For anyone who struggles with writing bc you're afraid someone will see, or you'll be judged for it later: the MOMENT you write it out, it might not even apply to you anymore. Maybe you will have changed your mind! Maybe that feeling never comes up again. Maybe you're just over it. So any judgement is pointless, and you get to have the freedom that comes with writing 😇 I hope this helps someone bc it's what allowed me to start journaling ~14 years ago
I think maybe if people ask themselves about their fear that someone else will read their deepest thoughts in a harsh expressive-writing form, they’ll find that it’s not fear that others will read those thoughts, but rather fear that THEY will have to read their own deepest thoughts, that writing them down makes the thoughts more real. What I found doing morning pages is that I have never, ever returned to read them. Not once. What’s important isn’t the record, but rather the act of structuring my thoughts on paper. I’ve seriously considered burning old morning pages journals, and a lot of people do exactly that.
@@davestagner At least in my case, I am 100% sure that my fear is that someone else will read what I wrote and judge me for it, I know because it doesn't just happen to me with expressive writing. Buuut a lot of things have changed since the last time I tried it, so now I want to try again and see what happens with that fear. Also seconding the Rocketbook suggestion 😁
When i was 10, i was so stressed. My parents left me alone with my bro in my grand parents house who are abusive to us. I wrote my feelings on my diary. Until one day my aunt read it all, and beat the sht out of me cause of that. Said I was ungrateful etc. Thats the last time I ever wrote diary.
I had an incident where someone read my journal entries out in front of someone close to me and it was such a violating experience that I have not written again for almost 18yrs. I've been itching to write ever since and I just had the realisation while watching this that I can keep it lock in a safe! Im so excited it's actually ridiculous >.
I had this happen to me when I was still living at home. I found out that a family member had been reading my private journal and was using what I had written against me and spreading it to everyone they spoke to on the phone. I personally enjoy writing in a notebook, but I can definitely understand why someone would want to type these things out and I honestly wish I had been told sooner that I could just type out my thoughts and I could have easily hid the file on my computer somewhere.
This is going WAY back, but my mother used to enjoy finding things I'd written---stories, letters, etc.--and reading them aloud to the family so they could all have a good laugh. Good times, huh? And people wonder why I'm so secretive about everything I do now.
@@pkmcburroughs this brought up a memory of my dad finding a letter I wrote to someone and reading it in front of the whole family cause he found it cute, I remember sitting there feeling mortified and afterwards angrily tearing the letter up and throwing it in a trash bin. I am also a very secretive person now :P
In school i wrote a lot about my feeling and I kinda stopped doing that. Now I rediscovered writing in therapy and and helps healing on some way nothing else can. I can be in touch with myself and i can process things instead of spiraling. Thank you for spreading the word ^^
Related to expressive writing is the idea of “Morning Pages”, as taught in the book “The Artist’s Way”, by Julie Cameron. Basically, morning pages are three pages of longhand writing, first thing in the morning before doing anything else, whatever thoughts pop into your head at the moment. No prompts! Write as fast as you can, do not pause to “think” (that is, make excuses or try to change the subject). It’s intensely confrontational and honest, and will make you cry sometimes, because you’ll ask yourself questions and then you HAVE to answer them, right there. It is the best technique I’ve found for getting at conflicts in my thoughts. (I no longer do it every day because it’s time consuming, about 40 minutes and 700+ words longhand. But I’ll do it for a day or three whenever I can sense an unexamined conflict in my head, so a few times a month.)
@@StefanyDjuba You COULD, but I think you’d be shortchanging the process. At this point, I write anywhere from 2-5 pages during a morning pages session, just writing until I feel “done”, but I don’t do it every day - just once or twice a week, really. But if you want to try morning pages, I’d STRONGLY encourage setting aside the time and doing the full three pages every day for a while, until you get a feel for it. And read The Artist’s Way as well. I don’t think it’s necessary to get the benefit of morning pages, but it helps understand where they’re coming from.
