Change your creative life with a JOURNAL (or just, you know, use it to stay sane) 

Why is Anne Lister outing herself as an immortal

as a young lesbian hearing you say the words “and come out” cleared my skin watered my crops and tucked me into bed

Cathy please do a podcast so I can listen to your wonderful voice and excellent wisdom always

God. I don't think there's anyone else on the internet that gives off more trustworthy energy. I think I have to start journaling now, I'd be a bad lesbian and a bad costumer if I ignored advice from Seamstress Anne Lister herself.

A tip, or an idea: Journal using less dominant hand. Doing so feels awkward in beginning and the slowness involved causes a decision making process about word choice. It also brings out thing not planned and not realized as being things. As one does it more and more, hand agility increases and that is also a plus for one's brain function. If one can journal in a hammock or other kind of swing it also has positive effects on the brain's functioning. As I understand it from reading some studies, that is...

Keeping a diary made me realise that all I did was work! I went back over a year's worth of writing to find I hadn't done anything for the fun of it all year. I made my new year's resolution to have more fun as a result and needless to say the next year's diary was filled with all the fun things I did.

Anne Lister revealing her identity as an immortal is definitely a big deal, but can we appreciate the absolute Looks she’s serving up in our year 2019? Your outfit reminds me of the musical Newsies and honestly. What an Icon.

Are we suuuuure you're not Anne Lister reincarnated?

I was watching a documentary which referenced a journal kept by a manservant who was writing to improve his penmanship. I thought, "At Last! This is how I will do journaling!" And I have. I write quite a bit, and draw out things I would not normally write about, and enjoy the process as I control my penmanship! I have been surprised at how much it has helped on the emotional side of things.

Oh, I love this. Spot on, I can relate to all of these points. I’ve been journaling since around middle school (I’m in my 40s now). Honestly, I think if I pointed out my favorite parts I would end up just transcribing the entire video, so I won’t. My journaling routine also involves fountain pens. I love being able to choose different colors and shadings, and for me the actual writing experience is so much more pleasant when writing with one. 😊 This calls to mind a quote from The Importance of Being Earnest that went something like, “I always carry a diary, for one must always have something sensational to read on the train.”

My first experience with journaling was when I was a kid and my siblings found that little book and kept making fun of what I had written. That made me hide almost everything I created for a very long time and still today I always have reservations about showing my art or my writing. But I kept to drawing and writing and somehow to journaling - I still never get very far with it, since I (like Bernadette said) have that inner editor, who strives for perfection or at least a bit of sense. So I did not write in a very long time now and it hurts, because it is something I really love, a part of me which I feel I just can't reach at the moment. So the only thing left for me at the moment is making journals at at very profound level, by crafting them. One way or the other - writing or editing or designing or binding - books will always be my life.

I've started doing a "common place book" in which I just... brain dump. Sometimes it's about my day. Sometimes it's cool facts I learned at a museum. Sometimes it's just midnight scribbling in the dark because I couldn't sleep because my brain was just so filled with everything. It's less commitments than full journaling, but it's definitely like backing up the hardware that is my brain!

I literally have been journaling from the time I was 9 or 10. I have been more consistent or less so the whole of my life from that age. 5 years ago I developed Sepsis which promptly turned into septic shock. I did the coma thing, the rehab center, bed for a year.. amputation(just my toes on one foot thank God) And I had a HUGE HUGE journal. One of those great big books that should last for like 3 years.. I ate that up in 3 months. I used it to write things that I didn't want to say out loud. I put things in there that I have NO intention of reading ever again. But it helped me work through my PTSD, It helped me work through surgeries, not feeling like enough for my family ect. Now I have 2 journals. One for my general life and one for my creative side. It has ideas, sketches, scraps of fabric, random articles, research. I love that thing. I have a mini printer that prints out pictures from my phone. So if I see a dress I adore or I see something I love the line of, I can take a photo print it out and put it in my project journal. It's a Travelers Notebook style. So I have different notebooks for my different creative bits. And it is ALWAYS with me. I also carry with me a small little a4 size journal that use if an anxiety attack it trying to creep up or if I just need to get out of my head. I keep those too. The act of writing. Physically writing is so a part of us as humans. Yes typing is fantastic and computers are great. But.. what happens when the hard drive is corrupt or the thumb drive gets lost. What if it all goes to hell and there is no electricity. My journals will not break down at the same rate as a thumb drive. Any one who is able to read English and a little Norwegian will be able to open my journals in 100 years time and read about my crazy days .

