(Disclaimer: This transcript is using AI technology. Please excuse any errors.)

Music 0:00
Welcome to the Atheists in Recovery podcast, where we talk about finding hope in recovery. And now your host, Dr. Adina Silvestri

Adina Silvestri 0:11
Konnichiwa Atheists in Recovery, and welcome to Episode 106 of the Atheists in Recovery Podcast, where it is my job to interview individuals in long term recovery to address their spiritual and scientific belief systems. In order to deconstruct limiting thought patterns and introduce new behaviors and routines you can use, and today is a solo episode today is actually the last episode before the extended pause. And so what I mean by that is, I will be taking off August and September since COVID. I haven't. And we're recording this at the end of July 2021. And I haven't seen my family in a while. And so I won't be taking a few trips in the next couple months. And so we're going to go on a pause and focus on family time and self care, I'm probably going to be doing a little bit of rebranding with the podcast. So stay tuned for news on that and the newsletter, and now's a great time to catch up on episodes one through 105. Or we listen to a few of your favorites. I also encourage you to sign up for the newsletter, to start to think about beginning a new ritual that nourishes your soul, maybe even start a journaling practice to liberate yourself from defeating narratives and you can sign up for the newsletter at atheists in recovery. com click on the green subscribe button at the top of the homepage. And now on to our solo show. Today I'm talking about the five journaling prompts I use most often. And if you want to know more about why I journal, please go ahead and head over to episodes 89 and 96. For more information on that journaling is a tool I've used all my life. And I'm now bringing it into my therapy practice and my men's group on a more consistent basis. And so I talk a little bit more about why I love journaling and Episode 89. You might want to check that out three reasons, three reasons why I love journaling in the April pause. But I feel journaling is the ultimate tool of self creation. These stories shape our reality, they help us make sense of our past, who we are now and who we like to be going forward. The problem I see with stories is we believe these narratives sometimes to a fault. And I'm also guilty of this. The story of I can't depend on anyone may have helped banish helplessness made a strong or the story of I'll never find someone to love me. Maybe that has helped us stay invulnerable and closed off. But while they fit the past, they may no longer fit the present and they may definitely be blocking the future. So let's talk about how we write these new stories. And we're not giving up on any of the old stories, we're not giving up on the hero's journey, because that's led us to where we are today. But we're allowing yourselves to write new chapters to develop the plot the characters, the themes, the settings, and lessons. So when I go through five journaling prompts that I use most often and I want you to keep the answers to these questions handy. Go ahead and get a paper and pen ready. And write the answers down to these prompts. Maybe it's a few sentences, maybe it's a few paragraphs. And I'll also be sharing one of my recent prompts that I shared in the air newsletter this month. And I'll start off by sharing one of my prompts. So one of my answers to my prompts was number one. Number one is right now i am and i love this prompt because it's such a centering prompt. I have the guys of the men's group do this at the beginning of every group. And it just sort of helps us transition to what we were doing to where we are now. Sometimes people are calling in on their lunch hour, they're at work, they're at home. They're watching the kids. They're doing a million different things. And so this is sort of nice, just kind of pull us back into the present and sort of just do a brain dump of everything that's going on right now. And so I'm going to share my journaling story with this right now I am prompt.

Right now I'm loving summertime and the characters woven into its brightly colored whimsical and dramatic fashion. Break. The deep forest greens, magical yellows and fire reds in my garden all meet for a short time to play their respective roles. I love how the birds come to greet me in the morning. Those are singing seem louder during the first act like they've saved their best songs to belt out for Madame summertime. during intermission, I love how the spirited food tastes ripe tomatoes, sweet corn, fresh cilantro, creating an explosion of flavor in my mouth. I love how the air smells in summertime. Sometimes I'll catch a whiff of honeysuckle, Donna cheery brick road or maybe it's just fresh air like the thrill of opening up your windows and doors after a long dormant at I love summertime thunderstorms during their final scene, it seems like these thunderstorms always have something to say. And they leave the air slightly cooler for brief part of the Act. And for that I am grateful. Maybe it's because I grew up in a lakeside town where the sun rarely made an appearance and when it did you set outside all day long, because God knows when you'd see it again. But I often feel guilty when the sun is out and I'm inside thinking I'm missing my opportunity to greet her can I afford to take this chance. I'm momentarily sad when the play ends. And then I wonder how the patchwork of our different acts will become stitched together like a beautiful, messy, asymmetrical and rebellious but in all the right ways kind of play blackout. So you see there with that one writing prompt, I didn't write much, you don't need to. But everything I was thinking I got out. And so you know, just start with right now I am and just see where it goes. Number two, I remember I remember, that's the prompt for number two. Number three, I don't remember a time when I don't remember a time when. So you see a lot of these except for the first one, they're past centric. Number four, what I've told you is or what I meant to say is I really like this one, what I meant to say is, and if you need any guidance on how I handle vulnerability or have handled it in the past, just go to Episode 105 q&a with Adina on vulnerability number five, if I wrote the story of my life up till this point, the chapters would be named. If I wrote the story of my life up to this point, the chapters would be named. And then the opposite of that if you want to go future centric, which I encourage you to do as well is what would the chapters if I'm looking at my life in the future, what would the chapters be named? I'm looking at my life in the future, what would the chapters be named. So that's it for the five journaling prompts I use most often and so guys, just remember new stories create hope and possibility for change. So you want to make sure that if you're telling yourself the stories that no longer serve you, and you're feeling stuck, try some of these prompts and see what comes up and make sure that you share them with somebody that you trust. Whether it's a therapist, a clergy, a best friend, a therapist, Kidding. anyone that you trust. Okay, so thanks again guys for listening. And before you go, please make sure to sign up for the atheists in recovery monthly newsletter. I'll be you know, if the if the pause is extended, I'll tell you there if I'm changing something with a podcast, you'll know their first what's happening. And maybe this will also help you to start a journaling practice every month I have a little writing story that I put in there. Right now I am story that I add in there and then some journaling prompts at the end so it will this will help liberate yourself from those defeating narratives for just go ahead and click on the green subscribe button on the homepage and thank you for listening. Have a great summer. I'll see you soon. Bye.

Music 9:19
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