Habitual Journaling for Self-Reflection and Personal Growth
Day-to-day, our thoughts and feelings are spread all throughout the day - often times unconsciously. We think about what we should do first thing in the morning, how our day's been going so far, or what we need to work on for tomorrow. While these are important considerations, there is a superior way of keeping track of your thoughts when you want to make adjustments. Habitual journaling has been proven to be incredibly helpful in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms and improving emotional well-being. When you're stuck thinking about what you need to be doing all day, it's a quick and easy way to get your thoughts out of your brain and either out of your hands or down for further thought. By consciously recording these thoughts on paper, you can feel more in control instead of letting other feelings dictate your actions. Why journal?
The main reason why journaling is so useful is because it allows us to increase our awareness of how we think about different topics. As we journal, we're able to see how our minds work when they are going through everyday situations. By keeping track of these thoughts and feelings, we can discern whether or not what's going on in our minds is good for us or not. By the end of the day, we have a better idea of what's been going on and how we need to improve our behaviors and attitudes.
While journaling may seem like an extraordinary way to live your life, it's really not that hard to do. There are only two things you have to keep in your mind:
1) That you will take the time needed to write down your thoughts. Journaling isn't something that happens when you run out of things to say or once you feel like it's time. You have to set aside at least ten minutes a day, every single day, if you want any sort of change in your life.
2) That you will take the time needed to work on your thoughts. The key to improving your thoughts is to come up with solutions for how you want to act (or what you need to change). Once you've done this, making changes is as simple as putting your plans into place and pulling the trigger.
The second part of this process is the most important piece of all. You need to be willing to put in the time and effort necessary for change, but more importantly, you need to be able to find solutions that work for you rather than just trying things out once or twice before deciding they don't work. This means stepping away from your current methods of thinking and formulating a new set of standards to live by. Habitual journaling is a great way to start making big changes that will last through your entire life. Improve Your Mind, Improve Your Life
As with any type of habit or standard for living, there are going to be times when you aren't able to do it perfectly or fail at it completely. In these situations, you just need to work on yourself enough that you get back on the right track as quickly and easily as possible. When this happens, the benefits of habitual journaling will be much more apparent once again.
If you're not used to keeping a journal, it may seem like too much work to do it every day. There are a lot of benefits to being able to reflect on your thoughts and feelings for most of the day, but if you just want some quick results or you're already stressed out, it's okay to just make forty-five minutes a week a priority in your life. Don't be afraid of starting or stopping whenever you want - You're not obligated to keep doing something that is unhealthy for your health/furthers your happiness just because other people tell you that's how things should be done.
Whenever you feel like taking the time necessary for journaling isn't possible at the moment, don't worry about it. The best thing you can do is just work on journaling when you CAN and knowing that you will be able to work on it in the future. It's not always going to be possible for people to make a habit out of journaling, but that doesn't matter much so long as they're working on making it a priority whenever it IS possible for them.
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." ~ Abraham Lincoln
Journaling, whether by hand or with technology, is one of the most effective ways for someone who wants to bring about change in their life. By improving your awareness and understanding of how your mind operates, you can begin formulating new methods of thinking that are more beneficial for your mental health.
The best part about journaling is that it can be done with nothing more than a pen and a piece of paper - two things that almost everyone owns. As long as you have access to these resources, you can begin recording your thoughts right away. There isn't any special knowledge or training necessary, either! People of any age and from any background can find the time and space necessary to make journaling part of their daily routine. All you need is the willingness to put in the effort needed for self-improvement!
Identify Your Mood Concerning Behavior Patterns
While our thoughts are what cause us the most distress, it's important to keep note of how we're living our lives on a day-to-day basis. By keeping a journal of every change in your life - good and bad, you'll have the ability to work on yourself in the best way possible. You'll recognize patterns that you'd otherwise have trouble pinpointing and decide how you want to go about making changes for the better.
Everyday journaling should be done as a means of improving your life. Even if it's just for five minutes per day, you're doing something right by increasing your awareness and seeing where you've been going wrong. When you've realized that it's not working well for you anymore, it's time to change things up a bit!
"If everything seems under control, you're just not paying attention. If everything seems out of control, you're just not paying attention."
―Attributed to Albert Einstein, for True to Life Magazine, June 1971
What's Best for Your Health and Happiness?
In your journal, write down your thoughts and feelings as they occur throughout the day. While this may seem counterproductive as far as improving your health is concerned, eventually it will become a habit that you can't stop doing! In the beginning of this process you'll find that the quality of your journaling suffers because you're under stress or not experiencing a positive emotion. You need to learn how to write while feeling good so you can keep getting better results out of it.
Conclusion
By using the techniques outlined above, you'll be able to improve your mood and the quality of your life. You need to realize that you're not alone in this - everybody wants to live a happy and healthy life! Once you set your standards, keep improving them until they become as high as possible. Every time you go a day without noticing any improvement, you need to immediately start working on your standards again.
"You've got to think of yourself like a racehorse." ~ Earl Wilson, comedian and radio personality In sharing this article with others, please do not post it on Reddit or any other forum section without my permission! I work hard on these articles and I don't want them being stolen.