And I should add that I did do morning pages every day for months. I don’t do it much now because I do other journaling as well, and I have a morning exercise routine occupying the same key block of time, and exercise is more important right now.
@@StefanyDjuba I have done this exercise, committing everyday to the full three pages for 12 weeks. I actually found forcing myself to do a full three pages felt very punishing and unhelpful. I would usually cap out somewhere before the three pages and then end up dwelling on negative thought patterns to run out the pages just to get them done. Day after day I ended up reinforcing those ideas and resenting the exercise in general and I have not gone back. Having this type of prompt she is suggesting to break through whatever is sitting idle in my mind and writing for one page or five would have been a much more helpful for me and I intend to practice this way instead. Obviously not everyone has the same experience and three pages might work great for you but I just wanted to share my take as well.
I wanted to mention that Google and Notion and other notes apps collect our data. I decided to use an end-to-end encrypted notes app (I chose Joplin, but there are many) so that my data is secure. Nobody knows how they are using our data. Kind of the electronic version of being concerned about a physical journal being sanctioned.
I was literally "journaling" as this video showed up. I've made this sort of writing a part of my daily practice the last few weeks, beginning my day with an emotional dump on the page, then writing 5 things I'm grateful for and 10 goals for the day (not referring to any plans, just general sense of what I want out of my day). Then in the evening I come back and reflect and dump my emotions again. It's an understatement to say this has been a game changer for my life. I've been novel editing more, exercising/eating/sleeping better and been posting weekly videos after months of procrastination! Highly recommend making this a habit in your life!
I couldn’t agree more with how important writing is. I spend 10 minutes before bed every night writing and wow has it made a difference. Also your editing style is so incredible and unique. I absolutely love it 💜
Keeping a journal helped my high school experience so much. I kept a simple weekly to do list and wrote about my thoughts and what I did every day and I will swear that this helped me feel less anxious, get more things done, accomplish big goals, and helped me develop better attitude towards myself. Could not recommend more. Just buy a cheap, simple journal and use it as you see fit. If it gets too fancy you won’t use it
I personally prefer to physically write in a notebook or journal, but I understand why typing is convenient and important as well. It's definitely more environmentally friendly, easier to hide from prying eyes, and you can get really creative with fonts and pages depending on the word processor you are using. I do agree though, everyone should take 5-10 minutes each day to write down or type out their thoughts and feelings. It will drastically help improve your mental health.
I`ve been writing in my notebook for 3 months already. It`s worth trying 100 percent. I started to understand myself much more, and it helps me a lot to deal with anxiety. Just try it. Even if you don`t know what to write - you can start with 2-3 sentences. And then it would be easier. It`s life-changing, seriously
I also draw eyes when I'm doodling in class! Also, I've kept a diary/journal since 2016 and I highly recommend it to everyone. It is never too late for you to start.
I have different notebooks for different things, I kinda have an obssession (more accurately OCD) with writing and how to write stuff, so when I'm very busy or in a situation in which I can't write or even record a voice I get very anxious, but at the end of the day when I fully empty my mind, the relief that comes with it and that silence peaceful atmosphere that I find myself in after that is not comparable with anything, Thanks for this great video Dear Elizabeth, I really enjoy watching your videos💙
Hey you can just use a travellers journal with multiple note inserts in it and carry it with you wherever! You can use each insert of a diff purpose. Problem solved!
@@shruthiswaminathan2907 thanka for your suggestions but then I need to get more than one then😅 I feel more comfortable knowing everything is in its seperate place
I write in my drawing app, with my pen tablet. It's private and personal and you can lock your file, just like typing. I've forgotten the negativity I felt when writing it, yet it helps me retain the good feelings and events I experienced. Great video!
