Did anyone else struggle with Step 4? I’m working on that now and it’s bringing up a lot of feelings and making it kinda difficult.
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Pretty sure most of us struggle with step 4. I did like 80% of it in one weekend, but it took me another 6 weeks to finish it. Yeah it brings up the feels. For me, looking at the same patterns of behavior surfacing up over the decades was an eye opener. I saw that I hadn’t grown emotionally since childhood and was still driven by those same feelings and coping mechanisms. It’s great that you’re wiki h your steps! Doing my 5th step with my sponsor was a turning point for my recovery. Now I’m hesitating with my 8th and 9th lol. They say it’s 4/5 and 8/9 that many people balk at. We gotta push thru. Acknowledging our feelings, sharing them with others, and learning to process them properly is what it’s all about. 
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Tough step. Take your time and make sure you share honestly with sponsor. It’s a freeing step. Also, can be hard to the point some folk run. Seen quite a few relapse over it. Stay strong and get that freedom. You got this.
If you’re 4th step is a breeze it is likely that you left a few stones unturned.
I Attempted a fourth step without proper guidance and struggled with it.
When I found a qualified sponsor with working knowledge of the book particularly the fourth step as it is instructed it only took me 6 hours.
I've been around a long time and seen people have trouble with a fourth step because they don't understand how to do it.
Usually because the person guiding them -their sponsor doesn't understand how to do a fourth step out of the book.
A simple four column inventory on resentments fears and sx.
It's not a life story.
It is not an attempt to find out how bad we are.
Just like an inventory at a retail store.
We need to find the things that are working for us and that are not working for us.
I suggest listening to Scott l from Nashville.
He has the easiest understand instructions on how to do a fourth step as described in our beautiful book
I struggled real hard with the 4th step. When I got to my 5h and actually was sitting with my sponsor tell him everything, I realized it was all my own fears stoping me from just getting down to work and getting the 4th done. It’s a hard step for sure but a completely necessary one.
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Man I only just started and completely step 1!!! Y'all are giving me anxiety, lol
4th step is like a mix tape of b side tracks that we thought we had played through before and processed , but songs and beats remain the same when they come to the surface of our mind.
It took me 20 months and three sponsors. In actuality it only took three weeks once I sat down wrote them down and then took 3 hours with my sponsor one Saturday afternoon and poof it was done! Not sure why I waited so long…
I can say that the misery was stacking up during those 20 months. All went away that Saturday. But then came back after I made my harms list. Then melted away as I made my amends.
It’s a process with lots of emotions. I found it best to just sit in them. Called my sponsor when they were heavy. Called others in the program as well.
All in all today is good. The relief I have from those steps has my head up and I can look those in the eye I see out in public.
I’m not in fear, guilt or shame. Just living in the moment.
Don’t over think it. You can and will come back to it. I got bogged down there too until some made it simple for me. The steps are a “suggested program of recovery”. IMHO that means there’s flexibility in it. I often remind everyone, AA is a fellowship (first sentence of preamble), there is a suggested program but AA it’s self is a fellowship. Don’t let the steps scare you
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I relapsed after my step 4 last time. This time I am slowly going through things from my past with my therapist. If you don’t feel you are ready for it don’t feel like you have to do it right now.
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Leave some space under some of the inventories/questions for things that come to mind later. I had moved on to steps 5,6,7 and people/places/things came up that I added to my fourth step.