strength Management Officer" at 98th Division Training in Rochester NY was to write "White Papers". These were requested by our higher HQ at "First Army"! As "one pagers", these talked about current policies, and proposed policies. This I did while I was on Active Guard Reserve Duty for 3 years, and in line to become Master of Webster Masonic Lodge No. 538 near Rochester NY.
I personally keep a journal, and it definitely helps me think. But there is an element of writing I think we are really missing, "letters." In the past, much of what we know about people's thoughts, and events, is captured in letters exchanged between family, friends, and colleagues. Beautiful, personal, meaningful letters. If you compare a 19th century letter with a modern email, you'll see that the convenience of an email, and the relieve difficulty in sending a letter, make the writing in the letter more mindful. I really miss letters, and I think history will too.
Strangely enough, I started my first journal about 2 hours ago. It wasn't much. Seven lines and a poem, which is strange as I've never written a poem. And that proves to me that the written word is very much different than the typed word.
If writing important to Freemasonry? I believe it is, but I can't put it into words yet as to why. I'm just discovering it myself.