Thoughts are pesky. Sometimes, getting them to slow down in our minds and take time to reflect on our thoughts proves incredibly difficult. However, slowing down and reflecting are necessary for effective recovery. As you go through recovery, dealing with thoughts of “what if,” “why,” and “how” can be overwhelming. Other problematic thoughts include negative self-talk and self-doubt. What matters most is how you deal with those thoughts. Two ways of slowing down and reflecting are journaling and meditation.
Meditation and Journaling
Science has shown time and time again the benefits of reflection through meditation. Meditation can help you become more focused and less stressed by current events in your life. Journaling also helps focus and fosters reflection. Journaling and meditation are two elements of effective recovery. Meditation helps you slow down, and journaling helps you reflect on your past, present, and future life more effectively. These two methods also help in your relationship with your Higher Power.
Mental health problems have been shown, in many instances, to be precursors to addiction. Primarily, addiction happens in persons with mental health issues often because the person is trying to self-medicate or cope with the negative effects of their mental illness. While mental health issues can lead to addiction, treating the mental health disorder can alleviate the distress and help foster recovery from addiction and mental health issues.
Many researchers and practitioners have focused on journaling as a method of treating mental illness, thus also helping to treat addiction. There are many benefits to how journaling and meditation help prepare the mind for effective processing. When used together, the methods of journaling and meditation can promote positive recovery and bolster your confidence in your ability to heal.
The Power of Meditation
Sometimes, meditation helps slow down your thoughts and can impact how you view the world. Some meditation practitioners meditate on the idea of compassion and love. These practitioners, often after only a few weeks of practice, are able to focus more on self-love and to love and accept others.
Other practitioners might focus on managing pain. Jon Kabat-Zinn developed Mind Based Stress Reduction, which he teaches to help his students learn how to manage stress and develop pain tolerance, if not pain eradication. Using meditation can also help manage other health conditions and allow you to get through recovery with fewer frustrations or, at the very least, have more tolerance and resilience toward these frustrations.
3 Benefits of Journaling
Being overwhelmed by your thoughts is easily enough done. While meditation helps slow down your thoughts, writing them down and focusing on them allows you to see them and evaluate them. The power of positive thinking is real; however, in recovery, you want accurate thinking. Wishing away your problems is unrealistic, but facing them and reflecting is going to help you decide how to move forward.
#1. Journaling Helps You Set Priorities: Journaling helps you organize your thoughts and experiences. Journaling can help you make plans on how to cope effectively with those thoughts and experiences. Journaling also helps you assess what is most important to you and break down how to begin solving obstacles to your recovery.
#2. Journaling Helps Battle Depression and Anxiety: The act of journaling helps you not only solve obstacles to your recovery but also helps you battle anxiety and depression by helping you identify your feelings about what you are facing. In this way, you can start to validate your feelings, which will help deal with your emotions, or journaling will help you identify false beliefs that are causing your feelings.
#3. Journaling Provides Positive Self-Talk: Mental health issues and a history of addiction often lead to a great deal of negative self-talk, leading to further frustration and depression. Recognizing that thoughts and feelings are not always true will help you stay on track in your recovery. Taking a moment to practice gratitude for who you are as a person and the blessings in your life when journaling can boost your confidence and make you more likely to face the day with a positive attitude.
Journaling has many benefits to help you in your recovery. Journaling can also enhance your relationship with your Higher Power. Jotting down a prayer in your journal and tracking how your Higher Power is helping you every day to achieve health both physically and emotionally can be immensely beneficial to your recovery.
Things to Remember
While recovery seems impossible at times, remember that all things are possible with your Higher Power. Using meditation and journaling can help you develop and use the relationship with your Higher Power more effectively. Overcoming addiction is difficult, but not impossible. You can bolster your self-confidence and relationships through journaling and meditation, allowing you to more fully embrace who you are as a whole person.
Using journaling and meditation can greatly benefit your recovery, helping you identify your problems and focus on gratitude. The skills of journaling and meditation can help you be more present for yourself and others. At Renaissance Ranch, we know you are a whole person and that you deserve the time and space to figure out who you are and how your Higher Power serves you in your life. We understand the role of journaling and meditation, which is why we use both of these as part of our daily treatment program. At Renaissance Ranch, we offer gospel-centered and clinically driven treatment to ensure you receive the best possible chance at recovery. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction and needs space and help to recover, reach out to us at Renaissance Ranch at (801) 308-8898 today and begin your road to recovery. You do not need to fight the battle of addiction alone.