When an addict is working towards recovery from their affliction, many tools can aid the process. One such example of this comes from keeping a journal. Anything that can make life easier for an addict undergoing treatment should be considered a worthwhile tool. Whatever can help an addict to focus their thoughts and work towards long-term recovery should be carefully considered.
Journalling has been used in addiction recovery and treatment for a long time. However, people have kept journals and diaries of their life stories for as long as humans can remember. It is only since the 1960s, though, that we have begun to look at journalling as something that can actively improve our quality of life.
During the 1960s, experts like Dr. Ira Progoff spent time investigating the mental health benefits of journaling. He began providing journalism workshops that would help people understand how to properly chronicle their lives and stories. Over time, it became clear that using journalling to help alleviate mental health difficulties was becoming an increasingly beneficial solution for people who were facing up to these challenges.
Does Journalling Work For Addicts?
Many forms of treatment exist that can help to aid recovery in addicts. However, many of these treatments can be viewed with skepticism. Addicts have been told of many ‘miracle’ solutions, and so it is common for an addict to lack trust or belief that any one treatment can turn their life around so drastically.
Journalling is not a cure; it is simply another way to help an addict keep their thoughts in life. It can give them perspective on days when they feel out of sorts with their progress. Increasingly, it can give them confidence that they have had bad days in the past, and they can come out of that negative funk.
Simply looking back on the progress made over the weeks, months, and years can be inspiring. It is often hard to remember how we felt at any given moment; a journal provides direct insight into your emotions on any given day or moment.
Indeed, studies have been carried out on the benefits of journaling during recovery. The same goes for mental illness studies – they all show that journaling can be an incredibly useful tool for someone facing a battle such as addiction or a mental health crisis.
So, while nobody can truly claim that journaling alone could help someone escape addiction, it can be useful as a coping tool. Addiction typically scatters one’s mind, and having a journal to refer to can help people stay in touch with the thoughts and feelings held during their addiction phase.
The Benefits Of Journalling During Recovery
There are quite a few benefits that we believe should be noted for anyone undergoing a period of addiction recovery. They are as follows:
Building Emotional Awareness
During recovery, it is easy for emotions to feel like they are in flux. However, with a journal to look back upon, an individual can have far more awareness of their feelings. We can misremember our thoughts and feelings at such a challenging time.
Journalling, though, can help to compartmentalize our thoughts and help us remember how we truly felt.
Create A Sense Of Progress
Another huge benefit of journalling during recovery is it provides written proof of your progress. You can feel like you are making meaningful progress by comparing your current mindset to where you were in the previous weeks, months, and years.
That is useful because it gives you a visual sense of progress. If you feel like you are having a bad day, you can find a similar emotional state simply by looking back through your journal. That can be immensely satisfying.
Create Goals To Focus On
When we jot down our emotions and our thoughts, we can soon begin to create more goals to focus on. Recovery can sometimes feel directionless, but this can give you a sense of focus. You can then find it easier to stay on track for the goals, aims, and objectives that you have set out during your recovery.
Those goals make it easier to stay on track toward recovery moving forward.
Reduce Your Anxiety
One key reason to journal during recovery is that you can have days where you feel anxious. When you feel as if you are back to square one, by looking at your journal, you should not have to look too far to find other days in your life where you have felt this way.
For that reason, journalling can be great for giving yourself perspective about your long-term progress. This will ensure that you do not need to face that same level of anxiety because, with one browse through your journal, you can find days where you felt like this and still came through the other side a better person.
Speak To Yourself
Journals are also a great way to have a little inner conversation with yourself. You could be addressing yourself in your current phase or writing a journal piece that speaks to yourself before your addiction began. This can be a good way to jot down your feelings about your journey – through addiction and into recovery – and what you intend to do with the future.
On days when you feel overwhelmed or defeated, this can give you a second wind. It can make it easier to see through the challenges and not fall back into previous behavior patterns. Your journal, then, can pre-empt bad days later on down the line. It can make pulling yourself out of that hole easier, as you can find written proof that you have been here before and came out the other side.
Journaling Can Be A Great Tool For Aiding Your Long-Term Recovery
Hopefully, you can see why journaling can be such a powerful tool in your long-term recovery. This can be a great way to reflect on your progress and remind you of where you were only a few short months ago. On top of that, you can use this journal to help you find balance and equilibrium on days when you are struggling.
At Akasha Recovery, we provide various forms of recovery treatment for those looking to overcome an addiction. The addiction could be to anything; we use a tried and proven process that can promote long-term recovery. If you are interested in journaling during your recovery, we can help you find the time, tools, and confidence needed to do just that.