Family Therapy Podcast
Two cousins get together to discuss recent events & hot topics with insight from their generational differences and outlook on today's society & culture. Warren and Erica offer commentary on entertainment and music industry news. This podcast welcomes listeners a peak into their unique upbringing with hilarious stories and general life survival guides.
Family Therapy Podcast
Deep Dive | JOURNALING & THE IMPORTANCE OF WRITING THINGS DOWN
In this deep dive, we explore the multifaceted world of journaling - far beyond the stereotypical "Dear Diary" entries of childhood. From dream journals that capture our subconscious wanderings to gratitude lists that train our brains toward positivity, writing creates space for reflection in our busy lives.
We share our personal journeys with writing - including one host's creative approach of processing real-life experiences through fictional characters and another's ritual of ceremonially burning journal pages after writing down difficult emotions. This conversation reveals how different approaches to journaling can serve different needs, and how finding your personal style is key to making the practice sustainable.
The episode examines historical examples of meaningful journals, including Anne Frank's diary and the expedition records of Lewis and Clark, demonstrating how personal documentation can become historically significant. We also discuss the science behind why writing helps organize scattered thoughts, providing mental clarity when we feel pulled in multiple directions.
Hey beautiful souls, welcome back to Family Therapy's Deep Dive. Today we'll be talking about journaling and the importance of writing things down, so take my hand and let's go.
Speaker 2:Okay, cool. Well, here we are back to Deep Dive episode. Premium episode how exciting how exciting. We are back again, back again. I love it. I like doing this I do too I like diving into topics, you know they that interest us. They're fun, yeah, yeah and it's fun to talk about it and that's why we're here. That's why we did a podcast, obviously. Yeah, you're present, I'm present, let's go. Today we're deep diving into journaling.
Speaker 1:Right. So what is journaling to you Mean? To you or not to you? Actually, what is journaling?
Speaker 2:I think it has a broad definition. I mean to me, I would guess I would say I mean when you think of journaling, you think of, like, keeping a diary. I mean that's what my head goes to first thing. Diary, I mean that's what my head goes to first thing. Uh, second my. My mind goes to the cartoon doug, because he used to journal a lot. Do you remember doug from?
Speaker 1:nickelodeon.
Speaker 2:I remember his dear journal, dear journal, um, but yeah, that's what I would think of a lot when I when I hear the word journaling is like a diary, yeah, yeah, what comes to your head when you um?
Speaker 1:to me, journaling is like a diary, yeah, yeah, what comes to your head when you um? To me, journaling just means, you know, just writing down your thoughts. And uh, just writing down your thoughts.
Speaker 2:Basically, you know, I of course we're going to go more in depth, um, but before I knew anything about journaling, it's just, uh, since I was a, a kid diary like that's my go-to, but um, as you get older, it's just, you know, writing down what, whatever because I feel like a diary is like you take the time, sometimes every day, to sit and write about your day, or write about, just write. You know, some people have prompts or some people have, or just some people, not myself. I couldn't just sit there and write my day. I'm not a journaling diary person. I don't write my thoughts down. I think it's a little it's scary. It's scary because I, you know, I don't want people to find my, my diary or my journal, right, yeah, it isn.
Speaker 1:It is scary. Isn't that a fear of yours? It is, don't you think? Like I don't want that. That's why, so, when I was a kid, I had a journal and I had like a little lock on it and I would write down my day or how, whatever I was feeling, whatever emotion I was going through that day, yeah, and I had a little lock.
Speaker 2:I mean it's not very safe. Yeah, I'm sure it was a toy. It was a toy lock, I'm sure. I'm pretty sure if I wanted to get into your diary.
Speaker 1:I could have just absolutely no problem. Yeah, snap it open but as a child that was yeah, as a child it's like top secret safe, yes, yeah I mean I guess it shouldn't be a fear, but it it is To me, it is personally, because I just don't want, like, if I'm going to go deep into myself and write down like I don't feel like I would want somebody to read that To find it. Maybe after I'm dead.
Speaker 2:Perhaps, yeah.
