The county jail counselor who told me to start a journal

My PO recommended I talk to this guy named Dave at the county lockup after my third stint. He said writing down one thing I was grateful for each day would rewire my brain. After 6 months I got out and landed a gig at a warehouse, and I still scribble in that same spiral notebook. Honestly it kept me from going back to old habits when I was sitting in my cell. Has anyone else had luck with this kind of simple mental trick inside?

3 comments

3 Comments

cooper.drew2d ago

Man Dave knew what he was talking about. I started jotting down small wins during my time inside and it actually helped me stay out of my own head when things got rough.

mark_ward2d ago

Ha, yeah. I tried that once but my "small wins" list was mostly "didn't drop the soap" and "the TV remote batteries didn't die yet." Felt a little pathetic reading it back later. But hey, whatever works, right? Pretty sure I'd have lost my mind without those tiny victories to hold onto.

christopherw342d ago

You know what, that's exactly it though. It's easy to laugh at things like "didn't drop the soap" being a win but when you're in that headspace, those are the only things you have control over. I remember a buddy of mine kept a list of "victories" during a tough stretch and one of them was "found a quarter in the couch cushions." He said reading that back later felt silly but at the time it was genuine. The point isn't that the wins are impressive, it's that they remind you you're still fighting, still moving. Once you start looking for those little things you start seeing them everywhere. And before you know it, you've got a whole chain of tiny good moments that add up to something real.