Kept a diary since 1992. Rereading can be painful,but insightful. All my pets have little traits and habits noted down. Plants Ive grown,things Ive made,hobbies,upsetting arguments,resentful rants,new friends and new activities. Nailvarnish Ive worn(complete with dots of them),places Ive been,my longterm illness all recorded higgledy-piggeledy. The time I wrote with a dip pen! Coloured inks I used. No idea if anyone else will have a chuckle over it all,but then Pepys diary wasnt meant to be read by anyone else either.

I've been writing since adolescence, and without it, probably none of my artworks would exist. I don't write daily, but whenever there is something I have to deal with. I have PTSD and depression, and writing is therapy for me. So if there's something I need to figure out, when I'm not well, when I'm struggling, it helps to write to figure out what's going on and understand myself and my feelings better. And often while I write, I get ideas for visualisations for whatever is going on inside me and they often turn into paintings or drawings eventually. But even more often, my writings end up evolving into poetry. And it's so important for me to find these ways of communicating what's in me because for a long time, I've been very alone with these things. I create a better relationship with myself by writing and I get connected to others by sharing it. I have two little volumes of poetry now and the third one is almost finished. At the beginning of this year, I even started a RU-vid channel with little videos for my poems (omg it would actually be really amazing if you read/listened to my poetry...). I mostly write on my laptop, by the way. I used to write by hand, and sometimes I still do, but I get problems with my wrists if I write (or paint) too much. Thank you, Cathy, for another great video with wonderful advice! ♡♡♡

Hello Kathy! I used to journal every day when I was a teen. The every-day mundane things. They are pretty hysterical to read now, but also quite insightful. Many years ago, when I suddenly became a widow, my Mom told me to journal every day and then at the end of a year go back and read it. It was astonished at how I managed to "survive" that major change in my life. Perhaps I will try journaling again. Thank you!

I started Journaling when I was 9 years old in Argentina where I was born . I started because of an abusive childhood and journaling was very healing for me. Now I’m 58 years old and living in the United States for the last 30 years and still journaling. It’s is a great practice and so comforting. Loved your video , thank you .

I can totally second the 'just write!' advice! I've kept a diary (or tried to) for several periods since childhood, but never really stuck to it. I didn't enjoy it enough, I had an active inner critic and when re-reading I felt positively annoyed by the style, which didn't feel like 'me' and wasn't good writing either. Until recently, when I was going through some soul searching, guided by a set of questions, I started writing again and started to have fun and it started helping me! What was the difference with before? I realized that before, I had been writing the way I thought you were 'supposed' to be writing in a diary! Constantly I was keeping a theoretical future reader in mind (though I would never let anyone read it, but you know, just in case) and this imaginary format for what journaling was supposed to look like. So both in form AND content, I didn't let myself be free. This time, I explicitly promised myself that no one would ever have to read it. It didn't even have to be readable to myself. So I forgot about pretty handwriting (or even legibility), forgot about beautiful, correct sentences, forgot even about punctuation or spelling! I just kept writing, completely unedited. I forgot about nuance or context or background, just wrote down the thoughts that crossed my mind. And this helps me greatly, especially when overcoming some hurdle, or figuring out my own thoughts on one subject or another. Nowadays, whenever I hit some mental barrier, I pull out this notebook and start scribbeling and usually this leads me to a solution, or at the very least it pulls my brain out of the circles it was spinning in. What actually helped me in 'allowing' myself to write this way was NOT having a pretty journal, but just some random, free notebook, out of a goodybag of promotional material, writing with whatever pen I had at hand. This way the threshold to start writing was extremely low and I didn't feel like I was 'wasting' a beautiful diary with whatever crap I wrote. Funny thing was: as soon as I stopped caring about what or how I wrote, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed re-reading much more! And now, with one notebook filled, and having discovered the usefulness and fun of writing this way, I think I'm ready to move on to one of the beautiful dummies gathering dust on my shelf, because they were too pretty to use :)

