by hand, if you are able to, means that your thoughts issue forth and are not censored -- as they are when writing at a keyboard. There are no 'mistakes' here, all words and thoughts are of value and have meaning. What to write in a journal -- anything and everything! As this is a fully private space anything can be put onto the page. So much of our day is spent keeping our feelings closed in and under control. This is where you can let out all that you feel: good, bad and ugly. Talk about your day, things that have happened, emotions you have felt, things said to you. When you are struggling with difficult feelings you can also consider writing to people. Write things down that you cannot say in person. Perhaps a person is no longer with you, or it is no longer possible to speak to someone to voice your pain. Or maybe you find uttering words face-to-face impossible. Pour the words and thoughts onto the page without planning or thought, just let them flow and let the pain and anger surface and have a voice. Also, your journal doesn't just have to contain writing, diagrams can be useful. If, for example, you are struggling with a decision about something or want to figure out some options, creating a picture -- mind mapping -- can be really helpful. Reflect on your journal writing -- this is an important step in the process and shows why