I just read this story of the fox and the grapes in class with my student 🍇 I’ve always seen journaling/ writing as beneficial for my mental health. It puts everything into perspective. I like to read back entries from months ago and see how much things have changed. I wish I could type on a laptop 💻 but I don’t have enough storage! But yeah it does terrify me to think someone could find my journal 📓😂 xx
In a very short amount of time you have become one of my favourite RU-vidrs. I really enjoy everything about your videos, from the animations to the context. I can truly resonate with your perspectives, even if I don't relate to them. And the act that you have been taking a course specifically for RU-vid intros and it is already reflecting in your videos (and is looking pretty amazing honestly) shows so much of dedication and effort from your side. Lots of love and support, and cannot wait for more content! :)
Yes!! I love spending a few minutes writing each morning to get my thoughts out on paper. I prefer pen and paper, because it feels more tangible, but I understand that typing is quicker. I just love looking back at my handwriting and seeing the pages fill up. :) Also, I was 100% a doodler in class. Eyes were a frequent go-to, as were archer ladies and mermaids haha.
It's 4am atm and I've spent the last 2 hrs watching your videos. For some reason, I feel like I can relate to how your brain works based on the videos you make on ways to improve life things that you've developed because of life things, It is in the causes of those life things I can relate to. I'm pretty sure I have ADHD while also being introverted and outspoken, I think a lot, pretty depressed but unsure cuz dead inside, I'm also unfortunately too sympathetic. Learning new things is comparably slower than most people (could be due to a lack of basic language skills) but I notice I develop competency faster than most people (I think this is because of overthinking, I run examples in my head until it makes sense or until I've physically developed a skill, mentally i.e thinking about how to ride a bike is all the practise i need to ride a bike), I have a thought that. understanding can be broken down into units 1 unit = 1 development, A harder topic just means it requires more development.1 development could be "apples are red", "apple is fruit" " or "Non-Deliverable Forward Contracts means Government controlled currency". The point is, language is insanely complex and anyone who can comprehend that can comprehend theoretical psychics which proves my observation that there aren't rly intelligent people, just people who seem that way because they know that apples are red but you only know of apples and it's not hard to learn that they're red. Anyways youtube person IDK why I felt the need to write this when I should be sleeping, it's 4:44am now uni is at 8 am lmfao. If you're reading this part it means you've read this comment and I hope you have a good day.
I've been an avid journaler since I was 12. My anxiety is pretty bad, I can't say writing helps all that much with my anxiety. But it does help me focus when I do it first thing in the morning, and it helps me settle my mind when I do it again before bed.
You have no idea how excited I got when I saw the title. I own so many notebooks to write different things per each one 💖It def helps me to take notes, express my feelings, and plan out ideas.
I think the doodling while listening has something to do with our body being on a sort of standby mode. It's something I often experience when I'm deep in thought or writing stories in my head. I usually get a lot more active and start walking around in the house a lot (which mostly consist of getting my water bottle from the kitchen, getting it back again and repeating that cycle 400x). It's also something I notice when I exercise. Normally I really can't listen to podcasts, unless I'm in the gym. Our bodies are meant to move of course. So giving it the 'automatic' task of running or exercising, I can sort of walk away from my movements and focus on my other senses, like my ears.
Agreed 100% with this. I use speech to text and it helps me to dump out all my thoughts and it really does clarify and puts a place for all my thoughts rather than carrying them around in my head for days
This is my first encounter with your channel, but I recently discovered how effective sketching and journaling has been for me in dealing with worries and anxieties. So many thoughts NEED to get out from my brain and grounding them in reality solidifies the thought and I can reference it later. Creating quick pictures and visuals are imperative for my understanding as well! Cool to see someone feel the same way!