Speaker 1:Perhaps, but not like oh it's exposing, yeah, it's exposing I.
Speaker 2:It's exposing. I wouldn't do it, yeah, but then I guess it comes down to like what you want to write down.
Speaker 1:Right, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:But then if I'm genuinely trying to seek like help or like trying to like write my frustrations out because I really need it, I would want to write down what's bothering me right, right, like the deepest stuff. Would want to write down what's bothering me right, right, like the deepest stuff. So it's like moderate yourself kind of seems a little bit, I don't know, not fun, I guess yeah to moderate yourself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you should have no limit or no, like you should be able to just write your write whatever you want to write without any fear, without any anything, any type of negative emotion, I guess yeah, you should, but I, but I don't yeah obviously I don't.
Speaker 2:That's why I don't keep a diary or a journal.
Speaker 1:That's why I don't what do you think the benefits are of journaling?
Speaker 2:it really helps you like get your thoughts together, get your thoughts straight and kind of just clarify your mind a bit, because to write about your problems or write about your stressful day it kind of gives you some insight, it kind of gives you some like it just organizes your thoughts. I guess Writing about experiences it brings clarity and perspective to complex situations, understanding thoughts, feelings and behavior. But, like I said, I don't journal. Like I said, I don't journal like that, I don't journal about my day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so do you journal like I know the benefits of journaling are to like relieve stress, um, it could be a form of therapy. It, like we mentioned, um game, clarity, focus, maybe self-awareness you can also reflect so. I think that's a lot of good benefits that come from a journal yeah, exactly because you're writing about your experiences and it gives you that like, like I said that, uh, that perspective, I guess yeah but yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:Um, but about some other types of journals. Do you like keep like a dream journal or anything like? Have you heard of anything about that?
Speaker 1:um, no, I I mean, I not know, but I have heard of a dream journal. Um, I actually know somebody that keeps track of their, their dreams, and uh, they do it because they lucid dream and so to get to that next um level, lucid dreaming, I guess you write down your dreams, what your experiences are, and yeah, it's pretty interesting, I never did a dream journal, just because I don't know. Some of my dreams are just wild, like yeah, mine aren't worth writing down.
Speaker 1:Yeah mine aren't worth writing down like, yeah, mine aren't worth writing down. Yeah, mine aren't worth writing down. Well, mine just are. Just, I mean, we'll have to definitely uh speak of we'll. We'll have to do a podcast on dreams because my dreams are like intense, like I had one the other day. We're just like, yeah, but we're not talking about dreams, we'll uh focus back to journaling. Um, um, but, yeah, dream journals. There's um a fitness journal.
Speaker 1:I do keep a fitness journal. Um, yeah, so now that I've started going back to the gym, I write down like my daily, like goals or what I've done, and then I just keep increasing as we go, or you know, just see where I'm at. Yeah, so that that's a good one. Um, what else? What other type of journaling I would think like?
Speaker 2:um self-improvement types of journaling like dream journals. Uh, there's travel journals that people sometimes keep, um, and another one that I want to deep dive into is gratitude journals. But as far as diaries, I don't keep a diary or a journal like that. I don't keep any kind of fitness journal either, nor a dream journal either. I don't think that stuff is worth my time to be writing things down, and that's just me. Just because I have a busy day and I do do a lot of writing, I have notebooks upon notebooks, but that's because I do a lot of story writing or like planning, I guess. Okay.
Speaker 1:You know what?
Speaker 2:I'm saying, but I do love to write. But here's my question to you, erica Do you keep a journal or what kind of writing do you do?
Speaker 1:Do you do any kind of writing at all? So I do not. I used to keep a journal. I do not. I used to keep a journal, but I would write in it daily or whenever I was going through like a really dark time, like when I was in a really dark place. It helped me clear my mind and my thoughts. So I would write it, write everything down that I was going through, but I wouldn't keep it.
Speaker 2:I would write it down and then I'd read it and then I'd burn it. That reminds me of have you ever heard of the zozobra in new mexico? Yeah have you been there?
Speaker 1:um no, I have not and it's so sad me too. We were supposed to go last year and we didn't.
