The Best Therapy You Can Buy for $7.99

Yet another Borders store is closing in my neighborhood which I am not very happy about. That's three and the next closest store is going to be over 30 minutes from me. Again I'm not very happy about that. So I took the opportunity to purchase several of my favorite journals from Paperchase in Century City this week. These should last me a year or more.

Top left I call my Wonder Woman journal. Seriously how can I not feel I can conquer the world with that kind of energy behind me. The top right I'll call A Little Dark and Moody, while the bottom left I'll call Fluttering Spring. My favorite is the Owl Tree.

I generally don't name my journals but these all have such a distinct personality to them. I have boxes of journals with probably a dozen different patterns, textures and colors like these. I like the temporary nature of trying on colors and styles that are not totally me, but that I can feel for a while.

I have been keeping a journal since I was eight years old. That year my grandparents gave me a blue, hardback journal for my birthday. I still have that journal and many journals from my high school, college days and beyond.

About 12 years ago I found this perfect journal for me. Easy to carry around, not too stuff, and spiral bound so I can rip pages out so I can make a quick to do list, notes to myself or yanked out a page to exchange contact info with someone I've run into. I like the flexibility. And heaven forbid I write something that I regret, if it's justified, I can tear out that page. I'm not sure I've ever done that yet, but I sure like knowing I can!

I have found journaling to be a source of history keeping, self-therapy and a means to record inspiration and cheer myself on. I try to write three pages each morning, inspired by Julia Cameron of The Artist's Way. I also try to record important events, a-ha moments, ideas that pop into my head, inspiring things I read or funny things that have happened along the way.

When I'm particularly stressed I carry it with me to help me unload my thoughts in quiet moments that may come. Writing my thoughts down has by far been the best way for me to figure out things that are troubling me or find solutions to problems I can't quite see through. It's amazing the solutions that come when you quiet yourself and look at how you're feeling and record what you're thinking.

It's seriously the best therapy I could buy at any price, let alone $7.99. In this case, thanks to the Border's closures I'm getting therapy for over a year for just $5.99 a book. If you have a journal or want to pick one up, take a few minutes this weekend to pour out some thoughts. You may be pleasantly surprised what you find out about yourself and your life.