kinda late to this video lol but it popped up in my recommended just as i started journaling again! it really is so therapeutic. it’s so nice to have a physical memory of how i was feeling, my thoughts, my day, etc. i remember when i journaled five things i was grateful for in the morning every day before school and it made such a difference in my mood. i recently listened to a podcast with dr daniel amen on it (i think) and he talked about doing a mental “treasure hunt” for the good things that happened during the day - i love that and i started making a little treasure hunt map every night in my journal and it’s amazing!! also wanted to add that video / voice memo journaling is so wonderful! sometimes i just cannot write fast enough and i have so much to talk about, so i just talk about it! i like listening / watching them back as well, it’s like meeting up with an old friend. i think those methods work for people who don’t feel like writing but want to get their feelings out. anyways amazing video as always 333
Elizabeth on this Christmas Day I want to express to you how grateful I am that you post these videos. I really connect to your message and need it at some level.
I recently discovered your channel and I would just like to say thank you. Your video's have given me so much insight into how my mind works, it's insane! So thank you so much for sharing your ideas, have a nice day :)
I was listening to a podcast that said, “it’s important to live life by design rather than emotion. Basically, sticking to a routine is what allows us to be the healthiest version of ourselves (especially when you're fighting these demons ex. OCD for me). I’ve had to overhaul how I approach taking care of my brain (journaling) by practising mediocre consistency. Now I try to put in consistent 50-60% effort into my journaling habit. And to make sure I do it I began recording it and posting it on YT. Because historically I have a habit of going too hard, not being able to sustain the Herculean effort, giving up and hating myself. So now I’m trying to give a small, consistent mediocre effort everyday. And its crazy how it adds up.
In middle school once I got in bed I would write in my journal every night even if I didn't have anything to write about or even if they were stupid things. I wasn't trying to get at an issues or anything, just writing to right down something. I grew comfortable with it and eventually started writing more or using it when I really needed to work through things. Just because I had formed a small habit it created something I naturally went to and I wonder if it is why I don't hold any trauma up until I had kids which is when I kind of stopped journaling all together unless I really wanted to record an event or work through something. I know I need to get back into it, but I'm not sure how to restart the habit. But basically, yeah, just something stupid little, and make it a habit. In her last video she talked about not being consistent or having habits, but some things you should and journaling should be like brushing your teeth, but for your brain. It's not a passion, just something you do at least every night on autopilot, ya know?
@@ThatOneLadyOverHere Exactly that! It’s one of those things you only notice its value when it’s absent. I think that noticing its usefulness is the first step and you’ll start when youre ready. In my own journey of trying o take care of myself post bad depression episode - my only regret is how hard I was on myself, for how long it took me to start writing/working out etc. but I did eventually and shaming myself just made it unnecessarily harder.
The storytelling in the intro 💯I doodle all the time and it definitely calms me and helps me remember things better. Free writing helps me put my worries on paper and see them more objectively than when they are floating in my head like annoying bugs. This was beautifully done, Elizabeth!
I feel so unusual because I tried the expressive writing for about a month and it always made me feel so much worse. Maybe because I did it in the morning, but I always ended up in a sour mood and it seemed to ruin my entire day. Maybe one of the other tips will help me better, I'll have to give them a try.
I understand. I think writing can be beneficial but it can depend. For example, when I have been in situations/environments which are just not working well for me, it is sooo hard to gratitutde journal. When I'm kind of in the middle or better, it can be beneficial. Also - there are some things that I feel like if I write about, I am ruminatng in a negative way, but for other things it is helpful.
Omg Liz! I just started using (and writing with) my non dominant hand a few months ago! AMAAAAZING changes! I was trying to retrain my brain and get it away from gross thinking patterns. It did! My brain just went silent when I focused on using my non dominant hand. I love it!!!
Some of the best drawings are made while part of the mind is engaged with something else. It has the quality of dreaming while being awake.Thank you for another mood elevating presentation.
