About Journaling

How to Keep an Addiction Recovery Journal

During any addiction recovery process and even afterward,
support is essential. A simple, easy and proven effective way,
that anyone can use to support themselves, is keeping an
addiction recovery journal or diary. An excellent tool for
recovery, as well as a great way of doing our, Daily 10th Step
Inventory, journaling provides a record of gratitudes, goals,
intentions, and the ups and the downs of life. Journaling is a
record of our actions and growth, our dreams and desires.

Journaling is all about expression. Writing down, recording our
feelings, recognizing them, and leaving them on the page, is an
excellent way to understand and figure out what is really
important to us and for us. We can realize what we are really
experiencing. We see what we are really thinking. It is right
there on the page in black and white. Where is the fear? Where
is the joy? Within the journaling pages and with time, clarity
is easier to obtain and focus upon. Then, after this processing,
we can make clear, focused choices of what works and serves us.
And what does not.

An excellent, supportive tool to use to start an addiction
recovery journal is The 5 Year Journal. The 5 Year Journal can
be started on any day, in any year. Already formatted into three
lines a day, the day and date are at the top of the page, but
you write in the year. This format is especially conducive for
journaling daily the 12 Step Recovery Program. Use 5YJ to record
a relative reflection of the daily steps taken. After the each
year journaled, we can look back at the previous years to see
where we were last year, then two years ago, three years, and so
on.

5 Journaling Tips

1. Start journaling on any day of the year.

2. Set your journal where you see it every day: On the kitchen
table, your desk or in your briefcase. This will help remind you
to journal daily.

3. Keep a pen or pencil with your journal.

4. Skipping days is a part of journaling.

5. You can use the same color of pen or use different colors.
You can also designate colors of pens for certain feelings,
i.e., green for growth, blue for sadness, orange for joy, red
for anger, you get the idea. If you are using the different
colored pens, write in the front of your journal what you
decided each color signifies.

By journaling every day, we make time for ourselves, and in so
many ways our journal becomes a treasured keepsake. Keeping an
addiction recovery journal can reduce stress, help focus and
organize us, and becomes a good reminder, helping us to set and
track goals. Comparing and exploring the different times of our
lives is easy with a journal.

