Saturday discussion post: diaries (93/365)

[white_hart]

I haven't kept a diary regularly since I was a teenager, when I filled a series of exercise books with angsty outpourings over a period of about four years. (I stopped when I went to university, and binned the old diaries when I came home for Christmas in my first year. Which was probably a good thing, on balance.) I often wonder if I should take it up again, though, mostly because I enjoy the act of writing and it would give me a reason to use some of my nice stationery. I'm not sure what kind of diary I want, though. Probably not angsty outpourings about my innermost feelings, any more; but recording my day-to-day life seems a bit dull (although given how much I enjoy reading my "memories" on Facebook maybe I would like looking back over previous years.

Do you keep a diary, or have you done in the past? What kind of a diary is it?

Comments

[joyeuce]

I've kept a diary fairly regularly since 2001 - though there have been gaps, notably large parts of 2020. I used to use an A6 day-to-a-page volume, but that got a bit daunting. For 2019 onwards, I bought a five-year diary, and I do like looking back at what I did manage to write. It's been especially useful in tracking J's development and and my concerns which have eventually led to a diagnosis.

[white_hart]

That is a good stretch!

I have certainly found that looking back at posts here, or FB memories, has helped me to identify patterns in my mental health; it's useful to be able to say "ah, it's April, my brain always goes wonky in April" rather than assuming that there must be something external that needs fixing.