Thank you so much for making the video I didn't know I needed! I kept a journal for some time up until last year, when I suddenly stopped for no apparent reason. I used to enjoy it immensely, being able to flip through the pages and looking back on problems from a different perspective. Now you said it, it becomes painfully clear that I simply hated the new journal I had just picked up from somewhere in the very back of my desk drawer (with VERY thin pages)! Tomorrow I'm going to buy myself a nice journal (A6 for me) and start again :)

When I was young, my mom got me one of those cute little diaries with the locks on them and I loved it. I wrote in it a lot and that was all well and good until the day I found my brother could peak into the diary even though it was locked and then sparked a complete distrust in anything that I have written down. I learned that nothing is sacred and all thoughts should be locked away inside my own mind because they aren’t safe anywhere else. I spent years only writing my feelings down when they became too much to contain, but it was journaling, but it wasn’t at the same time. I would write down my feelings to get them out of my head, only to immediately destroy them because I was so paranoid that someone could find them and read them. This also continued when I was a young teen and I went off to stay with my dad over the summer and my mom liked to do a deep clean of our rooms when we left for the summers. She would completely reorganize the place while you were gone. Which was fine, I didn’t really like the reorganization, but she was doing me a favor and I recognize that. Anyway, one summer she found all of these writings that I had made on spare sheets of paper and stuff (really embarrassing stuff like badly written fanfiction, I assure you) and I guess she read a little of it and wanted to encourage the writing process and whatnot and gave me a little bin to save all of those pages in. I was mortified that she found those pages, but I still have that little bin today because I’m a slight hoarder, but mostly because I was touched that she did that for me. Anyway, what was this about? Oh, journaling. TLDR: I learned not to trust journaling as a kid because I have siblings and nothing is sacred, I think that now, as an adult, we can start to work through this paranoia.

had a terrible morning, thought of this video, journaled about it, felt better. thank you for your words of wisdom ❤️

I have been journaling virtually every day since I was about 13, or so. I am turning 50 soon, so it is coming up on 40 years. I have lost some of my journals through the years, but I still go back and re-read pieces occasionally. For me, journaling is as essential as breathing

I'm excited you mentioned The Artist's Way. When I started watching your videos a few months ago I thought it was likely you had read it.

Journaling is by far one of my favourite (and most cathartic) ways to express my thoughts, feelings, and creativity! It also helps turn chaos into order--or at least as close to order as I'll ever get.

I have thought about journaling over the years and have been told it will help. I have dyslexia so writing is difficult, spellcheck has never been a friend. On days when I’m super stressed or overwhelmed writing is nearly impossible. I get so frustrated and angry with myself the letters become so jumbled I know it’s spelt wrong but can’t always get the letters to cooperate. Sometimes I still have problems with words like left and felt they look the same to me. Sentences just don’t make a lot of sense when you are interchanging words that aren’t interchangeable. And yes I know I am being very hard on myself. I should celebrate the fact that I can read and that my family kept trying to teach and help me. I was 17 before I finally got the hang of reading and writing. I had even been removed from a school board as unteachable. Had to move to a different city and live with an aunts to find a school that would except me. Maybe I will give it a try and try and remember to cut myself some slack

As a kid I kept a diary. It was all a ruse though. I knew my parents read it. So I wrote about boys and lame teenager stuff. But I did have a secret diary from when I was 13-16 years old. The worst time in my life. I was hiding being gay from everyone. I was being physically/sexually/emotionally abused and I was homeless at 15. That secret diary was filled with such painful memories, but I had no friends. I had no parents. It was just me. I think it kept me as sane as I possibly could. At 16 I was officially emancipated from my parents and life got a little better. I stopped writing. Over the last few years, since separating from my husband, coming out and experiencing ptsd I’ve tried morning pages often. I find they help my mental health so much. I just wish I could be more consistent as I really do notice a total shift in my day. I’d also love to journal at night about what I’ve done that I felt good about but I’m scared I’ll never find anything good to write about (besides my awesome kids). Loving your videos. You are so soft spoken and seem so kind and gentle. It’s very calming. Thank you!

I'm also reading Anne Lister's diary right now and it made me think a lot about starting a journal. Your video has now inspired me to try it for real. Thank you. PS: I started Anne's diary right when I discoverd your channel and, even before your costume, I always associated her with you. And then you did the cosplay and now you talking about her and about coming out.... that is so wonderfully ridiculous.