For more information go to:
http://www.nicd.us/10thstepjournal.htm

Copyright 2005 OMDC, LLC All Rights Reserved

There are several unique types of journals. You may find that you want to keep several journals for various different areas of your life. Perhaps you like to travel, so a travel journal is an excellent way of keeping your mementos and thoughts about different countries. Or, maybe you are expecting a new baby or other major life-changing event. No matter what your journaling goal is, you are bound to find one that will help you grow and remember different areas of your life. Different types of journals include:
Personal Diary:
The most common type of journal is a personal journal allows you to write about your day-to-day life and personal feelings. You can discuss your daily life events and how you feel about them. You can tell a funny story about something that happened to you today, etc. Your entries don’t have to be long accounts of your day, but simple entries that allow you to express how you feel and then review those entries later for self-growth.
Dream journal:
A dream journal is a unique way to inspire recall and record of your dreams. Dreams are a like a window into the human psyche and you can often learn a lot about yourself through journaling. This type of journal should be kept at your bedside so that you can jot down the dream the moment you wake up. A dream journal can be as simple as a spiral notebook; you just need something that is accessible. You also want to have a writing instrument nearby so that you are able to quickly log your dream. There are also special dream journals that help you to recall your dreams through prompting questions. Dream journals have been useful to people who experience recurring dreams that bother them, or to those people who need help coping with insomnia.
Travel Journal:
A travel journal is another popular form of journal. This is a great way to document your travels across the country or across the world. These journals allow you to document what you saw and how you felt about the place that you traveled to. Most travel journals begin as blank books that end up being filled with numerous accounts, clippings, tokens and photos. They are excellent for written accounts that not only allow you to describe where and what you are doing, but how you felt about it as well. There have been several famous travel journals documented through the movies. A very popular one is that of Lieutenant John Dunbar in Dances with Wolves. This journal was a documentation of his observations of the American Indians. In literature we can find Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, which documented his spontaneous road trips with friends across the company. In your own personal travel journal you may want to draw pictures, paste mementos and discuss the good and the bad experiences that you have encountered along your way.
Pregnancy Journal:
Many new mothers choose to keep a pregnancy journal. This journal helps them deal with the changes they are feeling and seeing in their bodies. It also helps them to document any odd dreams or emotions that they may be having as well. Many mothers also use these journals as an opportunity to talk to their unborn child and discuss life with them before they are born. These are often shared with the child later in life. There are also guided pregnancy journals that have writing prompts in them. These allow a person who is not a natural writer to be prompted through thought provoking questions. Questions may be documented monthly. Month one could include questions such as “Describe how you felt the moment you found out you were pregnant” or “Who was the first person you told that you were pregnant?” Month two may be questions like, “What is your favorite food this month?” These unique questions get you to think and write and because they are monthly, you are motivated to write on a regular basis.
Study Journals:
Think of the great Indiana Jones and how he followed his father’s journal about his archeological travels. A study journal is what he was using and it is one of the best ways to document the knowledge that you have gained throughout your life. This journal could easily be one that lasts you for several decades so be use a journaling service that will stand the test of time.
Spiritual or Gratitude Journals:
These are journals that record spiritual events in your life along with your thoughts on those moments. These could be anywhere from daily thanks to the documentation of your spiritual growth. They can document your prayers, testimony, conversions and other spiritual thoughts and ponderings.
There are a large variety of journals to choose from and you can write about anything that you want.

Journalism has made a remarkable progress in the last ten years; there has been a boom in this industry. The picture of journalism has gone through a complete makeover than what it used to be in the past.  It is also one of the most challenging jobs you could come across but this has not stopped the individuals to opt for Journalism. If you a senior secondary pass out or have earned a graduation degree, you are eligible to apply for journalism course. Journalism has many streams; you can choose to work with TV, radio, newspaper, magazines etc. The career opportunities are also incredible like you could become a reporter, a sub-editor, a feature writer, a photojournalist and much more. The courses offered in journalism by the institutes are as follows- Bachelors in Mass communication and Journalism- Masters in Mass Communications and Journalism – Post Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication and Journalism- Diploma in Media Planning and Buying- Post Graduate Diploma in Creative Communication- Post Graduate Diploma in Event Management and amp- Diploma in Event Management and amp  - Post Graduate Diploma in Broadcast System Maintenance- Diploma course for Rural Journalism- Post Graduate Diploma Courses in Rural and Tribal CommunicationYou may choose to do a certification course or diploma or go for a graduate or post graduate degree in Journalism from a reputed institute. If you are interested to do a certification course then the minimum eligibility required is 10+2 along with some relevant work experience. These short term courses are helpful to build up your career in journalism. You can pursue this course and work at a media house simultaneously. One may also opt for correspondence certification courses in Journalism.The other option that you can grab is post graduate diploma in Journalism after graduation in any stream. Most of the Universities require 50% marks aggregate in Graduation. The duration for these diploma courses is normally 1 year and lot of prestigious universities across India run this program. Some of the Universities are mentioned below- Aligarh Muslim University Centre of Professional Courses, Aligarh- Amity School of Communication, Noida- Asian College of Journalism, Banglore – Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, New-Delhi- Amrita School of Journalism, CoimbatoreYou can also go for graduation or post graduation degree in Journalism. For graduation degree it is important to pass out 10+2 from a recognized board. Most of the prestigious colleges conduct an entrance test which checks your ability to speak and write in English along with your General Knowledge. Duration is of three years. There are many well known colleges that provide education on journalism at graduate level. Once you are done with your graduation in Journalism you could go for MA in Journalism. The requirement of the prestigious colleges for MA in Journalism is 50%. The duration for the course is two years. One may also opt for PhD in Journalism after completing masters.