• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Merry Green

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • About
  • Contact

An Ode to my Diary

April 9, 2017 By Marijana Miljkovic 5 Comments

Dear Diary,

It was back in 1997, I was only ten years old, when I received a little blank booklet with a violet hard cover as a Christmas gift from a dear friend. I immediately decided to make this book my very first diary. Little did I know how meaningful my relationship to you would become the following years, especially once I turned into a teenager.  Almost every day I sat down to fill the pages with all my thoughts, feelings and experiences. Writing into my diary became a habit, a routine just like brushing my teeth.

Book cover, hand writing and frequency, even language have changed time and time again but the relationship with you, dear diary, has always remained the same. In times of uncertainty, sorrow and happiness I loved to share my life with you and turn thoughts into letters, words and phrases, writing down whatever occupied my mind letter by letter and word by word.

Throughout my youth you have been a dear friend that helped me through emotional instabilities, first kisses, family trouble and long gone boyfriends. I always felt it is a comfortable and easy way to get everything that was troubling me off my chest simply by writing it down. More than on one occasion did I feel understood and relieved after closing my book, as if I have just treated myself with some form of  therapy.

In fact, the healing effect of writing a diary is nothing that I only imagine, but rather something that has been scientifically proven. It sounds too easy, but it amazingly works.

Expressive writing, a therapy form discovered in the 1980s by the American psychologist Dr. James Pennebaker, is a form of self-therapy, which has been proven to have positive effects on our mental and physical health. It alleviates depressive symptoms, strengthens the immune system, improves organ functions and reduces blood pressure.

Scientists have found that by combining loose feelings and thought fragments we create a coherent narrative story, which frees our thinking and distorts thought patterns in a constructive way. This disclosure enables us to change our views on certain things, rearrange situations in our mind, search for alternative solutions or learn to accept difficult matters. We gain control over the narrator in our story, which effectively means that we gain control over ourselves.

Moreover, the newly gained distance allows us to take on a different perspective on severely traumatic experiences or anxious feelings. And distance is generally known to reduce distress and eventually ease pain by stabilizing emotional upheavals.

But writing also enhances social relationships. Once we are able to write about a traumatic event we open ourselves to talking about it with people around us and thus to accept and better process what has happened. The premise however, is to be completely honest with ourselves, which is already a huge step towards self-reflection and eventually self-healing.

Inevitably, Anne Frank comes to mind, who despite her miserable and life-threatening situation remained a cheerful person by confiding in her beloved diary called Kitty. And there are many more famous diarists who have discovered that writing helps to ease their emotional pain and difficult fates. Think about Franz Kafka, Virginia Woolf or Samuel Pepys.

A diary is however not only a therapeutic medium to us, but also a friend and alter ego. This can be truly important especially for younger people who lack a confidant or have difficulties trusting someone. By confiding in a diary they find a medium they can trust, which creates a feeling of security and emotional stability.

You, dear diary, are also a form to express myself creatively by collecting memories, both good and bad. You are a mirror to my soul, a valve for inner imbalances or chaos. Not necessarily in a dramatic way but in a relieving one. I don’t always need you for negative experiences, but also for the happy ones, the lovely ones and the ones I definitely don’t want to forget.

As you can see, dear diary, you are so much more than a collection of words. You console, you help, you listen, you don’t judge, you understand, you heal and you treasure. Let us cherish our diaries and may our relationship last for many more decades.

 

Merken

Merken

Previous Post: « Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal
Next Post: Slow Cooked Indian Lentil Dal »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Silja

    April 9, 2017 at 10:16 pm

    Schöner Artikel. Ich verwende das 5 Minute Journal und bin super happy, das ich auf jeden Tag zurück blättern kann und so wunderbare Erinnerungen aufbewahren kann
    Liebe Grüße ❤️❤️

    Reply
    • Marijana Miljkovic

      April 10, 2017 at 10:58 am

      Liebe Silja,
      vielen Dank für deinen lieben Kommentar. Das 5 Minute Journal ist ein super Tool, um schöne Erinnerungen festzuhalten 🙂
      Ganz liebe Grüße zurück, Marijana ❤️

      Reply
  2. Foodistini

    April 10, 2017 at 12:14 am

    A beautiful article that speaks out of my heart and mind. This is exactly what a diary means to me as well.