Speaker 2:But but don't they put their like like wishes in there or like their whatever they want to burn away? Right mantras or whatever, and they burn it away. Isn't that how it works?
Speaker 1:yeah, that's how it works, yeah yeah, um, that's actually where I learned when I was doing um meditation. Uh, my coach, my meditation coach mentor, um, they, they incorporated that um writing things down and then burning it, releasing it. Um another thing, another way or reason why I do that. I guess there's a couple um meditation. I learned it through them. Um, and then when I was very into like crystals and the moon and the universe and things like that, I would do like a cleanse and uh, and then I just burn, burn it away.
Speaker 2:So just, you know, that's, that's pretty much how I journal yeah, and that's also a new age practice too, like what about poetry? Do you like ever like write, like in that kind of sense, like poetry or stuff like that is that?
Speaker 1:um, I used to yeah which is crazy. Yeah, when I was in albuquerque, I would, um, I did get into it for a little bit, um, but I really didn't. I think I tore all those notes up. I just, yeah, I just like to burn and tear things I guess why why I just do oh my goodness I guess it's my uh way of my, my form of therapy when it comes to journaling, writing things down it's just poetry just way I yeah it's just where you operate yes, it's pretty strange, but I don't know why I I'm like I don't want to share those thoughts or whatever with anybody, even if it's poetry, even if it's something like amazing I don't and I guess it was because I was maybe lacking confidence back then.
Speaker 1:Um, but if I were to try it now, I'm pretty sure I'd share, because I'm more open to sharing and talking.
Speaker 2:So it's nice to see what what people come up with right um, that's why I don't journal too. I don't want to write my stuff down. I don't want to have expose myself like. I don't want to expose myself like that. You know what I'm saying. I've done enough of it on social media, exposing my life and saying stupid shit.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I've done some poetry and it interests me, but it hasn't really stuck with me, but it helps, it helps. I remember a few years ago I was I don't know what happened but I was like kind of betrayed by this friend that I had, and I don't know why, but I wrote it, I wrote it out, or I took it out on poetry and I still have.
Speaker 2:I still have that poem in my Google drive somewhere, but that came out like in a few hours, yeah, like naturally I sat there and just did it and it felt good and I thought like, well, I could probably do this or something. But I was like, no, you know, I have better things to write.
Speaker 1:Yeah you know, but whatever, but at least you, you released that you know, I tried it.
Speaker 2:I tried it, but I think you should get into the habit of writing something yeah like I, I really do.
Speaker 1:I want to get back into not just my fitness journal, but I want to get back into, yeah, my uh like just journaling in general get something going right yeah, something going exactly some kind of extracurricular self-care thing.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, exactly Something that's just for you, because this podcast for you, I think, is extracurricular already. Yes, I think you need something for yourself? Yeah, just to Other than the gym.
Speaker 1:Yeah, other than the gym, another form of therapy for me because I deal with a lot of anxiety.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and.
Speaker 1:I just, you know we've talked about it where I'm just like pulling in different directions. And I just you know we've talked about it where I'm just like pulling in different directions. So I think writing about that would actually really help me to get organized, because I am not organized.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I want to be so it's like you know, I think journaling would definitely help me improve those portions or those parts of my life that are lacking you know my weaknesses.
Speaker 2:Yeah, try it. Yeah, try it at least for like a month or so. Yeah, I will, and then we'll check in exactly we're gonna have to check in for sure I want to talk about. I have here some like some techniques for journaling that we could share or I could share. Yeah, I don't journal, I don't write poetry, I don't do a dream journal or a fitness journal. All my writing goes to story writing stories, I guess.
Speaker 1:Is that fictional?
Speaker 2:Fictional stories, yeah, and I have plenty. I have plenty. I have a notebook. I want to. I have here this notebook here. I got about I think like three years ago and I've been sitting on a story for since 2020 I've been. I came up, I had the story idea and I don't know why I'm sharing this now, but I guess, guess, I'm just going to do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I was going to ask you too Do you have a piece that you can share, just a small piece that you've wrote, yes, or written.
