The Importance of Using Diary Cards, Journals, Vlogs, etc.

Keeping a record of your life and road to health can be extremely beneficial to your healing, and also a testament to how far you've come once you're in recovery. There are tons of ways you can do this. 

The first is using diary cards (I'll put a link to an example at the bottom of this post) which are usually seen in inpatient health centers but can be used whenever you like. This sort of record is really good for the people who find it difficult to explain feelings in writing or don't feel comfortable being public on a vlog or blog. Oftentimes when in outpatient or private therapy, therapists will offer these cards to you and ask you to bring them in at your next session. 

The second way to keep a record is the obvious one, journaling. I've used a journal for as long as I can remember and have always found them helpful, not to mention it's almost fun to read my old ones from years ago. There is no right or wrong way to keep a journal. You can keep it on the computer and type out whatever you like, you can use an old $2 notebook, or you can buy an expensive diary from somewhere like Barnes and Noble. 

A blog (like this one) is another great way to keep a record. This can be a bit different though because you (probably) don't want the whole world knowing every personal thing that you'd normally have no problem writing in your journal, but it can still be a great tool for yourself and in the process you might even help someone else. 

A vlog (such as a Youtube channel) is another option for keeping track of things. Once again it is public so you may want to exercise a bit of discretion, but as with blogging, you might just help some other people with your story and knowledge. 

Whatever method you decide upon, try to get used to recording SOMETHING every single day, even if its just a sentence or a few numbers. I use a scale from 1 to 10 (1 besting worst, 5 being neutral or average, and 10 being best) to rate both my physical and emotional level of the day. This was you can look back over your numbers to find out things you otherwise might not see (i.e. days when you're with your family you are more stressed, the first week of a new medication you felt sick, the week when the weather was beautiful you were in a positive frame of mind, etc.) You can also record your meds, how different counseling sessions go, big life events, daily tasks and to do lists, it goes on and on. If you're ever for a loss for what to write, there are thousands of prompts that can easily be found on Google. 

DIARY CARD EXAMPLES/TEMPLATES

1. http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/html/diary_card_1.html

2. http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/html/diary_card_2.html

3. http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/html/diary_card_4.html