The Journal Exercise That Convinced Me to Quit Drinking (It Could Help Change Your Life, Too!)
I, like many people, neglected the true art of journaling for a long time. It wasn't until last Summer that my drinking habits began to really affect my mental health. I am naturally a very closed-off person, always wanting to portray the best side of myself to the world. I knew that I needed an outlet where I could just spill everything that I was keeping bottled up inside. Journaling became my way of getting what I was feeling out into the universe. The only regret that I have about journaling, was that I didn't start it sooner. I would have loved to look back on the things I would of written in high school, stressing over all the drama that seems so pointless now.
In early January, as I began thinking about my new years resolutions, I stumbled upon a new episode of my favorite podcast, "Manifest" with Tori DeSimone. In the episode, Tori described, in detail, a journaling exercise that would help you discover your 2020 resolutions and manifestations. It requires you to reflect on your greatest challenges of 2019, as well as bring to light the things that take up most of your mental and physical space/energy. This exercise helped me realize just how much of a toll alcohol was having on my life and soon after completing it, I made the decision to quit drinking all together.
Even though it is well into 2020, I believe that there is never a bad time for a fresh start! You can use this exercise to reflect on all of 2019, or even just the past few months or weeks-whatever span of time that you think will be beneficial to YOU! Whether or not you are trying to quit drinking, this journal exercise will change your life by helping you recognize all the things in your life that are making you unhappy. By recognizing the things in our lives that are preventing us from growing in a positive direction, we can make the decision to cut back on or eliminate these things all together-allowing us to thrive!
Below, I have outlined the exercise questions. Grab a piece of paper, your journal, or your laptop and get writing! I mean, what better time to start journaling than amidst all of this COVID-19 chaos?!
The Journal Exercise That Will Change Your Life
What were my biggest accomplishments this year?
5 Best Days of the Year:
What do these five days have in common?
What did I learn this year?
Who do I need to forgive?
What do I need to take accountability for?
What were my biggest challenges?
What do I need to let go or give up?
Things that took up mental/physical space or energy:
What is the one thing I could do that would make the biggest difference?
What do I give 20% of my energy to, that makes up 80% of my day? (In other words, what is one thing you do each day that you KNOW makes the biggest impact on your day/makes you happy?)
After filling in your answers, take a minute to reflect. What do these answers have in common? What are the things you have control over? What are the things you can change? What are the things you should increase? For me, alcohol was the main culprit that was causing my unhappiness and this exercise really proved to me that I would be better off without it.
I sincerely hope that you find this exercise helpful and that it allows you to self-reflect during this chaotic time. As always, thank you for reading and happy journaling!
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE EPISODE.