Speaker 2:Well, I have this notebook here because I have so many notebooks. I have so many notebooks and journals and I've gotten into this bad habit where when I have an idea for a certain story, I write it in whatever notebook I find. And that's a bad idea because I can't, once I write that idea down, I kind of forget in which notebook it is, and I just don't find it again until years later yeah I'm saying, uh, so I've started the habit of keeping certain notebooks for certain ideas.
Speaker 2:so, like, this notebook here is just for the podcast only and it's already like has all kind of shit in here, like I just bought this when we started the podcast and it's already like all this shit here and it's just like all my notes. But I want to show you this one here. This one is for a story that I'm working on that has a lot of similarities to where we grew up, a lot of characters and personalities and events that I've had in my life growing up. But all of these notes here are just one story. They all belong to one story. Here we have some corrections, ghosts, the ghost inmates. In the corrections, here's some notes for myself. But all of this stuff is just like all for that one story, whether it's character development, any kind of facts, any kind of like story. That's fitting. You know what I'm saying, but that's kind of like my. My advice, I guess, is to just keep different notebooks and not not be afraid to just grab them. I like notebooks, I like journals, I like keeping them yeah are you?
Speaker 1:gonna share something from that, a small piece I could, yeah, why not it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a subscriber episode, so why not? Yeah, well, I couldn't share something Just like a?
Speaker 1:small, even if it's just a couple words, sentences. Just I'm excited, I want to know. Just a small like teaser.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's see. So one of the characters is named Steven. He's the main character. Okay, I don't know what I could. There's christopher, the big murder case. Cassandra, uh, austin, um, um, let's see, I don't even know which one of these I could share. I think these are a lot of like. Not, it's not like a story, it's just like here. The tow truck man, another important character, a man that owns a tow truck, not financially or not friendly, and could be a potential suspect in the murder case. This person is also the man that Matthew's ex got with shortly after breaking up with him. There is obviously tension between them. You could only be a jerk and always getting blamed for when anything sketchy happens.
Speaker 1:See, that was good, that's all.
Speaker 2:That's good.
Speaker 1:It's you know. Yeah, so you don't really journal.
Speaker 2:I mean you story right pretty much and sometimes I even like and this is dumb like I would just sit here with like a notebook and be writing stuff and I could just have the pen out and then just write down what I hear, which is dumb because that throws me off. I'm writing my important notes and then I'm hearing the tv. I'm hearing like family guy and I'm writing down like their dialogue, just because the act of writing, like just writing the calligraphy, is just like I like to do it oh wow, you know, I'm saying that's pretty interesting haven't you ever found yourself like writing your name, setting your name over and over again in a notebook?
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:No, no, you never done that before I don't.
Speaker 1:I do not have good penmanship and when I write, my thoughts are coming out so fast and I'm trying to write them. My handwriting is sloppy. Would you be able to understand this?
Speaker 2:like, yeah, to a certain extent maybe like I would have to like look at it, pick it up and read it and like hold it to my face and analyze it for a bit.
Speaker 1:So it's like when just to sit there and to write like, like, scribble my name, like maybe I I scribble like circles or designs or something, but never really my name. Like maybe I scribble like circles or designs or something. Yeah, but never really my name, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:And when I write, when I was writing in the journaling or when I would journal, I would take my time because I was in a like I guess a relaxed it relaxed me, yeah, so I would at least understand my writing to yeah better, you know, but I just don't have really good penmanship and I don't like to see my hand, my handwriting down on piece of paper because I'm just like, oh, it's so ugly it's a little embarrassing when you like, when you're out of work and somebody asks you to like write something down, and you give back to them, you and they're like what, what is what? What does this say? What is that? What is? Is that a D? You know?
Speaker 1:I was like oh yeah, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:Sorry, I I don't know how to write.
Speaker 1:I just don't take my time when it comes to writing. I mean, it's because I think I feel rushed, um, but if I'm not rushed then I'll definitely, you know, right, of course.
