Journaling through the years has been incredibily beneficial for me. Personally, when I journal it seems to be the way the Lord speaks to me the most clearly about what I am going through – giving me insights into my struggles and my responses as I write things out.

Putting my thoughts on paper rather than letting them just swim around in my brain helps a lot too. I can look at what is on my mind much more objectively when I write it down. That is when the insights I mentioned above often come to light.

Journaling also has helped me to see patterns in thoughts, feelings and behaviors as I have done it over the years. I can remember journaling about similar things in the past and suddenly realize I’ve been around this mountain before. That is a big motivation to dig in more deeply because I despise feeling like I am doing the same things over and over.

Bottom-line, for me journaling is an essential element of of recovery. I don’t do it every day. It is an ebb and flow. I have seasons where I journal a lot and others when I don’t. However, I always come back to it as a primary engine of recovery.