Think of the voice-activated password journals of Y2K or the cheap little diary locks from Claire’s. People have always gone out of their way to keep their journals private. It’s the only way to protect your peace when your journal is so raw!
And yet, those diary locks could be picked with a paper clip.
Maybe that lock was trying to do more than keep spies out. For some, those locks were the only things keeping the emotions *in*. Protecting your peace isn’t just about privacy – it’s about setting a solid boundary between you and stress. It’s about letting go.
Burn After Reading
Okay, don’t actually start a fire. But, at the end of the day, there is only one way to guarantee your journal stays private. You need to destroy your journal.
Destroying your journal is something that sounds illegal but really, really isn’t. There are actually a lot of different benefits when it comes to intentionally destroying a journal once it fills up.
First of all, you can’t spy on something that doesn’t exist. Destroying your journal “gets rid of the evidence”, so to speak. Unlike a digital journal, there’s no restoring a paper journal that’s been scribbled out, cut up, or whatever. This level of security is top-tier. It will allow you to truly trust your journal as a safe space. Trust = vulnerability and growth. Journal math.
Second, your journal can only do so much to help you release emotions. If you literally and physically carry those journals for years… that’s not really releasing anything. Destroying your journal allows you to literally change old thoughts into new things. How’s that for protecting your peace?
How Art Journaling Can Protect Your Peace
The process of making art is meditative. Forget the final product. Just by making art, you move through old feelings and new ideas. AKA it is perfect for symbolically destroying your journal.
Before you call this art therapy – it’s not. Art therapy is specifically when someone trained in psychology, therapy, and art provides professional guidance. This post is simply a guide on how to transform a heavy journal into something new and beautiful. There’s healing in that (just not therapy).
That said, here are some art practices you can use to let go of your journal.
1. Joyful Scribbling
For this practice, you’ll need lots of things to color with. You could use pens, colored pencils, crayons, or anything else you please.
In a favorite color, start writing positive thoughts over the journal entry. These thoughts could be gratitudes, song lyrics, a list of favorites, dreams for the future, etc. Don’t try to “cover-up” specific things on the page. In fact, pay little attention to the words already on the page. The goal here is to add.
Change colors every time you change topics. Maybe you list gratitudes in blue and a family recipe in yellow. The colors can be symbolic or not. Just keep writing
As you go over the page again and again, notice how the good things overlap the original journal entry. You might be able to read a little of what was originally said but there is so much more now! Or actually…there has always been more.
Take a second to think about how some of these positive things existed when you first wrote in this journal. If the good didn’t mean the heavy stuff didn’t matter, the opposite is also true. Whatever weighed you down in that moment didn’t mean there wasn’t beauty out there.
Breathe in and think if any messages are sticking out to you. In a black Sharpie, write this message over the page.
2. Goodbye Boards
We all love a good vision board. There is something powerful about collecting everything you want to draw in and visualizing it in one place. But what if we did the reverse?
A goodbye board puts everything you want to let go in one space. Then you can say “goodbye” to everything all at once.
Spend time finding journal entries that represent all of the things you want to let go of. Thank them for all of the ways these words have served you. After that, cut the pages up.
You can also cut up magazines, printed images, etc. From here on out, the process is very similar to making a vision board. Take time to organize all of your board materials in a way that feels right and then glue everything down.
Once finished, think of a way to say goodbye. It could be as simple as throwing the board away or something more elaborate. Anything is fine as long as you stay safe and respect the environment. There is no better way to protect your peace.
3. Lucky Stars
They say that origami stars bring luck and support. Who doesn’t need that energy in their life? This art practice is all about turning a struggle into a strength.
To get started, find journal entries that represent a particularly rough life lesson. Cut this entry up into thin lengthwise strips. Next, look at this video on folding paper stars.
As you fold each star, think about how you intend to grow from this life lesson. You can use the following prompts to get started:
· What surprised you most about this lesson?
· What about your day-to-day routine needs to change?
· How can you forgive yourself for needing to learn this lesson the hard way?
· What big goals are coming up for you now?
When you finish, display your stars. You’ve earned them! Maybe make a jar filled with them or create a lanyard of them for your journaling space. Even keeping one in your pocket will be a nice reminder.
This isn’t the same as carrying around an old journal as-is. Your stars have undergone a deep change (like you). They are the result of seeing something through to the end and THAT is worth carrying.
A Final Tip to Protect Your Peace
So many people are scared to journal because it’s hard to keep written words private forever. Don’t let that fear be something that stops you from keeping an honest, vulnerable journal. You’ll miss out on so much good!
Instead, think about your reasons for wanting to keep your journals forever. There are so many ways that you can leave behind a legacy. Do you really want your unfiltered private thoughts to be that legacy? If that answer is “yes”, power to ya. But if you want at least one private space – destroying your journal is a great option.