Speaker 2:So again, I don't want to contradict myself yeah, and I think that there is another benefit to like writing because it really bring it, calms you down. You know I'm saying it just makes you slow down right and that's the thing about writing, because if you're sitting there writing and you find that your penmanship or your your scribbling is getting kind of crazy, I think that's a sign of like, just like, okay, like things are going a lot in your head.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And I think writing is one of those um, you just have to be in a calm place to write things down. You know what I'm saying. Like you have to just be in a in a calm state in that state. Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's what I was going to ask too, like by writing your stories. How has that helped you, because it's not necessarily journaling, but how does that help you?
Speaker 2:It helps me believing or it helps me knowing, I guess, to just know what's right and what's wrong, I guess, because when it comes to a story like whenever I think of a situation or a conflict in my head and it usually comes from something that I've been through in my lifetime or something that I've witnessed it just makes me wonder how I could have handled it or how I did handle it and how would these characters handle it. Oh, I'm saying how and what they would say and what they would do and what the person would say. You know what I'm saying. So it gets me into that state like, okay, well, what if this happened? What if this happened?
Speaker 2:And it comes from like, like, like, like I said, like real life situations, and I come up with some story bits where a character not from my story, but I've come up with one, or I thought of one in the past few months from staying here, and it would be like I don't know, like a horror story, I guess, whatever. But what if a character was staying in somebody's house like I am now? And what if the people that live here, like you, would like just have me do like crazy things, kind of like I don't know like what if erica would come up here and be like warren?
Speaker 2:uh, we need you to like um, not sleep here for the next couple two weeks because whatever, whatever we have family coming, yeah, or for some stupid yeah like because we're gonna have, um the neighbors dogs coming in and they need a place to stay and we can't have five dogs in the house, so we're gonna use that bedroom for all five dogs yeah, see that's crazy, that that would be absurd yes, okay, that makes sense More of like better than the noise. Yeah, exactly, yeah, but yeah.
Speaker 1:But it's just you trying to express yourself. I understand, but that was a better example.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so hey, you know you can't stay here, because you know we're watching five monkeys, two dogs yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:And they're going to use your room room. Yeah, so that would be insane.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so stuff like that, you know, the way you journal, is very interesting because it's like your imagination is, you know, is deep, you know, and it's. It's pretty cool that you have that perspective, because I would have never have thought of that ever. Like, okay, I'm gonna write my day or experiences, but in a story form right with made-up characters. I don't know why, I would have never thought that. But again, that's storytelling, right? That's how you do it.
Speaker 1:It's like real life scenarios. Maybe some are fabricated a little bit, um, but yeah. So when it comes to me and when I'm journaling and I want to start journaling, um, I'm just going to talk about, probably you know my day, what's upsetting, um, how I can be better, things like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, just to help me just get in a better place, I think, yeah, for me, my main goal right now, what I'm working on, is being organized yeah, like if something like stressed you out that day or something bothered you, an argument, you know you can just write, write, write, write about that, not even like in the story sense, like you, just from your perspective exactly or in a form of a poem, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Anyhow anyway.
Speaker 2:That's pretty neat and I think that's what grounds you from taking you from that craziness in your head to sit down and actually think and use your creative muscles to like how would you write this out in a journal, in a story, in a poem, or is it even worth writing about? You know what I'm saying? Because I don't don't like write everything like that. I just write it if it's like oh, that's a good like little premise there, I'm gonna write that in whichever journal it that scenario fits in, because I keep two. Right now I have this story and then I have another shorter story which is a more more sincere, more family, more sibling, love kind of a story. Yeah, uh, what other kind of journaling can we talk about?
Speaker 2:uh, gratitude oh yeah, that's another gratitude. Yeah, so instead of like writing about stuff that upsets you, stuff that you want to get over people, you hate the person you want to the burn book? Yeah, exactly, you could keep a gratitude journal and write about stuff that you appreciate and stuff that you enjoy Exactly. Happy experiences, affirmations, yeah, what do you think about that?
