We recently had a bad afternoon. Big picture, nothing is really wrong. But sometimes small things pile up, and we were all dysregulated when we got home from an unexpectedly long appointment. My two-year-old loves to sit in our bedroom next to the big bookshelves, so she found a spot and was pulling books off the shelves. My older daughter and I were hanging out when she spotted my five year journal and asked me to read her some of the entries.
We probably spent the next 15 or 20 minutes reading (slightly edited) entries of different days. She’s a beginning reader and wasn’t interested in trying to decode the text, so it was easy to just read the parts I felt comfortable sharing with her. It was incredibly soothing to remember good days, bad days, and all the moments in between from the past year and a half, and it really brought perspective in a moment when we all needed it. My daughter and I loved reminiscing about all of the different things we had done, and it really helped to turn our afternoon around.
Have any of you kept 5 year journals? If so, have you ever found it gave you a boost to reread it in a hard moment? I’ve only written in one for the past year and a half, but so far I like the routine.
I have not kept a 5 year journal but I really like looking back through my blog over the years... it's probably less personal sometimes, but it's a great reminder of things that happened and I had "forgotten" about sometimes. I love that you were able to find joy in looking back.
ReplyDeleteSIGH. I bought a five year journal in May, started filling it out enthusiastically, and lately have been neglecting it. It's just sitting on my shelf, staring at me accusingly. I know future me would be so happy if I would just write one line every day! I really need to get back in that habit.
ReplyDeleteI get it...I definitely went through periods of less motivation. Somehow now that I'm on year 2, it's more motivating because I'm bummed when I get to a stretch of days I missed last year. We'll see if I stick with the practice or not.
DeleteWhat great use of the journal.
ReplyDeleteI have one and started it. I was good for about 2 years and in the third year I felt a bit unmotivated so I stopped and decided to take a years break. I took two but will restart using it in 2026.
I hope you enjoy it!
DeleteThis is the best use of a five-year journal I've heard. What a nice way to share these memories with your kiddo. I tried to do a five-year journal (or maybe it was a three-year one?) and I just couldn't stay consistent with it, and then it felt silly to keep going. I like the IDEA of a five year journal more than I like the practice, I guess.
ReplyDeleteWho knows if the habit will work for me in the future, but at least it's been nice for now.
DeleteI do not keep a journal. I do have notebooks with my to do lists and I save them. Flipping back thru them is a walk down memory lane.
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry for the rough patch, but what a great way to regroup. Love that.
I am keeping one right now, and I sometimes think about who the audience might be-- this is a good one to imagine-- my future self and a kid.
ReplyDeleteI have never used a 5 year journal, but I keep all my old yearly journals. I have never read it with my kids but I have looked at them alone, to reminisce. It's lovely isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI love this! I am on year 4 of my first five-year journal and I love looking back on what I wrote previous years. I was trying to figure out a habit I could implement so I could reread my entries once I finish this journal and start a new one.
ReplyDeleteI also love the term dysregulation, rather than "meltdown" or something else. I need to use that for myself sometimes!