I have been journaling a very long time. I also put things and pictures in my journals. Every year I write a novel for Nanowrimo. The journaling had me write stories. So since 2011. I write one a year. I always have one with me. Sometimes more. They have helped me so much. I have so many now, I dare not try to count them. Thank you Ms. Lister for this post. Enjoyed you and Bernadette at costume college.😻

I just discovered your channel recently through Bernadette and I love starting my mornings listening to you speak. It’s a great , relaxing start to my day.

For me there are two problems with journaling, one you've mentioned, comparison with great diarists, esp. since diaries and letters are one of my favourite type of literature, and I've read a lot of deep, beautiful, profound diaries, so it is inscribed deep in my mind, that diary is written for people, not yourself, so it has to be fantastic, it's actually very good advice and reminder to have, that it does not have to be a great literature, cause it's meant to be a tool for betterment. I really needed that reminder. The other problem for me is, that I think it'd be repetitive, that I'd be writing the same things everyday, since my life isn't exactly film material. :D But maybe that will challenge me to see more things and at least, as you've mention, unload thoughts on paper, to have some more mental space. I need to try it in that form, just writing what's on my mind. I used to do a little bit of journaling, but I forced myself to make it attractive, and everyday I was making some kind of small watercolour sketch accompanying writing, and that wasn't helpful. Thanks for shearing your thoughts on this topic. :)

Throughout middle and high school I constantly had a notebook with me and I was writing all the time. Much of what I wrote was stream of conciousness, prayer, or bits of stories. I fell away from the habit of writing in my journal through out college. I still carry one almost everywhere, but I don't open it up nearly as much. I used to go through a notebook in a few months, but now a rarely go through one in a year.

I used to keep a diary, but now I prefer a junk journal. It fits better with my often scattered thoughts and random nature. I smash in bits of daily trash and use that as a prompt for where I went, what I did, who I was with, and why it all mattered to me. I feel less pressure to be "perfect" (in any sense) in a junk journal because it is so freewheeling by its nature. I make my own junk journals out of whatever random paper I can find, with a cover made from maybe a cracker box or something, and I embellish them with lots of pretty papers, washi tape, artwork and interactives. I find it much more interesting to re-read and get the most out of memories stored this way.

I'm 16, I've been keeping a journal on and off for two years. one reason why I do it is because I have adhd and there are so many things going through my brain at all times that I must always have something with me to write things down. at night I just can't sleep if I don't write everything I'm thinking down. the second reason is because I have quite a bad memory, and I want to remember things and be able to revisit them through reading. whenever I have a birthday party I write down what presents I got from who, every day I write down even the smallest things I did, because I don't feel productive if I'm not working on school, so I tend to not count the little things as productive.

Just spat a mouthful of tea over the iPad when I realised I wasn’t the only one that was fussy about her journal and pen.

I am an avid "list maker" rather than a journal-er. I find lists help me immensely in organizing both my thoughts and actions, plus crossing things off as they are accomplished is such a great boost during long days. I am easily distracted and lists help me stay on track and prioritize my activities. I have long-term lists on whiteboards throughout my house and I have note pads at both home and at work for my daily tasks. I'm glad to hear I am not the only one who needs a system for organizing my thoughts on the daily.

I have been doing bullet journalling for about... 4 years now? Maybe 5? After so many years of trying to journal in the narrative way like was recommended and failing everytime, I just gave up. It just didn't seem to work for me, my brain didn't work that way. But when I came across bullet journalling I saw how people were making what looked like spreadsheets about how they were feeling or what tasks they completed and such things and thought that would be a great thing to try. A creative outlet that was productive on top of being enjoyable. And it really is! It took a bit of experimenting but I have discovered and developed several systems I use for certain situations and different head spaces. And flicking through my journals, I can see what my life was life at any one moment. When I was having bad depressive episodes, when I was really busy, when I was very stressed, when I was riding high. It is like looking through the history page of my brain. I highly recommend it for people who find normal journalling a chore or just doesn't work for them! Because everyone has a different brain, that processes things differently. Maybe you just need a place to put bullet points rather then one to write it all out. That's how it is for me.