Speaker 1:And things like that. I think that would be great, honestly, Because I don't write them down, but I do think about all the things you know and I feel like that would be a good, good place or a form of therapy for me to write, have a gratitude journal. When I'm feeling anxiety or I'm feeling down or feeling these negative emotions, just picking up that journal and going back and just reading, you know, like, oh hey, you know, remember this, this is what I'm thankful for, this is how far I've come, and just things like that. A positive notebook where I can just reference back to when I'm feeling down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then when you're writing that notebook or writing your gratitude journal, you can think of it in a sense of like this is a diary I want somebody to find for sure yes, so you're gonna write all the all the good stuff in there, right?
Speaker 1:all the juice all the juice all the good stuff you want people to know about you.
Speaker 2:When I used to work for, uh, the group home, they had a specific day where they would focus on gratitude, because that was one of the things that they would help those people that were on substance abuse and drug abuse and alcohol abuse when they were looking for help. They would do a lot of gratitude work and, um, I think it was helpful how do you, how do you practice gratitude?
Speaker 1:yeah, just counting your blessings, just counting like looking around you and you know, thank you, I have a roofle for my head you know I have food, I'm healthy, my kids are healthy, my family's healthy. We're not in a bad place like there's so much gratitude to express.
Speaker 1:It's like I can go on and on right so and it really does help with your mental health. It does help with, you know, just self-reflection, I would think. So. What advice I would give on those that have never journaled and want to start? Um, just pick something that interests you, whether it be, you know, your healing journey, write down what you need to heal from, and if you want to keep those in a safe place, then absolutely, you know, do so, because when you do find that mental clarity or when you feel in a good place, you can always again reference back to that and and just see how far you've come. If you don't feel comfortable with with, you know, keeping that information lying around or, you know, just burn it. It's, it's also a form of burn it away.
Speaker 1:Yeah, burn it away, get rid of the evidence, yes, but you can also again, you know do gratitude, storytelling we've mentioned different things dream journaling, whatever interests you, and use prompts you know oh yeah, that's one thing we didn't really talk about is prompts.
Speaker 2:That's something that if you don't know what to write, that'll just kind of tell you what to what to write about. You know, pretty easy, pretty simple, and that's kind of what I really enjoyed about school, about history class or writing class or whatever the class you'd write in, but there would be a prompt on the board and it would be so like, so provoking, like something stupid, like what kind of animal would you be for 30 days and why? You know I'm saying like something stupid and just it just kickstarts that, that creative muscle and the writing. You know, I'm saying, and it was every day, which I loved, yeah, I would always turn in like a full paper every day, that's front and back, and whenever there was like a report or or like an essay, every time that it would be turned in, um, you know, with like a cover and all out fancy, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Pages, pages that's awesome.
Speaker 2:I was proud of it. A lot of students in my class would be like why are you so perfect? Why you do everything so nice? Why do you do everything so perfect?
Speaker 1:anyway, um what other prompts would you use?
Speaker 2:other than like gratitude and how your day went, what bothered you. I would just get creative and just go with those ones, like if you were to go to space, what would you do? Or if aliens came to earth, or if you're the last person on earth, or something like that.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying yeah, yeah, if you were stuck under the creative prompts what would you do? If you're what if we lived under the sea? Is that if you were stuck under the sea?
Speaker 2:yeah, if you got stuck in it. Yeah, if you got stuck in a drain, in a drain, street drain, whatever you know anything like that. Yeah, and those are the fun ones, you know, they really, like I said, kickstart the kickstart the ideas there you go, creative thinking yeah um, another good reason to journal is to just keep records, you know.
Speaker 2:I think, uh, it's worth mentioning some important pieces of journals or diaries that we've had in our history that are important, that if we didn't have them we wouldn't have as much insight we have today, like, for example the first one is um Frank's diary, the diary of a young girl, anne Frank, and that's, of course, the diary of Anne Frank during the Holocaust, while she was hiding in her attic with her family from the Nazis right, and in that journal she writes on a lot of stuff, a lot of personal, a lot of scary stuff, stuff that she sees, and I think it's a testament to, like. You know, journaling shouldn't be something you should be shy from. I think it's something that should be embraced, just because we could. You know, it's nice to look back on those, on how you felt on those days, and just know your history, I guess, just to document what you've been through.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is pretty neat.
