If you’re on the fence about journaling, why not walk into it “Your Way”? If you’re wondering, “Why Change Me Now,” and if “You Forgot All the Words,” “Ya Better Stop,” because Mr. Sinatra recorded well over 1,200 fun, quirky song titles that make fabulous topics about which to write.
Yes, Mr. Sinatra kept a personal journal.
Wikipedia notes that, “Francis Albert Sinatra was an American singer and actor who is generally viewed as one of the greatest musical artists of the 20th century.” As listed on createwritenow.com, “Yes, Ol’ Blue Eyes kept a personal journal. In fact, ‘keep a journal’ was one of the first things he told his daughter Nancy, when she wanted his advice for success in the music business.”
“In preparing to perform a song, Sinatra spent many hours journaling—writing and rewriting the lyrics. At that point, he said, ‘I’m looking at a poem. I’m trying to understand the point of view of the person behind the words. I want to understand the emotions. Then I start speaking, not singing the words, so I can experiment and get the right inflections.’ It’s no wonder that when you hear him sing, you believe he experienced every word of that song’s story. His journaling system enabled him to record songs like ‘My Way’ in one take!”
Applying Sinatra’s system to ourself.
We can apply Frank Sinatra’s method of journaling to become fully aware of, and process, our emotions. How? We can write our story. We can understand our point of view. We can feel the emotions that correspond with our story completely, until they lift and leave on their own—rather than by force, suppression or distraction.
Many of us have old, unprocessed emotions that cause us pain now. We may mistake the intense emotion as happening now, when it is actually rooted in a past experience. We know we’re having one of these moments when we overreact—when our emotions feel far more intense than are warranted for the current situation. Unprocessed emotions are not fully “felt” in the past, when they occurred. If we had felt them completely and fully at that time, they naturally would have left our experience and we would not feel them now. When we are too afraid to feel emotions fully at the time they occur, they get suppressed, and buried in our mind and bodies. These buried emotions then act like a magnet, drawing experiences to us now, which lead us to feel the exact same emotion as the original, unprocessed emotion. The point of this magnetizing, is for us to fully process our original emotion until it is gone, and we can experience life and ourself, anew.
Journaling improves health.
Journaling can calm and clear our mind, release pent-up feelings and stress, release negative thoughts, explore our experiences and successes, enhance self-awareness and teach about triggers, track our progress (Star, 2018), reduce anxiety (Hasanzadeh, et al., 2012), Reduce physical health problems (LaClaire, 2008), help manage stress and anxiety and enhance engagement and meaning (Flinchbaugh, et al., 2012).
As written in Positive Psychology, “Journaling requires the application of our analytical, rational left side of the brain. While our left hemisphere is occupied, our right hemisphere—the creative, touchy-feely side, is given the freedom to wander and play (Grothaus, 2015), allowing creativity to flourish and expand, while providing cathartic feelings of well-being. Journaling uplifts and empowers us to understand our complex feelings and find humor.”
And finally, the world-renowned writing teacher and Zen practitioner, Natalie Goldberg wrote, “Whether we keep a journal or write as a meditation, what’s important is to have a relationship with our mind.”
With some Sinatra swagger, journaling can be comical!
If you’re ready to see if journaling Sinatra-style fits you, you may start writing your story as suggested above, or, select one of his song titles and begin writing. Or, here’s another fun option, below.
Five Sinatra Song Titles for journal topics.
Topic 1. “Somethin’ Stupid.”
Tidbit: Just get your pen movin’ and shakin’ about anything, including doodles!
Topic 2. “Strangers in the Night.”
Tidbit: Curiosity makes life interesting. I can look at myself with kind curiosity.
Topic 3. “The Best is Yet to Come.”
Tidbit: Ask, what will I create to look forward to?
Topic 4. “Come Fly with Me.”
Tidbit: How can I feel better in healthy ways?
Topic 5. “Luck be a Lady.”
Tidbit: In what ways am I lucky right now?
It’s up to each of us.
Will we allow our self to feel bottled up? Neglected? By journaling, we can give ourself the gift of freedom, truth and comfort. We can know that we are listening and caring for ourself. It can be a written song we sing from, to and for our own hearts. It can fan the flames of our own creativity. It can be an ode to our passions for life. No matter how we journal, it’s something we do for ourself, our way.
We encourage and believe in you.
Check out our new series of 13 hardcover books and a darling deck of cards! A myriad of playful cover designs feature affirmative, healing words and photos to uplift your spirit, ease your mind, and salve your soul.
What say ye?
Will you journal? Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section, so we may learn together …
Always with love,
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