    Reply
    • Marijana Miljkovic

      April 10, 2017 at 11:02 am

      Thank you so much for your beautiful comment ❤️

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Creating Serenity in Uncertain Times - Merry Green says:
    May 5, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    […] realize that they are not that bad. Learn more about the benefits of journaling in my blog post An Ode to My Diary. When things keep nagging my mind I always remind myself of something Jamie Foxx once said in an […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Sign up for my Newsletter

Latest Posts

  • Sweet Addiction – How to Get Your Sugar Intake Under Control
  • Creating Serenity in Uncertain Times
  • Apple Crêpes with Cinnamon
  • Resilience in Uncertain Times
  • Glutenfree Peanut Butter Cookies

Categories

  • Lifestyle (29)
  • Recipes (30)

Footer

merry_green_

Vegan Fit Bowl and Ayurveda Dal Bowl from @stadtsa Vegan Fit Bowl and Ayurveda Dal Bowl from @stadtsalat Frankfurt 🥬
Highly recommended 👍🏽🥗
#saladlove #supportthelocals #seasonal #localfood #salad #bowl #veganfit #ayurvedadal #delicious #dinner #extra #flavor #veggies #nuts #macro #micro #focus #health #first
Proud to announce that I have completed my Nutriti Proud to announce that I have completed my Nutrition Consultant certificate at the @akademiesportgesundheit 👩🏽‍🎓

I've always wanted to dive deeper into health and especially nutrition and last year was a great chance to use all that extra time to enroll in a course and equip myself with some science based knowledge 👆🏼

There is always so much more we can learn, so don't be shy to roll up your sleeves and engage in a field that has always been of interest to you 💙

#ernährungsberatung
#ernährungsberaterin
#nutritionconsultant
#nutrition #akademiefürsportundgesundheit
#studysomethingnew #doyoudare #food #science #knowledge #lovewhatyoudo
Home made vegan basil pesto 💚 This is one of th Home made vegan basil pesto 💚
This is one of the easiest, yet most epic recipes for freshly made vegan basil pesto, which will make any pasta dish dance in anticipation to be united with this green gold 🌱

🥬 Two handful of fresh basil
🥬 50 g roasted pine nuts
🥬 100 ml olive oil
🥬 30 g vegan parmesan
🥬 2 garlic cloves
🥬 A pinch of salt

You can't go wrong with these ingredients! Just run everything through a blender and adjust to your liking with either some more salt, olive oil or vegan parmesan. Let me know how it turned out 😉

#veganpesto #pesto #greenpesto #basilpesto #fresh #basil #plantbased #treasures #italian #gourmet #pestolove #meets #pastalove #garlic #oliveoil #pinenuts #homemade #easyrecipe #getyourgreens #delicious #superfoods #herbs #italianfood #bestcomposition
Shinrin-Yoku 🌳 or forest bathing. Regeneration, Shinrin-Yoku 🌳 or forest bathing. Regeneration, rejuvenation and relaxation. Being in a forest has many health benefits, among others a higher oxygen concentration in our blood cells, reduction of stress hormones, lower heart rate and blood pressure. It's a magical mini retreat for our body, mind and senses. Dive in, smell the various scents, feel the vibrant energy and stimulate your senses 💚

#shinrinyoku #forestbathing #forest #nature #health #regeneration #rejuvenation #relaxation #retreat #walk #trees #magic #protectourforests #naturelove
M i s s i n g t h i s ☀️🌴🌺 Throwback t M i s s i n g  t h i s ☀️🌴🌺

Throwback to a very special place that always fills my heart with gratitude and peace ❤️ The water is just surreal 💙

#throwback #thailand #vacation #cantwait #kokut #beachlove #islandlove #sunshine #peace #love #grateful #memories #beach #sea #ocean #swing #palmtreeswing #bluesky #saltyskin #travel
Have you ever tried to track how much sugar you ea Have you ever tried to track how much sugar you eat during a regular day? If so, did you know that the average sugar intake of a first-world-country adult is somewhere between 60 and 80 grams per day, while the recommended amount doesn’t exceed 50 grams? Apparently, we are all far away from the recommended amount and eating too much sugar.

Knowing that sugar is a tricky topic, as most of us love to indulge and enjoy something sweet from time to time, it is also important to be aware of our consumption.

How can we recognize sugar in our foods? How do we cultivate conscious consumption? And what else is helpful in order for us to get our sugar intake under control?

