Journaling is a powerful tool that can enhance our lives and support our well-being. It can also add to our relationships at home, work, and play. When we journal we are recording a relative reflection of our feelings and experiences. When we share those with the ones closest to us, we learn more about ourselves and each other.

You can start a journal for just you and your partner to write in, daily or weekly, whatever you both agree to.

Couples Journals -

Keeping a couples journal with your partner can be a fun and interesting way to communicate and discover more about each other. Get a blank book and place it were it is accessible for both of you on a daily basis. Keep a pen with your journal. You can use the same color of pen or each have a different color of pen to use. You can also designate colors of pens for certain feelings, i.e., green = growth, blue = sadness, orange = joy, red = anger - you get the idea. If you are using the different colored pens, write in the front of your journal what you both have decided what each color signifies.

There are 2 ways to use your couples journal. You can each use a side of the book, the left page or the right page, adding the date each time you journal. Or you can journal after each other on the same pages.

You will both need to discuss what you personally and collectively want to accomplish through using your couples journal. Whatever it is that you want to accomplish, what your goals and intentions are, write that in the front of your journal. Keep

If there is a specific problem or concern in the relationship, you may want to start journaling there. You can also use a couple's journal to tell each other, daily, how much you love each other and why. You can journal your dreams and hopes for the future, your children, each other, the world. Or combine any of these ideas, along with your own ideas. You have a blank palette, so fill in the space with what is most important for you and your relationship.

You can also add photos, poems, fortune cookie fortunes, even cutouts from magazines to your journal.

If you have lost an important relationship through death or some other change you can journal your thoughts and feelings to this person in the same way. This can be a very powerful way to move through loss, touching those fears and feelings that are still within.

However you decide to use the couple's journaling, be sure to journal the love and the joy, along with the rest of your feelings. One tip - If you are taking time to write to one another, keep clear about what is a fact and what are your feelings.

You can also journal with friends and coworkers using the same ideas.

Copyright 2003 Doreene Clement All Rights Reserved Doreene Clement is the creator of, The 5 Year Journal, a journal where you can journal your life in one book, for 5 years. You can tour the book at http://www.the5yearjournal.com

dkcomni@aol.com 480.423.8095

Feel free to pass this along to your friends. If you want to see my column, About Journaling, to subscribe http://www.the5yearjournal.com

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