Journaling Through Codependency

Most of us had diaries when we were younger. We’d write about that cute boy in homeroom, vent our anger about our siblings, voice our feelings of unfai
ess about a grounding or restriction our parents enforced, or simply express our dreams for our future.

Jou
aling has now been recognized to be more powerful than once thought. Not only to codependency, but the scientific community has been researching jou
aling for more tha
20 years. It has proven to be very beneficial. It can help find meaning or come to terms with a stressful or demanding situation.

You can start by making a list of the feelings you have regarding your life situation. Then you can make a list of any goals you have. You may not have thought about your goals in a long time. Being codependent sometimes you focus too much on another and the troubles they have in their life.

Keeping your feelings displayed within a journal lets you have something to refer back to. You can look for themes within the pages and see if you repeat the same pattern of griping. Is there shame, hurt or anger coming through in your writing? Your subconscious may be trying to protect you from a failure it sees by not allowing you to move forward or past the situation.

When you write honestly, you can access your feelings and find ways to constructively heal yourself. You can again dream and that dreaming will motivate you to take action. As you continue jou
aling, it will become clearer to you which direction to go. Know that you always have choices. You can redesign what is holding you back and brainstorm any options you can think of to try.

Those options will only work if you act on them. You may be afraid of change and feel overwhelmed, but if you break your options into small tasks it will help take pressure off you and you can implement your ideas into action. Outline both short-term and long-term goals. Write about the ways you can nurture yourself. Write about how you wish to grow. You can create a personal mission statement you want to focus on.

Reflect on who you truly are. What are your dreams? What are you proud of? Why do you doubt yourself? What are you eager to change? When you write in your inner voice, you will discover parts of you that you thought were missing or weren’t aware of. It will help you release your fears and build your life to your satisfaction.

You might even want to write a letter within your journal to your significant other telling them how you wish them to help you grow. Even if you don’t give this letter to the other, it is a very therapeutic exercise to do.

You can write poetry or make a collage within your jou
als. Show what you would like your life to represent. A very beneficial thing to do is keep a gratitude journal. Write down everyday what you are grateful for. Even if you think it is a small point that has little meaning, write it down. That makes you focus on the good in your life, which helps you create better things for you.

Jou
aling is a very safe place for you to express your emotions. You can bear your true heart without fear of being exposed. Your journal is only for you. Don’t be afraid to speak the truth. When you write your true feelings, you find hope.

© 2007 Lori Klauser