Read the answers to these questions in my latest blog post Sweet Addiction – How to Get Your Sugar Intake Under Control.

You have even more ideas on how to tackle sugar addiction? Feel free to leave a comment either on my blog or on Instagram.

Have a sweet day ;)

Be merry. Be green.

#newblogpost #merrygreenblog #sugar #sugarintake #conscious #consumption #sweetaddiction #addictive #hiddensugar #readthelabels #refinedsugar #naturalsugar #effects #health #undercontrol
Five years ago I dared to hop on a great adventure Five years ago I dared to hop on a great adventure by starting my food blog Merry Green. I had no education whatsoever in the food industry, but a great vision of what I wanted to create 💚

Five years later, I am a certified nutrionist and a collector of so many beautiful memories and lessons, which have all made me rich and grateful 💕

My blog has not only broadened my horizon on so many levels, but also brought me to beautiful places, such as...

🥥 the food studio of Bauer Media in Hamburg after being one out of 10 winners of the Comté cheese contest
🍒 the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy
🍍 Terra Madre in Torino
🥦 the EAT Lancet Commission introducing the Planetary Health Diet in Melbourne
🍄 the culinary treasures of Southeast Asian cuisine
🥑 my parents' beautiful garden and so many more.

Along my journey, I have also come to meet wonderful people and make friends with fellow bloggers, inspiring overachievers and people from around the world who cherish good food and share their visions of a better, healthier and cleaner future 💫👥

I am so grateful for each of them and for all the help and support I was blessed to receive along the way 🙏🏾

The picture features my very first rookie post "Perfect green smoothie for beginners", which I still love and recommend 😉 (link in bio) 

Even though I am not the master of frequency on my blog, I always put all my heart in my posts, take all pictures by myself unless stated otherwise and try to stay true to myself without being dogmatic or hypocritical 💚

Stay tuned for a new post, which is due later today... 👌🏽

#blog #foodblog #merrygreen #merrygreenblog #throwback #thankful #fullheart #journey #lessons #greensmoothie
🧡 The healing properties of turmeric never fail 🧡 The healing properties of turmeric never fail to astound me. The herbaceous bright orange plant from the ginger family is highly anti-inflammatory and helps in preventing dementia, chronic pain syndromes and bowel cancer. Consider using it daily, fresh or grounded, in your meals, drinks or as a supplement, though it is recommended to consume the whole plant. As @doctors_kitchen teaches us:

"A single component [in this case: curcumin] is not likely to be responsible for their health benefits; it's the complex arrangement of molecules in whole ingredients that we find in nature."

Ingredients for turmeric latte 🧡

🔸Ground turmeric
🔸Ground ginger
🔸Ground cinnamon
🔸Ground nutmeg
🔸Ground cardamom
🔸Ground black pepper (to better absorb the curcumin)
🔸A milk of your choice (I use oat milk)
🔸Some honey or maple syrup

#turmeric #turmericLatte #plants #plantpower #healthystuff #curcumin #healing #healingfoods #health #medicinalspices #rootpower
Ayurvedic Breakfast Bowl Deluxe 🧡 #oatmilk #oa Ayurvedic Breakfast Bowl Deluxe 🧡

#oatmilk
#oats
#milletflakes
#wheatbran
#turmeric
#freshpepper
#coconutoil
#honey
#cinnamon
#roastedcashews
#roastedpecans
#psylliumhusks
#banana
#persimmons
#chiaseeds
#linseeds

#bestbreakfast #healthyfood #veganstyle #delicious #nourishing #warming #comfortfood #ayurvedic #ayurveda
Day 3 and 4 of the time to shine yoga challenge wi Day 3 and 4 of the time to shine yoga challenge with @madymorrison took place in sunny Sao Paolo, where we are blessed to soak up much needed sun, raise our spirits and return with hearts full of hope and love. Heads up, everyone 👆🏼 it's gonna be ok ☮️
#grateful #blessed #yogachallenge #timetoshine #yogini #love #hope #peace #sunshine #peaceful #positive #hopeful #lettinggo #accepting #selfcare #selflove
Load More... Follow on Instagram
COPYRIGHT © 2020 MERRY GREEN
IMPRINT & PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright © 2021 Merry Green on the Foodie Pro Theme

This site uses cookies. Find out more about our data privacy policy