Student Journaling Reflection Summaries

The following Journal Reflection Summaries were added by students whom participated in writing in a Journal as their transformational change activity.  The summaries were written by the individual students and are summaries of lessons learned, benefits to, ideas for, reflections of, therapeutic importance, etc., for keeping a journal, both professionally and personally. (Paul Downing)

Journaling Summary

It was interesting, when it came time to begin my journaling practice. It came at a time when I was extremely overwhelmed by work and other activities that were taking a lot of my time. When I began journaling I was reluctant as to what I would benefit from the practice. As I began the practice, I began to feel a load come off my shoulders. It was as if I had someone to speak to and express my thoughts and problems. It actually turned out to be a very beneficial practice. I felt rested after writing in the journal which I decided to write in every night before bed. Another personal benefit I gained from the practice was that I was able to write down ideas that were recalled easier when needed. Journaling was almost like a blueprint of thoughts. These were ideas that were later used for creating projects. The stresses of work complications were easily sorted out while journaling. I was able to reflect on those stresses and turn that stress into usable positive energy after writing. Writing in the journal also allowed me to cope with those work complications. One example was when I was trying to think of how to approach a co-worker that was confrontational. After writing in the journal about this individual and how I thought I should approach him, I noticed that when I did, it was a lot easier of a discussion than I had thought it was going to be. What has changed in my life was that I no longer feel boxed in with my emotions. I feel like I have a release when I need to purge negative emotions through journaling. I immediately saw the benefits of journaling, and am now planning to continue the practice in the future. (Kenneth Sanchez)

Journaling

There are many benefits to journaling both personally and professionally. A well-kept journal can inspire the author to express their thoughts, experiences, ideas, feelings, goals, etc. Journal entries can be written in both positive and negative light. Personalizing the style of journal can motivate the writer to keep a journal, whether it’s a traditional bound journal or diary, a computer based journal, an iPhone app or a number of other forms of documenting.

Journaling has always been, stereotypically, a practice done by young girls who kept their thoughts and emotions in a colorful diary, bound by a small lock and key. As I researched journaling it broke down some of these barriers I associated with journaling and found it to be beneficial both personally and professionally.

In my professional journal I wrote goals and objectives, which I found made them more concrete and tangible. I also made a list of successes and failures to jog my memory in the future. As a supervisor, journaling will help me with the positive and negatives of the employees I supervise. It will help to recall events and improve communication. Professional journaling can keep you goal oriented, refined from past experiences and improve your leadership qualities. Professionally I found out I have been journaling since the first day I took a patient to the hospital. I write a patient care report on every medical call I go on as a Paramedic. I write a narrative, which will be read by doctors, nurses, family members, lawyers, and the quality assurance people, on every patient. This is not the traditional journal, but it covers the patient’s emotional, physical, medical, and mental timeline before and during our medical intervention.

Personally I found journaling to be very difficult for the stereotypical reasons described above. I had a hard time getting emotions, feeling, and expressing how I felt on paper. I was afraid it would be read by others. I started to type on the computer and deleted when I was done. I still had the benefit of getting long lasting traumatic events off my mind and then getting rid of them when I hit “select all” and then delete. I did learn unloading some of the traumatic events in life onto the computer screen helped to let them go. I enjoyed documenting lists of positive things; 10 things I like best about my daughter or wife or my boys, where should we go on vacation this summer, etc. I scratched the surface in regards to the benefits of journaling and I hope I can continue it for a while.

(Paul Downing)

The Combined Practice of Journaling and Gratitude

I understand that the expectation was that we would author two summaries, one for each practice. But I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss them together because their combined impact, for me, was magical. And separating them would rob each of the value discovered by combining them, and deny the journey that led me to my breakthrough.

I carefully chose my beautiful turquoise journal with happy anticipation of all the words and ideas that would soon fill its pages. I could never have anticipated the struggles we would go through together. My practice of journaling was truly a labor of love. It seemed the day I was most successful was the day my whole world fell apart. But what this process taught me is that sometimes, transformational practices have to choose us and not the other way around. I was so convinced I would take to journaling immediately, and I was shocked and disappointed when I found it so difficult. But despite a rough go of it, there was still a lot value to be gleaned from the experience. I learned (yet again) that I am a perfectionist and the idea of making my thoughts permanent kept me stuck. I learned that I don’t enjoy being made to write in the same way I don’t enjoy being made to read – even when the topic is something of interest to me. And I learned that forcing myself to do the work lead me to a practice that has been immensely helpful and positive. In the end I combined the practice of journaling with the practice of gratitude, and the result is a journaling experience that I will continue to practice.

Since I am very visual, the idea of being visually assaulted with the concerns lying closest to my heart was more than I could bear. But what I discovered is that when I used the journal to document the things for which I’m grateful, their magnitude grew immensely as they transitioned from ideas and thoughts to words on a page. And the thing I was most afraid of became a powerful visual symbol of love and purpose. This epiphany helped me to discover the ultimate practice for transformational change. I’ve just recently begun to journal the things I am most grateful for…about myself. I am hopeful that this will build self-esteem and help me love myself more and, ultimately, will motivate me to better care for myself.

I believe this kind of journaling could be very beneficial for others, both in personal and professional practices. It could help anyone else struggling with self-esteem issues, body image issues, anxiety, or depression as a personal practice. It is very helpful for overcoming negative self-talk and could be a great adjunct for cognitive behavioral therapy. I also believe this practice could be of great value to young adolescents. There is potential that this kind of practice could be beneficial to young girls as they transition to high school. It is at that time that they are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders, depression, and anxiety.

