Going through addiction recovery requires a lot of self-reflection and a greater awareness of your thoughts and feelings. This is why it is so important to find ways to ease stress and anxiety as you work on your goal of sober living. Writing in a journal can provide you with a way to both relieve stress and keep track of your thoughts. When you write in a journal, you have a way to record what you’re thinking and feeling during each step of the recovery process.
Achieving Your Goals
In addition to writing in a journal to get your thoughts and feelings on paper, there are several other benefits that this activity offers. Journal writing gives you a chance to hold yourself accountable for your goals. When you write down what you hope to accomplish during 12 step recovery, you’re much more likely to stick to those goals and see them through. Even if you struggle to reach those goals, writing in a journal lets you explore why you’re having trouble. This can help you identify the challenges you’re facing and come up with ways to successfully overcome them.
Tracking Your Progress
Your journal also offers a way for you to keep track of your progress. You can flip through the pages of your journal to see how far you’ve come and pay attention to how you’re currently doing as you write each day. Don’t be afraid to write down any thoughts or feelings that might seem to go against your recovery. These thoughts and feelings provide you with insight into how you’re coping with this process and make it possible for you to think of ways to motivate yourself to continue on your journey.
Choosing a Journaling Type
You can simply write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal, or you can get a bit more creative. For example, you can keep a spiritual journal that allows you to explore your thoughts and feelings as they relate to your spiritual beliefs. You could also express thoughts and feelings as they relate to gratitude or to your health goals. You can write down thoughts and feelings as they occur, or sit down at the end of each day to write about events that happened and how you felt about them. No matter which form you choose, remember that writing in a journal is a helpful way to work toward sober living.
I journal daily. Thank you for the insight.