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You may be already doing it or never thought about doing it for your health. But, the exercise of journaling for a few minutes per day can help reduce stress and boost your mental health and motivation while keeping track of your progress. This powerful practice is suggested by many mental health professionals, physicians, dietitians, and coaches alike as a great tool in someone’s health journey. Keep reading to find out about tips and recommendations.
What to write? Read the following topics:
Writing down your specific short-term and long-term goals is a great way to keep you motivated and be constant. Review your goals each week and see where you are.
Keep track of your No-scale victories: improvement in your energy level, a better sleep, better mood, how clothes fit you, how confident and stronger you feel after working out. These results of your consistency and hard work will keep you on track and motivated.
Write down your foods. Tracking what you eat is an excellent way to ensure you are on track with your diet, avoid or limit mindless eating, and become aware of emotional eating.
Following the above idea, if you have a medical condition, you can write down the parameters you need to control: weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose level, and/or ketone levels. Also, your medications and changes in the doses. Losing weight, eating healthy foods, and being more active will probably change your medication doses for chronic diseases like hypertension or diabetes. Making the connection between your progress in lifestyle changes and the improvement in your metabolism and chronic diseases is empowering. You are in charge of healing yourself!
Another essential point: writing down your feelings is a critical way of processing your emotions instead of pushing them aside. Frustration, anger, anxiety, and sadness are some of the feelings people experience while working on improving their health.
Positive mindset: write down a list of things you are thankful for, your achievements, and positive things you have experienced mentally and physically during the day or the previous week.
A reflection at the end of each day: What have you done right today? What was not good today? What could I have done differently? This can help you start your next day empowered, keep going, make some changes, and have a great day.
Things that can help you start if you want to:
Just do it! There are no rules or better ways to do it. It is totally up to you.
Schedule a time of the day that will be for journaling. This way, it will become a routine for you.
Choose what you want to use: a paper journal, your phone, your computer, or something else that works for you.
Keep it handy if you choose to journal when feeling it, or keep it in the place designated for journaling. This way, you will remember to use it.
Just write what you need or feel. You don’t need to write a lot. Just write what feels right for you.
“Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.”
Jen Williamson
Final thoughts:
The benefits of this practice may surprise you in a very positive way. Like everything new, set a goal of doing it for 3-4 weeks to see the results. If it works, make it part of your routine and be consistent. Also, make it fun and appealing! Choose a lovely journal book, drink a nice tea while journaling, listen to relaxing music, you name it!
What do you think? Would you give it a try? I highly recommend it.
