Benefits of Keeping a Recovery Journal

When you were younger, you may have had a diary in which you recorded your innermost thoughts. Perhaps the pages of your diary were the first place where you confided the name of your secret crush, or wrote down your frustrations with a classmate. As you got older, though, your daily habit of writing diary entries might have gradually faded away as you found alternative ways to express your emotions.

However, journaling is incredibly beneficial for your mental health, especially once you begin pursuing addiction recovery. If you aren’t already keeping a recovery journal, here are some reasons to consider starting one.

1. Journaling Provides You With Perspective

Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in ourselves that we lose sight of what’s truly important in life. By writing down your thoughts and feelings, either on paper or in digital form, you can gain a greater sense of perspective. For example, perhaps you go through a day or two where you are struggling with strong cravings and urges to return to drug or alcohol use. If you use your journal to write down how you feel and rate it on a one-to-10 scale, it can help you take stock and assess your emotional state.

2. Your Journal Can Show You How Much Progress You’ve Made

Inevitably, there will come a time when you feel stuck in a rut with your recovery. Perhaps you feel your motivation flagging as you come to terms with the fact that there are no shortcuts in sobriety. During these challenging periods, reviewing past journal entries can provide the spark you need to discover a renewed sense of enthusiasm. Having that window into your past thoughts can be beneficial because it can help you prove to yourself that you have come further than you might have thought.

3. Journaling Boosts the Results of Therapy

In therapy, you will learn how to work through the complicated emotions that may have formed the foundation of your addictive behavior. Journaling can serve as a complementary practice to what you learn and discuss in your sessions with your therapist. By writing down what’s bothering you – stress of family responsibilities, or tensions with a co-worker – you can help yourself come to terms with any inner turmoil and decide on constructive, healthy ways to cope with it.

4. Your Journal Becomes Your Safe Space

When you write freely, without worrying that anyone is watching or judging you, it can be enormously liberating. Even when you talk with a close confidant, you might still hold back part of what you’re feeling because you’re worried about how they could react. In a journal, your private thoughts will always remain that way unless you choose to share them with someone else. In your journal, you can let all your thoughts flow without insecurities or anxiety.

5. Journaling Promotes Mindfulness

No matter what type of journaling you choose, you’ll see that writing daily entries also helps you filter out mental chaos and bring your attention to the present moment. Writing in a journal is a solid first step to becoming more mindful, and you’ll see that the more you practice it, the less time you will spend dwelling in the past or fretting about the future.

Reach for New Heights

Don’t allow addiction to interrupt your life or come between you and your goals anymore. At Hope Academy, our mission is to help young adults learn the life skills they need to recover from a drug or alcohol misuse disorder and lead productive lives in sobriety. Learn more about how we can change your life today.

Open a Journal and Turn a New Leaf

Do you keep a journal or diary? For centuries, journaling has been a way to record observations, thoughts, and happenings. Historical journals have given us insight into the lives of ordinary people and the minds of extraordinary men and women. Likewise, keeping a journal is a good way to better understand yourself and to make a positive change in your life.

Start Your Journal Now
The start of a new year is a great time to begin journaling. You may want to keep track of how you’re doing with the resolutions you made, or you may just need to record your thoughts and feelings. Whatever your motivation, you will be surprised by some unexpected benefits from keeping a written record of your thoughts.

Reasons to Journal 
Journaling is an activity that is completely personal. You are the author and editor, and your thoughts, feelings, and observations are the contents. Your journal may have a specific purpose, or it may simply be a record of your life. Here are some common reasons to keep a journal:

• To record your thoughts
• To vent your emotions
• To track your progress to a goal
• To record what is happening around you

Benefits of Journaling 
When you journal, you engage in a mental activity that can yield big results. That is why writing is often a part of therapy and recovery activities. Journaling helps you to:

• Vent your feelings and then look at them objectively.
• Gain perspective and recognize harmful patterns of behavior and thinking.
• Track your activities and check your progress toward achieving a goal.
• Keep you mentally disciplined.
• Engage your mind so that you become observant, mindful, and grateful.

Getting a Young Life Back on Track 
For young people who have been sidetracked by addiction to drugs or alcohol, Hope Academy is a way back: back to school, back to work, back to health. The programs at our CA treatment center are also a way forward to a full, productive, and sober life. We have the unique programs in place to take you from detox to sober living training and addiction aftercare. Call us today at 866-930-4673 to explore the possibilities for putting your life back on track.