Speaker 2:Because that could be something. That diary could be something that could be worth something in your family. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Right, or even you know, if you got to a point where it's just like you could publish a book with it you know, yeah, tell a story.
Speaker 2:Tell a story, yeah, because sometimes your story could be a books come from is are born. A story, yeah, from like what the author been through or what they've seen most authors take from their life. You know I'm saying and it does help.
Speaker 1:You know other people too, if you can relate. You know there's so many people out there where it's just like you, don't?
Speaker 2:you think you're the only one, but then you read something and you're like oh, there's somebody else going through that too, exactly, and then they are able to provide insight on how they coped with it or, what, you know, methods they took to overcome those challenges, so journaling could be even.
Speaker 2:You know it's like a blog almost like in the days of anne frank. That's all you could do is just write in a diary and just hope someday it's there or somebody finds it. I guess Maybe she didn't plan on somebody finding it, but we did and it's an artifact of our history as humans. But nowadays, in 2025, I think the way of doing that now is maybe just starting a blog writing your thoughts down online. It's like a diary these days and, like you were saying, people can read it and relate and maybe find some clarity. Yeah, take from it and hopefully, you know, something sparks from there you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:that's awesome so a blog might be some something like an equivalent to a diary today, because the diary you do it out in the open anyway, and a blog is online, out in the open, so I don't get. I mean, it's the same thing, same thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I just like to tell you it makes me feel better, Like what you said just a minute ago or a few minutes ago. It's like you shouldn't feel shy when it comes to journaling you should embrace it, because you don't know, I mean it, just just embrace it.
Speaker 2:You know it's, it's part of our humanity, right it's? It's. Writing things down is something that's we've been doing for years and years and years, as caveman even. And what's funny to go off topic a little bit now today like in this perspective, it's always driving. Driving is like in our like op, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:It's weird. Whereas like years and years ago it was like nothing, it was not even heard of. But now we just do it, like it's every day, like we do it and we just daze out and we somehow just get there. How much effort. Like drove somewhere and you're like, how did I get here?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:How many lights did I run that I get in here All the time Because it's so like in our operating system.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:You, just if there's a red light, we stop. You know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's green, we go.
Speaker 2:Somebody's there, you stop for them from. You know, craziness, it is insane. Anyway, I want to share another um a couple other pieces of writing that I looked up during our my research time for this topic. I didn't do much, it was just all in one day but I do want to mention um the journals of sylvia platt, you know, have you heard of that?
Speaker 2:I have not at all sylvia platt's journals are a collection of her personal writings and provide a deep look into her inner life, thoughts and struggles. They cover a significant period of her life from her college years just before her death in 1963. The journals reveal her ambitions as a writer, her battles with depression and her complex relationships. Also her evolving views on the world around her. They're known for their raw honesty, emotional intensity, offering valuable insights into her creative process and the challenges she faced as a woman in the mid-20th century. So that's Sylvia Platt. I never really read Sylvia Platt. I've heard that name out and about thrown around here and there, but I've never taken the time to read Sylvia Platt. It also wasn't brought up in school or anything for me.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, I don't recall. I don't think I've ever heard of her. No, sylvia Platt no, no.
Speaker 2:I always hear Sylvia Platt when people are in love or when they break up and they're like, oh, we used to read Sylvia Platt together, you know like, yeah, that's where I hear it a lot, I don't know why.
Speaker 2:Another piece of historical writing I want to bring up is the Journals of Lewis and Clark, which documents their expedition across America West from 1804 to 1806. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, the expedition aimed to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase, find a practical route across the western half of the continent and establish American claims to the Pacific Northwest. Their journals are filled with detailed observations of the geography, climate and natural resources of the regions they traveled climate and natural resources of the regions they traveled. They also recorded encounters with numerous Native American tribes, documenting their customs, languages and social structures. Their journals are a mix of scientific observations, adventure narratives and reflections on the challenges and triumphs of the exploration, providing a unique and invaluable record of early 19th century America. So that's what interests me the most, because it's history documented on paper and we wouldn't have, I mean, well, I guess we would know, because we kind of just lived here, I guess, but still just write stuff down, right? Okay, erica?