This is the first video that has popped up in my subscriptions since I subscribed to you, and I'm so glad to have watched it. I am thankful to youtube for helping me find Bernadette, and to Bernadette for helping me find you. My experience with journalling is that a therapist recommended something like morning pages to help me get rid of worries. Writing everything out as a stream of consciousness means I can read it back and see what parts actually don't make a lot of sense. I'm told that some people find it helpful to burn or otherwise destroy their worry-pages afterwards to get rid of them, but I find that leaving them there in the notebook helps me to let go of the thoughts and not keep going back to them. I never do read them back, but knowing that I could allows me to forget them.

Writing in a journal helped me work through my anxiety and insomnia. I swear by it!

I've been journaling off and on for about 10 years. It started as a tool for work to keep track of the many projects that I was working on and evolved into a tool for living. I've mostly write in a notebook (moleskine, leuchtterm or stalogy) and it's always, always grid paper. I hate ruled paper. Don't know why, just do. I prefer fountain pens but I'll use anything if I have to. I've occasionally done stream of consciousness when I am particularly stressed or when I have elaborate dreams. Just writing - no punctuation although sometimes I'll go back to rewrite or fix something but not usually. I'm currently in a small stalogy which I use for lists or quick notes/thoughts. It's small enough to stay in my purse. I have a larger journal for thinking, processing,etc that stays on my desk. I don't journal in the true sense every day but I use one of the other or both most days. Why do I journal? Well, I am entering my 7th decade of life and despite my maturity , life has a way of constantly surprising me. Two years ago, my husband and I retired, downsized and relocated. It is an exciting and exhausting time in my life and journaling keeps me sane like nothing else. It is my therapist, my priest, and sometimes my one true soulmate. It teaches me about me. I'll be doing this for the rest of my life.

Thank you for this timely video. I haven't journalled in a couple of decades and since turning 50 I've pondered starting it up again. I have a birthday coming up so I think I'll treat myself ....

This video came to me at the exact time I needed it. My therapist suggested I start journaling, but I've always been hesitant to start. I think I can start now. Thank you 😊

Wonderful!! I began journaling in 1975 when my cousin gave me a journal for a graduation present. I don't write everyday, but often enough that there is a record of my life. Reading my old journals is great as I relive my ups and downs and realize who I am through the themes I consistently write about. The historian and author David McCullough says that if you want to be remembered write! Keep a journal and write letters! I know that I wish my grandmother had journaled. She gave birth to 15 children, raised 13 to adulthood, but died when I was just 11. I never got to know her from an adult perspective or ask her questions about her life. A journal would be so valuable!!

I journal on the weekends. Its helps me clear my head. I normally do it at church. I record my surroundings, take notes on the sermons and talk about what I am going through and how I want to improve myself.

I've been journaling since college and I actually use a few different methods. For one journal, I write what I'm feeling especially when I'm stressed or something happened that either made me really happy or that is causing my stress. My second one is my bullet journal where I plan all my projects and keep track of what's happening for the day, month, etc. The last journal is for writing ideas that pop into my head. I studied as an illustrator in school with a focus on costume Illustration and I find it easier to design a costume when I have a character and backstory to reference. Usually, they're little scenes in my head that I then write out to use for an illustration or costume design later.

I have journalled in one form or another, for much of my life. Since the pandemic started making a local impact, and I transitioned to working from home I've started a side journal project wherein I examine my day based on questions from a Facebook meme: 1. Who am I checking on/connecting with today? 2. What expectation of "normal" am I letting go of today? 3. What made me happy today? 4. How am I exercising or getting outside today? 5. How am I expressing my creativity today? 6. What self-care am I practicing today? 7. What am I grateful for today? There are days where I seem to write the same answer for some of the questions (actually changed question 3 after a week of 3 and 4 being identical answers). There are also days where I struggle with some aspect of the day, so I take the opportunity to write about obstacles or negative feelings, frustrations at things that used to be quick or simple now taking days rather than minutes, or whatever it is bothering me. Some days I forget, so I catch do catch up days where I write my answers in a different colour ink for the different days. Other days my husband happens to be home when I work on it (he's essential or critical), and we write our own answers in different colours from each other. Some days, I like the collaboration because we end up discussing how vastly my life has changed compared to how much his has remained the same (aside from so much extra time spent together since we work nearly opposite shifts). It's been so helpful at helping me manage my feelings, and with helping my husband understand that we aren't necessarily living the same experience.

