Monday, July 18, 2016

Journal empowerment

You should consider keeping a journal of your dissertation adventure. This is different than the research journal I have talked about previously, this is a personal volume where you can share your hopes, dreams, and frustrations. It can be a paper or electronic version, but the important thing is that you write it in regularly! What to talk about? Write about what you are doing each day on your paper, and how you feel about it. Talk about your chair, committee member, and URR; this is where you can write out frustrations and revelations.

Keeping such a journal is empowering, it allows you safely vent and work through problems. Your spouse/ partner, family, and friends while supportive, probably do not really understand what you going through, you can also burn them out through your frustrations. A journal provides a place to share your feelings, it also lets you go back and reread entries. You will tend to find that you have been through such events before, you survived and learned from it; you will survive the present one too!

A journal lets you be in control; give yourself permission to write what you want. It is a map of your dissertation experience, the pitfalls, and the joys. You may want to consider publishing a version of the journal when you are done or you may wish to share it with your own dissertation students someday. It will be your map of your adventure. Use it wisely!

Next time I will discuss finding your way.  Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

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