There might also be professional applications for this practice. A collaborative gratitude journal might have a place in a hospital. There could be therapeutic value for patients as well as staff. A public journal would give patients and staff the opportunity to share the things for which they are grateful and to see the impact the experiences are having on others. There is value in being the recipient of someone else’s gratitude and this kind of exchange could be a beautiful thing. Bringing the practice of gratitude would be beneficial to other work environments as well. At my hospital we begin meetings with a “safety catch” in order to bring safety to the forefront of everyone’s minds. A “gratitude moment” would be a great morale booster, especially for the clinical departments.

Whether practiced together or separately, if these practices find you or call to you, listen. This experience has been life changing and I look forward to continuing the combined practice.

(Judy Lynn)

Journaling Reflection Summary

First I would just like to say that beginning this reflection assignment I didn’t realize how much of an impact it would really have on me. I am so thankful to have experienced all that I have through these transformational practices. I chose journaling because this was the area that I focused on for my Wiki and I felt that I had learned a great amount about the benefits that I had to experience it for myself. Through this practice I learned that journaling could be beneficial for many aspects of your life. I really enjoyed taking time out of my day to sit and reflect. This is something that is often not done with all our busy lives. It was great to slow down and sit and write about things going on in my life. I chose to journal about daily events and my mood at the time. This allowed me to realize when I was stressed, what was stressing me, and how to keep those stressors from affecting me.

The easiest part of journaling would be writing itself. When you are writing about yourself and how you feel, without any specific guidelines words just pour right onto the page. I would say the toughest part s finding the time to journal. Although when I actually begun it helped me slow down and bring me more into the moment, actually stepping out of my busy day to day life was not easy. Because of journaling I was able to relieve some stress. I am not sure if it was relief because of writing it down, or if because I wrote it down I realized what was stressing me and was able to handle it. I feel that it is somewhat both.

Since I begun this assignment any time I feel overwhelmed or lost and confused I can go back to my journal and read past reflections and then write new ones in hopes to figuring out what’s going on in my life and what led me there. As a result to this journal practicing I feel that I am able to handle more situations and that I now have a way of relieving certain emotions. I have also realized that things that normally would stress me out or bother me, no longer do, possibly because I have recognized them and how to handle them. I am thankful that I found journaling and thankful that I can be in control of my emotions and happiness.

(KATHLEEN JONES)

Transformational Change Practice Two- Journaling

I was extremely pleased that I chose this practice for my second transformational change project. It was something that I had done before while serving a mission for my church and I found that writing in my journal and focusing on the the good things that happened really helped keep not only but mood up but ti helped me realized that more good happened that I thought each day. For this practice I made it a goal to write in my journal at least 4 to 6 times and each entry had to be a page or more. I found it difficult at first to write a full page, however as time went on I found that more and more good things were coming to my mind about each and every day. The feeling of joy that was accompanied with this practice was incredible. I was not always able to hit my goal of 4 to 6 times but for the most part I was and when I did I felt better and more optimistic the next day. I really enjoyed doing this practice. I wish that everyone would really take the time to at least try this practice. The results are beyond amazing, they are real and life changing.

(Karl Beeston)

Journaling Reflection

During my journaling experience, it was very positive and meaningful. Journaling helped me to learn many things about myself. The more I write in my journal, I think I am a more optimistic person. Before I started journaling, I was a pessimistic person. There were many things in my life that weren’t going well, and I always worried about my future and my current life. However, when I started writing my journal, I wrote about many things I was thankful for and starting thinking more positively. I became a more optimistic person The easiest part of journaling is the flexibility because I could do it whenever I choose. I was able to write my journal in the morning, afternoon, or night. It is very inexpensive. All I need to is purchase a journal. The most difficult part of journaling was being able to choose the right words to express my emotions. Sometimes I can’t really write exactly what I want to say. I try to be as exact as I can, so later, when I look in my journal, I could read about how I felt. The most meaningful part of journaling was that I could have something to look back on in the future and be more optimistic. If I have no documentation of what I did or how I felt, there is no way for me to remember my past. What changed in my life through journaling was my mentality. I am able to be more positive in my thoughts and express them in writing. Although it is still difficult, I am improving in expressing my thoughts and feelings. (Gyu Lee)

Journaling Reflection Summary

Journaling is a practice that did not come as easy to me as I had hoped. I wasn't sure how to measure the effectiveness of this practice and for that reason I chose it. Growing up I use to keep diaries and write the most random thoughts, I was quiet and somewhat shy but expressing myself on paper was an outlet besides dancing. I enjoyed going back and laugh at all the silly dumb stuff I wrote sometimes. Along the way pass high school, I lost interest mainly because I started to keep agendas to keep up with school and work instead. I also feared anybody reading my personal business so I decided to stop. This time I wanted to pick up this old practice in a more artistical way. I decided to start my journal with drawings and verses. I have never been really artistic but I enjoy it. I always wished I can express myself through thought and visionary art. Keeping a diary was fun to go back to then, I wanted this practice project to create long lasting positive memories for my family to pass on. I bought a drawing scrap book and I drew, colored, glued and decorated away. I printed pictures of my loved ones, I wrote small verses and personal thoughts. I enjoyed it so much I got more stuff, sort of scrapbooking but my way of journaling. It's not a every day practice but I will definitely keep this up on the weekends. I also find this practice beneficial for our family because it's an activity that can bring people together. It reminds us and teaches how important family time is.(Melissa Maldonado)