Do you keep a diary?

New Zealand
July 27, 2010 4:34am CST
I've recently started a diary myself, or a journal as I refer to it. Guess it's because I'm a guy - diary just doesn't sound "manly" enough I must say, I'm enjoying it very much. It's a place where I can rest my thoughts rather than having them blur my focus. Something that I lose easily even now
2 people like this
28 responses
@Memnon (2170)
28 Jul 10
Diary - 2010
I keep a diary on my PC. That way it's password protected too.
• New Zealand
28 Jul 10
Aah, that sounds like a good method!
• United States
27 Jul 10
I have often thought about starting a diary and just never got around to it. I am going to begin to do the same as I find it would be a good idea to reflect on things as I am writing. I think doing so would give me a perception of what I perhaps could be doing and improving on differently. I also think it would be a good idea so that I can perhaps reflect back when times get best and or worse in life to reflect back and find our own mistakes and or triumphs. It would be sort of a guide for ourselves as well. As for whether it is manly enough or not, I do not think this is questionable, I think there is no gender in one evaluating and putting things into perception. Thanks for sharing this great idea.
• United States
28 Jul 10
That's what I was thinking, that first starting out would be hard but then once I re-read some of the initial notes it would get easier along the way.
• New Zealand
28 Jul 10
Getting it started seems to be the hard bit, after that you're on a roll
@amelly (1554)
• Malaysia
27 Jul 10
i got both diary and a journal..like the name of it,i don't mind my friends reading my journal but surely it will be top secret for my diary..i think it is sweet to have a diary because someday u will read it back and giggled of the memories you have..either it is sweet or bitter....journal is like a daily routine of you beside adding some personal stuff..i have my journal since i was 10 and now 1'm 18..i enjoyed writing my journal till now!!
• New Zealand
28 Jul 10
8 years? Wow, that's a really long commitment
@amelly (1554)
• Malaysia
28 Jul 10
yeah..n till now i'm still doing it..even at the moment!!
• Philippines
28 Jul 10
I admire you for keeping a diary since most who keep diaries are girls. I too had a diary during my highschol and college years,but for now, I don't write anymore. As life kept on getting busy, that after eating diner I would directly go to sleep. I used to write before going to sleep.
• New Zealand
28 Jul 10
heh yeah, that's my routine
• China
30 Jul 10
I do not keep a diary , because I can not insist on writing it . But I think writing dairy is a good habit for everyone . It not only improve our skills of writing , but also can record our memory . Do you think so ? Friends
• New Zealand
30 Jul 10
Yes, definitely!
@megabiz (185)
• United States
28 Jul 10
There is just nothing wrong with a guy keeping a diary or as I like to say, journal. I have tried a little when I was a kid and never got into it. The day I really started using journal was back after the birth of third child January 30,1999. That was the day I gave birth to him and the day I handed him over to his new parents that were going to adopt him. His birth certificate was going to have mine and my now Ex's last name on it. His last name was to change a month later when we all to be at private lawyers office to sign papers. It was the hardest thing I had to do. The next day I came home and had to stay at my now Ex's mom's house as I was not allowed to go up a flight of stairs for two weeks witch the apartment was on a second floor. She gave me a journal to write in. I found that writing my feelings down made it so much easier to get through the lose of putting my son up for adoption. I journaled for one week. It was a Sunday morning. Everyone was going to church but me, due to bed rest. I had a picture of me holding the baby in a frame. I reread everything I journaled for the entire week. Got done reading, looked at the picture of me holding the baby and said (wile choking on some tears), "I'm gonna be okay and your gonna be okay." I knew in my heart it was gonna be heard, but that I was going to be strong for God gave the boy a happy home to go to. My now Ex's dad new the parents and that they could not have a baby of there own. Due to personal reasons I had to give up the baby. But I came to find out that writing down your feelings in a journal helps you to over come problems, hurt, pain, and it helps you to grow as well as nurture your soul. I have continued with a journal everyday since then and also found that it help me get through the devorice three years later. ~HAPPY JOURNALLING~
• New Zealand
28 Jul 10
Wow, what a story! Thank you for sharing it with us, Megabiz.
• China
28 Jul 10
Keeping a dairy is a good way to record your journey. When I was a high school student,I kept dairy everydahy.But after that,I was busy doing many other things,so I forgot about the habit to keep dairy. Once I opened my dairy I have kept before,it seems the past days appear to my mind. This was indeed the most memorable days of my life.
@ANIME123 (2466)
• United States
28 Jul 10
Really a diary is a great way to keep personal things and just so you can go back and read about your days it's like your own personal secrets you wite down that's why it's kind of dangerous. I actually used to have a diary, but I don't anymore because my mom would always look for it no matter how many new places I hid it in my mom would always find it. I felt like my privacy was being invaded so I finally gave up and decided to not keep one anymore so I wet all the pages and ripped it up. I no longer can have a diary because I know that my mom will just read to it and that's not what I want. Still before then I really enjoyed having a diary just to unwhine and write down about my day and the way I felt. To me a diary was a way to get rid of all stress and that's why I loved having it oh well. Maybe one day I will have a diary, but maybe one that you have to put a code in or something like voice activated to get in so I will be the only one to open it. I always have to be careful around my mom. Still keep up with your diary and hide it in a good place where no one, but you will find it and happy mylotting.
