Blogging vs. Journaling

I used to journal.  There was a period in my life when I journaled almost every day.  Now, I rarely journal, but occasionally do...

Most of my writing energy is spent on blogging.  Well, that is not true.  I spend a large part of my work day documenting the interactions I have with patients, and this is sometimes done longhand, but mostly on the computer.  So, when I get home,  I am written out and computered out.

I understand why serious writers need no distractions so they can write.  My brain is so filled with brain chatter that I can not focus, sometimes, to know what to write.  I may have an idea, but I can not focus to present it appropriately.  Or, there is so much pinging in my brain, I can not find an idea.  It is rare that I have "writer's block" because my brain is quiet.  On the contrary, my writer's block occurs when my brain is overactive....

But sometimes, the topic on my brain is too intimate to put in a blog.  I think about this... We put out so much personal information about ourselves on line, we do not have a private nor intimate self...There are just some things I will not share with the public world.  That is when I turn to my journal.

This is a lesson for not just young people, but all of us... How much of our private lives do we want to share?  I read the Facebook entries of many people I know, and I find myself subject to intimate, private details I do not feel comfortable knowing.  I wish people would be more discrete with their publishings.

If you must express your most intimate thoughts and feelings, please, journal.  Do not blog or social network.