into the journal: richard james arredondo

This interview series examines how and why people journal, because no two practices are identical. Appreciating the journal as an inner world.

If you have a journaling practice that you’d like to share about here, email me at evapberezovsky(at)gmail(dot)com.

I’m Richard and I’m a freelance writer/poet who lives in the Midwest. On Substack here and Instagram here.

In journaling, my ultimate goal is to have a regulated nervous system! Like many people, I went to therapy in 2020, and my therapist suggested that I journal to organize my thoughts. Other than a few brief times of having a notebook that functioned like a diary/journal growing up, I had never officially had a journal.

I still don’t have a preferred word or title, though, between “notebook,” “journal,” and “diary.” I don’t want to limit the possibilities of the page or where my journaling can go.

I prefer to journal in the morning. I’m more aware of my thoughts, my body, and ideas. I have done night writing too, but morning feels more natural. I like to write in my living room — it’s where I'm most comfortable.

For me, I have to treat writing as a job, so it helps to think about journaling as a log — a place to “clock in” as a writer and poet. But I’m not always writing something profound! Often it’s one line. One thought. One question. One word. I’m just recording it for use at a later point.

Having a journal has made writing poetry less complicated for me and I like have a physical document of my day with each entry. And when I have an open, fluid view on journaling, it makes writing easier.

Journaling has become part of my daily life and my personality, and that only grows with time. I could never go backwards with it.

I definitely go back to past entries. I like to see how I felt in the moment about something and compare it to my current state. I want to pick up on patterns, themes, and see what growth or changes have occurred.

My biggest fear used to be someone finding my journal and reading it — how vulnerable and embarrassing that would feel. But with time, my worst-case scenario has become losing my journal and being unable to reference it. That would be devastating. There’s so much value in those pages. I make sure to protect my journals and date them once I’ve filled up all the pages.

I like to make my journal my own by adding a sticker to the front, and I’m really picky about how the pages move and fold. I often avoid patterns or prints or a really aesthetically pleasing journal for one that is easy to carry with me and can be thrown around — so I like a small journal for portability.

I collect pens! Fun fact. There’s a lot there and it’s a separate conversation, but I have favorites for sure.

I wrote this morning, about stress and feeling uncomfortable:

I wonder if I was becoming like an old iPhone and what would I do if my battery could never fully charge again. What if my battery has permanent damage or decay from use?

Trust me: journaling can only benefit your life. And it’s okay to skip days!

@evaberezovsky
eva-pearl.com
evapberezovsky(at)gmail(dot)com
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