• New Zealand
28 Jul 10
My parents don't know I started a diary, in fact no one does apart from me...well and I guess everyone that's replied to my discussion or at least read it haha. They're not the curious time either, so I guess my diary is safe lol
@tomitomi (5429)
• Singapore
27 Jul 10
Hi T_Diamond! I'm keeping mine quite differently. It's more an archive of people, of my family, of strangers, of life around us, of our dreams, of inspiring quotes and sayings. They are all in photos. I call it a photo-journal which I'm trying recently to translate it over into a personal blog. I've never felt so good since. And I've enjoyed immensely as you've had with your equally great journal.
• New Zealand
28 Jul 10
Aaah, that's an interesting idea. A photo-journal sounds like fun. A good way to reflect on your past good times, the bad times and the odd ones...
@Lotswits (176)
• Hong Kong
21 Aug 10
For a person not knowing how the time pass like a bullet clamouring out from a pistol, it is necessary to keep a journal or something like that. I don't have cancer, seriously, but I hope that time can be used reasonably. Keeping a diary help me trace how I'd used my time. How I'd implemented what I learned. How I think when facing different thing. And how I feel when facing some unique person. A diary is like somebody collecting stamps. It is only valuable to his owner.
@rappeter13 (8608)
• Romania
31 Jul 10
I don't keep a diary, I never did and I never plan to keep one. I think my head is enough for my thoughts, I don't need them written down. I think that it is my own business what is in my mind, if I want to share something I will say it, what I don't want to share, I will keep it for me. And I haven't met any male person who had or admitted to have a diary. But it is everybody personal business if he has a diary or not.
@ashton77 (292)
• India
27 Jul 10
There is nothing manly or unmanly about maintaining diary. It depends on the person. I think people who are quite and don't show their emotion and rather act tough are people who maintain diary. I maintain diary and I have been doing these for the last 7 years. Just a piece of advice....It's good that you maintain diary but please be careful in keeping the diary at safer place. Keep the diary out of reach for everyone. One time I caught my friend reading the diary. I had a huge argument. Hope you do well.
• New Zealand
28 Jul 10
Heh, yeah. I'll keep that in mind.
• United States
28 Jul 10
I had a diary at one point, it got into the wrong hands and now I don't keep a diary ;)
26 Aug 10
There are times when I keep a journal, and then there's times that I blog. It just depends on what I'm feeling, but whatever I do I love to go back and read. Especially when I've been through something particularly hard, and going through something harder, I remember what I've gone through before and realize that I can get through this challenge as well.
@youless (112091)
• Guangzhou, China
28 Jul 10
When I was a high school student, I kept a diary for some time. Later due to I was busy in study, I didn't write the diary any more. And I don't keep a diary after that. I love China
• United States
28 Jul 10
My whole life growing up I always kept a diary, or journal whatever you prefer to call it. I am a firm believer that for myself if I am upset it helps so much just to get it all out on paper for some reason. It does not make anything go away yet it seems to relieve stress for me. Yet now as an adult I have realized something and that is that anything that you put on paper can easily be used against you especially if it falls into the wrong hands so there fore I do not keep a journal as I use to. I do not write everything down. I still get it out just not on paper. Not near the same as it feels to get it out on paper but if I ever feel the need to get something out on paper I write it all down and then when I am done & relieved I burn it. When I was a teenager there was nothing I wouldn't write down. I still have journals from my teenage years with every detail of every day wrote down. From the time I saw this person to the time I did this and well you get the picture I am sure. But I wish I wasn't so much like I am cause I love to write everything down to relieve the stress.
@shia88 (4571)
• Malaysia
28 Jul 10
Hi, I did write a diary during my university times.That was for about 2 years and I have 2 books of diaries with me now. I noted down whatever special things happened in my life during my university times. Once I graduated, I stopped writing my diaries ,but I always keep them nicely in my cabinet. It is priceless and I love to read them once a while when I am free. Nowadays, I am writing a blog. I created a blog 3 years back. This blog is basically noted down my son's development,anything special happened in my life and anything interesting that come across my mind. I do update my blog once a week,hope will have more time to update my blog more often. Blog is kinda of online diary for me. It can be access by other people. Alot of people are writing a blog nowadays and I love to do blog hopping when I am free.
• India
28 Jul 10
Yes I too maintain personal dairy books,to write important notes and all my feeling through out my day.And whenever I feel lonely and boring I just refer my dairy.It is a good way to keep our memory save. I always keep my dairy in safer place were no body could refer.
• China
28 Jul 10
to keep a diary has nothing to do with one's charactor.those who don't write down their own feeling are all not macho .
• United States
28 Jul 10
Haha~Let me see. oh,yes.remember when I was young,as a senior high student,I had diary.But,after a few days~I really think it is boring.I can kepp happy thing to remain my brain and delecte the bad things and let me annoying things. then I think,maybe I needn't dairy also can happy more~ I also thought:the more bad things you remain,tne more annoying yourself:P