I journal 3 pages a week, mostly about negative emotions. I found two ways of doing this. One is when I have negative emotions that are extremely powerful. They are making me extremely angry, stressed, etc. to the point that I am about to explode. I write everything down in a journal exactly the way I am thinking in my mind with all the negative emotions and all its severity. I write extreme powerful emotions exactly the way I feel them. The emotions are too strong for processing so I just write them out on paper as they are. This releases extreme amounts of tension and help me avoid a panic attack or screaming at someone.

The second type of journaling is when I have very strong emotions of anger, stress, etc. but I am not about to lose my mind. I may act out later if I don't resolve them. I write down what transpired, and my thoughts and emotions the way I see it. I am relaxed enough that although I see things subjectively I am capable of seeing other people's perspectives and pointing out the parts of my thinking that are objectively speaking irrational and I write them down as well. This actually treats the negative emotions with CBT the same way a psychologist would treat them. I am very trained at this from therapy sessions where my psychologist does this for me so I am actually in a way acting as my own psychologist. I bring my journaling to the psychology sessions but I have already done most of the work myself. All the techniques I use for CBT are in the cabin pressure section of the Flight to Freedom program. I also redeemed coins on GYE for Urge Surfing audio sessions that I use frequently for negative emotions. Nowadays, I am so good at this that I do it the second negative emotions surface, way before they have the time to lead to an urge to act out.

@hechochma, you're part of the reason i have to journal, after so kindly letting me know that alcoholism is genetic...

ainshumyeiush wrote on 31 Dec 2023 20:55:

BAH!!! HUMBUG! to quote ChaimO...

I sure hope this is a joke...

It's a disease. This disease is in OUR minds. It IS our minds. It's a voice, telling us that lust is something that we want. That lust is a solution to our problems, that it'll make us feel good. But that voice IS NOT ME!! It's the disease talking.

R' Aharon Leib Shteinman z"l once said that the place to daven for lust addiction is in "refa'enu", not 'Hashivaynu", or "slach lanu". This is very important to remember.

Let us surrender this disease and all our negative traits. And let us - the REAL us - connect with Hashem. It's a tremendous pity if we feel too guilty to even allow ourselves to get closer to Him, which is what we really want! Let us love Hashem. Let us feel loved by Him.

davidt wrote on 13 Dec 2023 15:31:

Im interested in knowing where everyone Davens in the amida for success and breaking free from porn, hashivanu, selach lanu, rea (because we are persecuted by lust), rifaenu, shema kolenu, or at the end by elokai nitzor. I know a lot of Sephardi siddurim have a added yihi ratzon in teka bishofar but it talks about returning the drops to the side of holiness, not about fighting the yetzer hara.

Im interested in knowing where everyone Davens in the amida for success and breaking free from porn, hashivanu, selach lanu, rea (because we are persecuted by lust), rifaenu, shema kolenu, or at the end by elokai nitzor. I know a lot of Sephardi siddurim have a added yihi ratzon in teka bishofar but it talks about returning the drops to the side of holiness, not about fighting the yetzer hara.