Thank you so very much for being you. Ordered the books listed - cannot wait!

Thank you, thank you for this video. That's two videos in two days from two youtubers I look up to that recommend journaling (the other was Ariel Bissett). And I really need to journal, there is so much in my head and I'm in a transitional period of my life.

What a gem of a channel 💎

Mikhaila here, Such serendipity to see this!! My journal saved my sanity just this morning. In my new role as a writer, I was overloaded with different ideas and thoughts and possibilities, all swirling through my head. I could not focus enough to write ONE word. I have several historical lectures I want to write and some memoirs about my dear papa who just passed away. But which first? So I just started journaling. Freeform. Stirred the ideas on paper as I would stir coffee. And then BANG! The answers hit me! All of a sudden I knew which writing project should be broken down and in which way. It was wonderful. I had such clarity. I have a beautiful cherry wood, drop-down writing desk that belonged to my grandmother which is my sacred space. It has a rose-scented soy candle on it and pink fairie lights surrounding the whole desk. I get up at 5:30AM to get some writing work done in the quiet of the morning (and I have been doing morning pages for over 15 years (-shhh! I've stopped them when I had a baby,) Oh yes, my journal is my best bud. But WHAT do you DO with them? I have dozens and dozens. I really don't want anyone reading them when I am dead but I don't want to just throw them away. Hmmm...Now I wonder if I could apply this same sort of principle of journalling to get me sewing again.

I love the idea of indexing the journal! That is brilliant!

It is pretty cool to hear all your nuggets of wisdom!

I never kept a journal. Then I started making junk journals as a hobby. One of the journals we made was a December daily, to record holiday happenings. Starting December 1,2019 I started journaling every night & haven’t missed a day since. It has helped me thru rants about retirement, being home with my husband 24/7. It’s helped me vent about politics in the USA & about Covid-19. I’ve just discovered you today & have watched several videos. It’s been s Joy. Thank you for sharing.

You've inspired me to pick up my journal again. Thank you for the wonderful advice!

I journal everyday as well. Its great to have someone to rant to who doesn't have anything to do but listen. I work early mornings so I also write down when I sleep, wake up, and nap to help make sure I'm getting enough sleep. Its been a life saver in mental health and physical health

I love these videos and this one is no exception. I find you are always reminding me of bits of wisdom I’ve lost track of and really need to buckle down with. Thank you for these lovely, encouraging videos. Also- you are totally Anne Lister. It’s wonderful 💗

I adore your insights. I love Journaling. Its a powerful tool.

I'm unreasonably amused by you using the slang usage of 'extra'

Thank you for this thoughtful reminder 💜

You are a spectacular human Cathy! Thank You for being who you are and sharing with us!

Thank you! I needed this today. ❤️

I never thought about the sides of enjoying the journal you’re writing! Thank you so much!

Thank you for yet another portion of wisdom! This video literally brought tears to my eyes. I picked up and dropped journalling a couple of times but now I'm definitely starting it again. Putting thoughts onto paper really helped me to sort thoughts through and keep the track of my life when I was going through a hard time. Thank you again for your wonderful video!

Journaling definitely helps a ton and is so cathartic

I've been journaling since I was 13 (33 now) I write on and off, I enjoy writing about adventures, traveling, and things that are tough in life. It helps to write it down, give it a day or two, go back and re-read to help sort through the problem. Thanks for the reminder of why I love to write as I haven't in awhile.

Thank you Cathy. I have journaled periodically over the years. You’ve reminded me to pick it up again. Much love x

If you hadn't mentioned Julia Cameron and her "morning pages" and The Artist's Way, I would have. That book changed my life! I rediscovered my art through doing morning pages --daily!!-- for one year. Thank you for talking about journaling!

Thank you so much for this video! You have inspired me to get back at it. I always have the intention to journal but I never follow through with it. Now after watching your video I feel the need to write the many thoughts in my head down. Thank you so much!

