Do you maintain a diary?

[Terxpahseyton]

Let's get the cliché right out of the way.

"A diary is only for whimsy teenage girls having to reflect on their self-indulgent small and over-dramatic feelings of being liked and getting laid and loved and chasing childish dreams"

All those things are probably somewhat true.

But a diary is sooo much more.

Here is my opinion: I don't believe in destiny, I don't believe in a higher purpose. I don't believe in things connecting to a magical point.
What I do believe in - The moment, feelings, personal conditioning and the power of reflection.

I believe we all are chaotic bundles of sensitive impressionable small beings fed up until wanting to puke out of indigestible sensation. I believe we all are sorta chaotic and direction-less and lost. Some more than others. At perhaps even long times some are not while others may be all the time.
But I believe you should not let this drag yourself into stupid stereotypes based on hierarchy rather than reality.

What I am trying to say: I think none of us fall into the way they are 'supposed' to go. Some may feel to for a time - but no one will be glued to it.
I think that however well or bad you feel about your way - there is alway immense room for exploration and success in doing such exploration.
I think nature throws a dice; but the mind enables us to trick the role of it.
However - to do so - you need to be aware of yourself. You need to reflect on what is going, on what happened, what touched you, what drives you, what are you, what makes you, what you hate, despair, love and adore and ponder.

And frankly - I think the only way to properly do so is to keep a diary.

So... who does keep a diary? And who will?

 

[gay_Aleks]

I try to. Like, I write an entry today. Then another. Then I read them and rip apart the pages and hope that I forget the words I've written.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Obviously I don't know what you have written...
I wanted to continue there but.. Obviously I don't know what is going on with you.
But ... refusing to face your thoughts is in my experience the worst thing you can do. I know that facing them can be incredibly hard. I think an equal wrong or trouble is usually the worst when it applies to oneself ... and rarely compares to what you had felt when it applies to someone else (close ones being rare exceptions). But facing it tends to be consistently rewarding.

 

[Cutlass]

Never have, never will.

 

[JollyRoger]

If I maintained anything, it would be called a journal.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Rewind
*rewinding noise*
"Oh this guy does not even speak my language..:"
*be good*

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Does a lab book count?

 

[Terxpahseyton]

If it contains your feelings - I guess so

 

[Paul in Saudi]

I started one years ago to improve my handwriting. Now I have a nice little stack of moleskins I never open. My rule is to write freely in it. Bridge scores, quotes from the newspaper, I use the pages to explain grammar to students. It helps me remember what I have done and I enjoy writing in it.

 

[JollyRoger]

I don't always keep a diary, but when I do, I sit down to pee.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Sounds healthy. Since bowel or pee release matches emotional release. Keep on brave little man, keep on.

Also, I am immensely happy I deleted my original response.

 

[bhavv]

Its funny how in just about every video game ...

We need to find all the enemies secrets! Quick, to their diaries.

 

[Bosh89]

When I was in high school, I used to write something in my diary, not much but sometimes.
However, I didn't find it interesting and hard to keep it alive because of much work on my study.
But now, I take it out and read it again, something strangely good emerges in my mind.

 

[JollyRoger]

Dear Diary,

Have you heard that I am brokenhearted after fawning over Bambi who has a cute hind end. I don't know how much dough I spent on her, but it was quite a few bucks. I have just now staggered home horny.

JR

 

[warpus]

I keep a very brief journal when I travel.

It's become tradition for me to buy a new little notebook to write things in when I go on a trip. Inside I will write down a point form list of things that have happened to me on the trip - so that I don't forget.

It's very brief though and probably doesn't count as a journal or diary - the purpose is for it to be a trigger for memories when I finally sit down and write my trip out. It's worked very well so far, so I'm going to continue doing it. I wish I had more time to keep a proper journal when I travel - but usually there is no time for "extra" stuff like that.

As for when I'm just sitting around at home.. I've never considered it. I don't think I'd ever read it - so I guess that's why I just don't bother writing it either.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Always kept a diary since Middle School. Sometimes I write in it every day, sometimes I skip for months at a time. Doesn't matter much; I like keeping it around, as a "historical" record of things and to reflect. I am also acutely aware - perhaps too much - that I am twisting the narratives I write for various reasons, whether it's embarassment, getting lost in the moment, whatever (it's why I say listening to music I really liked a X point in time is a more accurate way for me to remember things). Still, it's useful. As embarassing as it is to go back and see some of things I have, it can also be insightful for me to remind of what I once was.

 

[Narz]

I realized about a year ago that I cannot remember most of what I was doing on major days of the year (holidays, my birthdays, the solstices, etc.) so I decided to keep a journal that I update every notable day (solstices, equinox, hallowen, xmas, new years, other govt. holidays, etc.).

That way I can remember my life at that time, where my head was at, who I was with, how work & personal life were going, my worries, fears, goals at those times.

Writing is a very valuable weapon in the fight against depression. And it makes life seem not to speed by so fast when you at least have a record.

 

[sophie]

Let's get the cliché right out of the way.

"A diary is only for whimsy teenage girls having to reflect on their self-indulgent small and over-dramatic feelings of being liked and getting laid and loved and chasing childish dreams"

A diary isn't just for whimsy teenage girls!

It's for broody 16-year olds too!

 

[Kyriakos]

I answered "Yes, though with some gaps", cause it has been almost 2 years now that i do not regularly write on it other than to note publications in mags or other bits about work. Prior to that i virtually wrote long passages each day, and my 11 year diary has something like 12K pages (and at least 3K pages have been lost through computer crashes).

So i might even have the more voluminous diary in recent times

 

[Mise]

I don't keep a diary, but I do log some basic information about me. I used to log my heart rate but I don't do that anymore. I weigh myself every morning, but I don't log it. My phone logs everywhere I travel via Google's location history feature. I've started using a pedometer too. I log what I do at work now too.

As for recording (i.e. writing down) my feelings, I don't do that anymore. I used to have a word document where I'd write a bunch of stuff, which I sporadically wrote in during my late teens, but I pretty much entirely stopped doing that when I was 21. I don't gain any value from that. I do very often analyse my behaviour, actions, beliefs, instincts, prejudices and so on, but I don't do that in a diary, or need a diary to do that.

A diary might be necessary for Terx to know himself, but it might not be necessary for everyone.