Oprah’s Journal Encourages Daily Appreciations

“This is such madness – it’s sheer madness. I wish for no other woman to have to endure it – ever feel this overwhelming sense of demeaness, powerlessness. How painful. I keep praying thru tears that something will change – that I will have the power – or by some miracle he will. And then I ask how can I expect him to change if I can’t. It will take an equal miracle. There are moments when I want to die – but I know that would end all hope – and what am I without hope. But I wish for something to put an end to this madness. I have never wanted anything more than I’ve wanted this man – and I know that my vision is somewhat blinded because I’ve lost sight of who I am. I don’t even know anymore – so blinded by this obsession. I wish it for no one – except one day I pray this man  – this aloof, emotionless, cold person will come to know what this hurt feels like. Maddening –”

Oprah Winfrey, 5/17/81

by Carson Abrir

In this month’s Oprah magazine, the talk show host and giant of the entertainment world shares excerpts from her personal journal.

“I’ve been journaling since I was 15,” Oprah Winfrey writes in “Express Yourself!”

“I wrote a lot of bad poetry in my teens and 20s, mostly about how some guy had done me wrong. I used my journals as therapy.”

Oprah said she got wiser by her 40s.

“I started using journals to express my gratitude – and watched my blessings multiply. What you focus on expands,” she said.

For many, skills from leading relationship and marriage education classes such as the Daily Temperature Reading, Talking Tips, Emptying the Emotional Jug, and an exercise for Letting Go of Grudges help writers find inspiration on their path to journaling.

PAIRS DTR, including five steps for reflecting on Appreciations, New Information, Puzzles, Concerns with Recommendations, and Wishes, Hopes and Dreams, is also available in English and Spanish as a free app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users.