Speaker 1:so after all that journal talk, I hope some of that has inspired, you to keep a journal or to do some journaling is how it helps.
Speaker 2:Prompts different types of journals. Dream journals I do. I am inspired to keep a dream journal, though.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I should. I've been having some crazy dreams to Erica like crazy. The same ones all the time anyway but yeah, it was, it was good. Yeah, maybe we should do our our next podcast on dreams perhaps or I think we should talk about dreams on family therapy okay, that'll work just because it'll just be like loose talk really did.
Speaker 1:Just hearing what you had to say, your perspective, I would have never have thought of. You know, just turning journaling into characters or into, you know, a like a story, like a story scene which totally makes sense because, again, that's where stories are born. And we've said that a couple times.
Speaker 2:So you know, totally makes sense to me yeah, so your story could be a a hit story exactly a novel you never know. You never know and stories don't take like a lifetime of information. You know, some stories are, some stories are born. A whole novel could be born from one moment of your life you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:So yeah, which is pretty cool. Yeah, you know so I definitely want to start journaling again. Just, I don't know what I will. I think I want to just talk about, like you know, my, just probably my day or my internal thoughts, whatever it is that day, or whatever I'm going through emotions, just to help me stay grounded and to embrace writing, to get better at it and better at penmanship, just to get better at.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just to keep you grounded, I think, to work in your penmanship. And also I think, yeah, just write about situations you're going through, yeah, or whatever, and it'll help me gain the clarity that I need to help me get more organized.
Speaker 1:Like I said, I just different parts of my life that need to be cleaned up. Now, in this stage of life, and now that I have time, in a sense, to to just you know, do that I. I think it would really benefit me yeah, it really would.
Speaker 2:I think so it really would yeah yeah, I enjoyed sharing what I could, um, I love to. I think I overshared a bit about with my writing, with my writing, but it's okay uh. But I I think if I had to, if I had any kind of advice, it just to be just start with the prompts, write about what, what bothers you, write about situations, and then just start from there. Um, I think writing is something like I said it's it's in our human nature, I guess, kind of as humans, to just write things down. I think it's important that we, that we just keep that up. I think it's a practice that humans are kind of just fading away from you know what with technology and whatnot you know.
Speaker 1:And, with that being said, I want to offer a challenge, and I just want to challenge our listeners to start with writing down just a few words, a few sentences, paragraph and, just, you know, begin there and, as each day comes, just add to it and keep embracing your self, your penmanship, your thoughts, your emotions, and and write them down and, uh, you know, I think that'll be a beautiful start for you all. Um also we do have um on our podcast, a place where you can send us a message. If you want to go ahead and send us a message, give us your thoughts. We're also here, we listen. We want to improve because, you know, we want to just be better. So if there's anything we can help you with, or if there's something that we said that you would want more clarity, please send us a message. We'll be more than happy to answer and also rate us. You know, give us a. Give us, I mean, if you think it's good, obviously give us an honest review, because it's very appreciated.
Speaker 1:Eric, I would appreciate an honest review. Um, just because, again, I just want to be better and I appreciate you all listening and supporting the show. So thank you, yeah, so on our next deep dive we'll be talking about food and nutrition.
Speaker 2:Food and nutrition. That's a good topic. I think that's an area where I could use some insight on Because, well, kind of not really, and I know some things but not everything. But we'll definitely talk about it and discuss it next Thursday. Also, if you would like to give us some topic suggestions, that would be cool too. I would like that.
Speaker 1:Absolutely yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah for our deep dives.
Speaker 1:That'd be great, that would be amazing.
Speaker 2:Yes, but I think you said it all and I think that about does it. I think we're about good here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you think so. I think that's a wrap.
Speaker 2:That's a wrap. Thank you everybody for listening, thank you for sticking around, and we will see you all next Thursday. If not, we'll see you next Thursday because you're a subscriber. Yes, so we'll see you all next Thursday and have a good weekend, thank you.
Speaker 1:Have a great weekend. Take care y'all.
Speaker 2:Bye-bye.
Speaker 1:Bye.