I've recently discovered your channel, and I just wanted to say you are an AMAZING content creator. I have always wished to read more and dive into more philosophy, and you've been that spark! Thank you so much
Been journaling since 5th grade and it really helped me in teenage years. I struggled with making friends and was dealing with trauma. I could write for hours, journal was my best friend at that point
Pen to paper, PEN to PAPER, is SO VALUABLE. I usually prefer typing on the computer, but for the best resulting feeling, I prefer to write in ink on paper. I use a Japanese Sailor fountain pen and writing things with that pen have so much impact on my brain and my perspective.
I love how the pacing of your words almost increases as the video goes on lol The intro had really nice articulation that felt soothing to listen to, and the end was: IreallyneedtomakemypointcomeacrossbecauseIhavetoleaverightnowokaybye! I seems like it happens after you read a quote, as you then apply the speed of your reading to the pacing your speech. As for the subject of the video; I've always been too self-conscious to truly feel anxious and when writing anything relating to my thoughts it's superficial. I'm often face to face with my impressions and my reasoning behind my thought patterns. But I can see that if your impressions are too many or you don't take enough time to process your emotional reactions, writing down how you feel will seem therapeutic. I am curious as to what you would do once the feeling comes back again. I mean you can't just endlessly write off your anxiety to alleviate your emotional turmoil so you never feel required to take action? That's procrastination.
Well, I'm a writer, so somehow I'm always writing... And sometimes even about personal or useless things. About my day to day paranoias and other life issues. And I just do, I do it without thinking so much... Kinda different from when I'm writing fiction, but somehow, my personal conflicts end getting more attention than my other creative writings. Maybe because people can actually relate with my day to day drama, but actually, those things I write just for myself, without worrying so much if others will enjoy it or not. And I just write that sort of things when I happen to be under a certain mood, a mood that I actually don't enjoy so much. But this is my life, this is the way that things work for me. Seting free my inner dilemmas over my books or my songs... Things from my day to day, joys and pains... Or about whatever crosses my patch.
In high school we have to keep journals, and my teacher gently confronted me about the blank pages in mine. He asked if I thought what was going on with me wasn’t important enough to write down. I wasn’t sure then (high school = not happy time). I’ve tried to reboot my journaling but cannot do more than a week or so. I’m going to listen to your video a few more times and see if it come help me to get a practice going. Thank you for the thoughts. In my way, you’ve got one more fellow traveler on the road with you.
When I was a teenager I found a peculiar method to get rid of problems and anxieties in life. Following that method I wrote down all the thing I didn't like about myself and my life (sort of a diary) and then I burnt it out in a bonfire. I would just like to say that whatever method you use to lessen your emotional overwhelming or anything like that, don't rely on them too much. You should also be ready to leave that burden which bother you. This way it will work. I also found interesting writing out negative characteristics about ourselves with the non-dominant hand. However, in this case people who are ambidextrous, are in jeopardy)))
little tip that might help some people - I created a cypher. Nothing complicated, literally simple symbols that equate to each letter of the alphabet, and I write in that. It lets me be as honest as I like in the knowledge that nobody can read it. Sometimes I write in English if I'm recounting a memory I might want to revisit easily (reading the code back is tricker than writing), or that I wouldn't mind someone reading years later, but personal stuff is all in code and you'd be amazed how quickly you learn and can write in a code by heart without thinking!
Since like middle school I kept a journal and woild write about my day every night, but for some reason 5 years ago I stopped and haven't picked it up again. I need to start again because it really does help process things.
I liked the hand exercise, though it's tough for me because I have had an accident in the past where I broke my right hand & it never got checked out by a Doctor, my family isn't really the most caring so they cared less that I broke my hand & wouldn't drive me to the hospital. However, I really liked this exercise. My left side is dominant, however I grew up treating my right side as my dominant so I had to teach myself to write with my left hand while my right was injured. I cannot write very fast with it, but I've attained enough from mirroring that I can write very neatly at a slow pace. I'm hoping that in the future I can get the surgery I need, that way I can stay organized & improve with both hands! Right now it's kind of a pain to try & write with either. Typing isn't so bad, I guess. I hope you find you're next muse, if you are reading this. Thanks for the exercise! I enjoyed it, however it is barely noticeable which side is dominant so I guess it turned out interesting.
