Journal But Make it a List
There are many ways to make journaling work for you, and one of my favorites is to skip the blank page entirely and just make a list. Short, sweet, and you can do it any time on a Post-It, a piece of paper, the back of an envelope. You don't need a setup.
Why I Started Journaling
In May of 2013, I started a journal to track my perimenopause. My cycles were all over the place, I wasn't feeling well, and my doctor kept telling me I was fine. I went to Walmart and got a cheap journal with a rainbow sunshine on the cover that said "Please don't take my sunshine away," and I still have it.
Through those pages, I talked myself into going alcohol-free in August of 2013. I was writing things like, "What's happening? Your drinking is not good. You don't feel good. It's taking you days to recover." When I wrote it down, I could see it, and seeing it was what I needed.
After I stopped drinking, journaling became my go-to for anxiety, a way to dump things out so I could look at them on paper instead of letting them spin around in my head. I think of it as a love letter to my future self.
Why Lists Work
The most common things I hear are: I don't know what to write, it takes too long, and I don't have the time. A list solves all of that. You pick a topic, write what comes up, and you're done. Five things or twenty, your call, and you date it if you want to.
One of my friends in my community grabbed a piece of paper, wrote everything out, and threw it away when she was done. It just felt good to see it, and that absolutely counts as a journaling practice.
List Ideas to Get You Started
Things I know for sure about me (or: who I am and who I'm not)
My why power list (all the reasons why you want to be alcohol-free, or why you're making any change)
Worry list (dump out what you're worried about, then note worst and best case scenario)
Things I've worried about that have never happened
One to three things I want to focus on this month / this week / today
Brain dump (everything out, keep it or toss it)
Save it for later list
Good news and gratitude list
Yay me list (your wins, going back as far as you want)
My rituals and self-care list
When I have a thought about drinking (time, what's happening, what I did to work through it)
What helps me stay alcohol-free / what doesn't
Habit inventory (habits that help me, habits working against me)
No longer buying list (things I'm no longer willing to purchase)
No longer buying into list (my own BS or outdated messages)
Things I'd rather not do
Three things I know for sure about me and alcohol (my truth list)
Play it forward list (what happens if I take one sip)
Favorites lists (colors, words, decades, people, food, smells, places)
Glimmer moments (tiny micro moments of joy)
Solo dates to try this month
Songs that make me feel nostalgic, relaxed, or confident
Hobbies I want to try this month
Books I want to remember / books I want to read
Things people have said that I want to remember (or forget)
What I appreciate about being my age / what's hard about being my age
Places I've traveled or want to travel
Concerts I've seen or want to see
Five pieces of advice I'd give my 25-year-old self
Five things my 90-year-old self will want me to start today
Reverse bucket list (everything I've already done) / bucket list (everything I want to do)
What do I need less of right now / what do I need more of
Try a List Today
Pick one list, write the title at the top of a piece of paper, and see what comes up. You don't have to keep it, and you don't have to do it perfectly.
If things are spinning around in your head, getting them out and onto paper almost always helps, and the worry list alone has gotten me through more than I can count.
Thank you for being here.
I’m with you.
Hey, there! I’m Lori, the host of the To 50 and Beyond podcast.
Where aging and living alcohol-free are celebrated.
To 50 and Beyond is about self-discovery, living for today, and designing an alcohol-free life that alcohol can’t compete with.
I’m with you.
You can listen to more episodes here.
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