I've been journaling on an off since my start 20's. At the time it helped me get through a rough time, and make sense of what was going on. Then I got children, and I forgot about it until a year or so ago. I've picked it up again, but have struggled finding a format that fits me. I bought a very nice dot journal because that was very hyped, but the thin paper, over 200 pages and my tiny writing intimidated me. These last 6 months I've been in a Traveler's Notebook insert. Only I felt like I wasn't really journaling, it did not feel as if doing it right...until I saw your video. Then it hit me; there is not right or wrong way, there is no journaling police. As long as it works for me, then I should just be happy. Thanks for making me realize that this late evening. :-)

Thank you for this, Cathy! I had a full week of journaling every day a year ago, but it's time to get back to it. I noticed I was a much happier person because of it.

Such an amazing and timely prompt for starting my day!!! Thank you so much for sharing your insight, wisdom and expertise❤️🥰🙏🏻

Helped me leave my marriage too. I noticed I didn’t write when things had gotten bad and when it started to get worse I started writing again and really helped me see how bad things had gotten and to help get it out. On a happy note I’m so glad we were made to journal during study abroad. That journal is now one of my most prized possessions (also was a gift from the cast of one of the shows I designed so meant even more). When I went into the hospital for my first cancer surgery that’s the one thing that helped keep me sane was reading about my happy memories. Now I’ve been able to add to my travel journal! Have used a Pilot Precise V5 extra fine pens on college ruled! If I have a blank journal my writing is all over the place and they are better for sketch books rather than journals. My writing style favors the college ruled too. But think everyone has their own format that they prefer! I haven’t journaled in awhile and just started again. It’s so therapeutic.

I'm newish to your channel, and I've been hopping through your old videos over the past few months. Thank you for making this video, I really tried to keep a diary from the start of lockdown but got really low and couldn't write, and then I got upset at myself for "failing". I feel like I can go back and try again now. You've absolved me of the guilt.

I couldn’t agree more! Journaling can be really healing, inspiring and helpful.

I used to journal every day and did for years. I have fallen out of the practice in the last two years and I have noticed how much more stressed and anxious I am now. This video has inspired me to get back at it!

I started journaling when I was in a weird spot, and it is so nice to go back and read about all the things! Times where I started scribbling in excitement, or when I never finished a sentence and tear spots dotted the page. I feel like I’m telling my story to my very own audience

This was wonderful. I was debating over getting a journal earlier this evening. I feel like I was supposed to hear this. Thank you for always being so insightful.

i rediscovered you from your taking control of life video and decided to look through your channel and watch a bunch of the videos when i found this and realised id watched a video of yours before!!! im quite enjoying my time on this channel so far ahah

Ok, universe has pointed it out enough. I'll write down my existence. Your advices have given me nothing but good outcomes, I sincerely appreciate them more and more every day. Last week I was horrendously overwhelm by work, activities I usually enjoy became a burden and mundane home tasks were unsufferable; in the middle of chaos I just sat down, inhaled deeply and asked my self "What can I do now that will actually make a difference?" And little by little I saw the light. I still have old dishes and so many laundry to tackle down BUT I survived and delivered what was expected off me. I thank you dearly for that and all the other little times your voice has echoed in my conscience to guide me ❤😊

You and your videos are now part of my mental healthcare routine, I love putting on one of your videos when I need to recenter myself!

I really needed this video. Thank you.

one of my favorite parts of the book store is the journal section, it has so much potential, those books are more like little stories waiting to me written. I loved all your amazing thoughts. thank you for sharing.

I swear you always post these videos at the best time! I recently found my journal from last year and after initially starting it to help improve my memory, I (ironically) forgot about it. There were countless times since then I really could have used a journal to clarify my thoughts and regroup during a really hard time and while it’s a bit late now, I’m still reconsidering picking my journal back up a year later. Hopefully it’ll come in handy and help not only with learning more about myself, but also help to remember to maintain it in the first place!

Thank you for another lovely video. I have been writing a journal for, I think the last two years. I’ve had a journal for almost all my life but it wasn’t until later that I started to write regularly. It has helped me more than I first realised to sort out my thoughts and maybe it has saved me from a break down or two...

I love this! I’ve been journaling since I was a child. I collect new journals, it got to such a bad point that I had to swear off buying new journals until I had filled the ones I have. I’m getting close to being able to buy another one! I have many journals for different aspects of my life and it helps me organize my thoughts on those subjects! Thank you for your videos, they are always inspiring and beautifully done.

After a couple intense life changing years I have finally started journaling. I wish I had done it during the metamorphosis but it was probably meant this way. Every day I approach my journal with gratitude and love of life. It’s my favorite part of the day. Is life changing for sure and I feel I hold myself accountable to myself through it.