It's scary how EVERY SINGLE VIDEO you make is totally 100% me and my methods. I write in my journal like I'm spitting out my darkest thoughts. I used to do that on my computer but as I like to do it before sleep and limit my screen time I do this on paper, but I live in a foreign country so no one around me understands my language so I don't have to be afraid someone is going to invade my privacy
So I just listened to the rest of that and that's actually really interesting to me but really interesting to me about downgrading what you write with your non dominant hand. I was kind of using my non dominant hand to connect with like my shadow self I felt like. I felt like enabled me to able me to get rid of old habits that weren't serving me and kind of bring out the personality that I wanted to be but had been kind of restraining myself from being because of my old habits. I sort of got the idea because I was listening to the song called Novacaine by the unlikely candidates and he talks about his left side brain keeping him entrapped in old habits. So I started using my left hand to activate my right side brain! Very very interestingggg
Your channel is perfect for developing my listening skills. Your speed of speaking is a little bit fast, but vocabulary is awesome. Thanks a lot, have a nice day.
hahahaha...minute 3: 19 so funny.....actually you got a point there because I would only write in a super relaxed way in places where people are unlikely to be interested in my personal writings or when they cannot understand it (as in writing in Greek...)
I have watched all your video and I have to say that your editing has improved dramatically. You are becoming better at pacing, making the video visually interesting and making shorter cuts (they suit RU-vid better). Keep up the great work!
I haven't done this in quite a while. That is also probably why I've been doing audio "writing" where I record my thoughts because when I start to write them down I don't know how to explain myself.
I used to jot down fantasies, anxiety, wishes, dreams.. but somewhere in chase of salary happiness lost the track.. I have recently started using Notion to keep track of my audio cd and cassettes collection, with books.. quotes, highlights
Okay, wow....I just found your channel. The first video was on being a chaotic passionate person, and now I'm here. Your channel is a gift from the angels hahaha. You get me...you really, really get me. Great Channel!
Everything that you mentioned in your video is so.... helpful and life saving. Great to see powerful women taking over youtube! We owe our future success to you! Such a nice addition to the youtube world that guys were and have dominated, while girls dominate the makeup sector. Never get tired listening to you, over and over (on the auto loop). Cheers! Keep up with the good work
Lovely animations, Elizabeth! Also, just love that Christmas tree in your room, in the middle of summer. 🎄 Your content is uniquely helpful, thank you so much for putting it all together in such a supportive & digestible way. 🙂
I spend a lot of time putting thoughts into words and sort of explaining them to myself in my head, but when I finally make sense of it I can’t look back at it so the next night I’ll do it again until I’ve basically memorised a script but if I wrote this stuff down it would probably save a lot of my time
Thanks for the book recommendation🥰. I opened a new blog just for this reason, I figured I needed to learn more about people and improve my active listening (ADHD) and this is a way to increase my curiosity about the world and people.
Great stuff. I'm not used to this slow rythym of your speaking, but it felt more personal and relaxing to watch it. Thank you for spending your time with us.
I'm trying to incorporate more ways to use my left hand every day. Like for example I've eaten eaten the past couple meals with my left hand even though my dominant hand is my right hand. A lot of brain experts will say brush your teeth with your non dominant hand but you know I'm dominant hand but I don't really go for that 1 because I need my teeth to get clean. ;) But just random tasks that I normally accomplish with my right hand I've been trying to use my left hand or both hands!
Thank you Elizabeth 😊 I love your channel, the calibre of your videos is outstanding! I have noted that you have such a beautiful and unique glabella, quite unlike any other I have seen before.
You know what, I'm seeing it for the third time. Although the video is very very very helpful, i found myself addicted to listen to your video every two days once since i subscribed. Listening your video is much efficient to me.
