Task 2b 'Journal writing experience'

So here I am discovering myself by writing thoughts, feelings, emotions and facts. Is interesting how much therapy you can get by letting yourself go and not being afraid to reveal the real you.
Yesterday I watched an acting class which uses a 'listen and respond' mechanism. This 'ping pong of emotions' as I call it, helps you dig deep into feelings you never thought you could find in you. By repeating thoughts that come in your mind and by observing the person opposite you, you realise that you can only gain by giving. It was astonishing watching the actors fighting with themselves, trying to push any fake feelings and behaviour away and letting their true and original thoughts come forward.
I wanted to mention this event as I feel that it links with the Reflective writing. How many times did we take for granted that people might react in a negative way towards us? We need to stop thinking that we are the centre of attention and that people might judge our behaviour and actions. Instead we need to feel free to act and this is what we will learn by expressing ourselves through this journal.

Here are the different methods of writing I applied in my reflective diary:

DESCRIPTION
I found this method very informative but not satisfying at all. I felt restricted as I could only mention facts and not feelings, thoughts or emotions. This method of writing didn't inspire me at all and I wouldn't use it for my reflective journal.

INITIAL REFLEXION
This method fitted like a glove! I couldn't have asked for more as it gave me the opportunity to write in a descriptive, personal and emotional level. I easily reflected my thoughts and truly felt every single word that I've written. The only ingredient missing from this method is the 'conclusion'. For example to include if I learned something from this experience or what to avoid next time; but again is YOUR journal so you can add whatever you want and make it YOUR OWN.

LIST
God! Is like writing a list for the supermarket! Eggs, milk, bread oh no I forgot to mention how I feel!? Are you kidding me? I felt like a robot whilst writing down my thoughts and feelings; this method does not make sense to me at all. It doesn't have any consistency and I'm sure that if I turned back and had a look at it a couple of years later, I wouldn't understand a word of what I've written. So its a BIG FAT NO for this method!

EVALUATION
It was fun at the beginning whilst remembering the highlights and lowlights of my day. Later on I found interesting the fact that I could mention what I've learned and discovered but also what I should avoid doing next time. Other than that I felt that I was writing a document which is just there for people to read and does not enable them to get involved with it. It's a shame that is missing the important factor which is mentioning your true feelings. I would use this method as a supplement to the 'Initial reflexion' method.

GRAPHS,CHARTS AND DIAGRAMS
I didn't find any fluidity or sense behind this method but I could see how it might work for other people. Perhaps is more practical and logical and is right for somebody that doesn't have the time, but still wants to write down things that inspired him/her throughout the day; as well as setting up goals they might want to apply in the future.

WHAT IF
It was interesting imagining what might have happened if I missed the bus or if somebody that I fancy was flirting me. Although these are great suggestions or perhaps tricky situations that they might change our future; we need to keep in mind that they're NOT REAL. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and that is not healthy to leave in an imaginary world for a long time; this is because we are missing what is realistically happening to us, which is the REAL life!

ANOTHER VIEW
Is hard to accept any criticism or advise because as human beings we can be selfish and egoistic. Seing myself through someone else's eyes was a challenge; whether that was a person or a subject. It was interesting to stand back and really see and understand what I might have done wrong. This could be a good exercise for me to help me improve as a person.

Here are some other methods you can use. I haven't tried them all yet but I will definitely expiriment on them and let you know how it goes.

 * Song writing * Cooking * Dancing * Dreaming/Thinking * Capturing moments (pictures)
 * Writing poems * Filming * Texting/emailing yourself throughout the day * Recording yourself