I think I very much needed to hear this today, Thank you. A small piece of serendipity in a vast universe.

HI Cathy I found you from an interview you did with Jeff Walker just yesterday and it was thrilling to listen to your story especially because you are a successful artist which isn't something I run across often. I make journals, among many other things, and so when I saw this video mentioned on your instagram I shot right over for a listen. Now I will be scrolling through your other posts and beautiful costumes! I'm star struck and excited!

First off, this is a lovely video and you've taken me from bouncing around on the idea to deciding that yes I am going to start journalling. Second, I just wanted to say that it's clear you're becoming more confident in your videos and what style you want them to be and that's really nice to see :)

Im in a creative block that has been going for almost a year, and journaling its, at the moment, the only thing i have to release the frustration, as if the words and ideas were building up but had no other way of coming out. I have never been constant at it, but now I find myself seeking it. Also, I realised that its very comforting reading my past thoughts and experiences, as it helps me see how much i have grown. Your videos are a delight, and seriously, you are only confirming our suspicions about you being Anne Lister reincarnated.

Inspiring as always, thank Cathy once again.

I used to write in a journal every day, up until college ... after which, I (heartbreakingly) shred them because I thought they beheld so many embarrassing, cringe-worthy experiences and thoughts. Now that I'm in my late 30s, I'd give anything for a peek back into my weirdo adolescent mind. I picked journaling back up again last year, and so glad I did! Thanks so much for reminding us how important this seemingly simple habit is, Cathy! 💖 (I also love that Queen Victoria kept a daily journal from the age of 13 until her death ... 1000 words a day! 🤯)

Just to let you know how absolutely conversational I find these, I literally just told you, out loud, to hang on before I could begin writing my reply. First of all, I love it when my interest streams cross. I've been into the planner community and planners and bullet journals for the past 4? Years. I can't do a blank journal myself. My ADHD rebels. Instead I have a planner that I can write in, sometimes just my schedule, sometimes more. I have note pages at the back that I do the kind of writing you are talking about in, when ever I find myself somewhere with a few quiet minutes. (As a parent, both mornings and evenings are the kind of chaos that makes angels weep.) I do love the readability. And going back over things I've forgotten.

hearing you say that you've been journalling since before I was born makes me feel very young ':D I journal occasionaly but tend to use an agenda/datebook more often than a journal to keep myself organized.

I'm so happy you're talking about journaling. This practice saved in high school and now it's allowing me to know, understand and forgive myself. It's definitely a habit everyone should have.

I've been journaling consistently for about 36 years, yes, that's years, and I'm now 67. I have found it to be an excellent discipline for primarily exactly the same reason you voiced:. Get it out of my head, my brain, and onto the journal page. All the emotions, thoughts, ideas, plans, hurts, disappointments, worries. I often include my creative ideas with notes, drawings (however crude!), measurements, etc. I think the longest I stopped journaling was for 3 years after my trust was betrayed by my husband when he found and read a portion of my journal and confronted me with the information. It was complete and utter exposure and vulnerability. Only after we were divorced a few years later did I feel safe enough to journal again.

The morning pages have been my favourite form of therapy. It has been so necessary for me in order to stay in control of my mental health and taking control of my life. It has been utterly transforming xx

Cathy...your work here has inspired me to revive my sewing career. You’re incredible❤️

I just started following your channel, and you just make me want to do the thing. Crack out the sewing machine and make stuff, journal every morning before the crack of dawn, enjoy life with a cup of coffee in one hand and a dashing hat in the other. It is inspiring, and I just wanted to say think you for sharing so I can be inspired!

This video just popped up for me and I’m so grateful💜 I’ve had a lot on my mind and think a lot about how I want to remember the good times and read things to my future children about my life and friends. I’ve had multiple people recommend the artists way to me and I loved the idea of morning pages. I’ll try some journaling tonight before I sleep and see if it eases some anxiety. Love you so much Cathy🥰

Thank you the for. inspiration to begin journaling again. I had thrown out old journals on my last move. I felt they were just another thing to move and I should no longer journal. That was five years ago but just lately I thought about starting again and up popped your video . Thank you for pointing out the worth of writing your thoughts down.