I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the power and limitations of journaling. Today, I came up with an idea that enhances the power and reduces the limitations:
We should have three different journals with three different purposes!
First, we need a Gratitude Journal where we record the things for which we are grateful each day. Please don’t scoff at this idea. Multiple studies have shown that practicing gratitude has a significant positive impact on heart health and also reduces stress. A Gratitude Journal is a great tool to help you in this practice. For one thing, seeing the journal reminds you of the need to make a record. For another, taking the time to actually write something down helps reinforce the feeling. Don’t just write down the big stuff like family, friends, health etc. either. Rather, think about the specific things that happened during the day. What did your family member or friend do today that made your day? What did you eat, see, feel that makes you feel grateful? When we take the time to focus on the good things that happen each day, we feel better about life and that makes us healthier and happier.
The other daily journal that is important is what I call a Success Journal. This is where you record your successes for the day. Most of us don’t give ourselves enough credit for our accomplishments—especially the seemingly minor ones throughout the day. In many cases, we’re too busy focusing on the Todos that still need to be done. Alternately, we may just feel that we don’t deserve credit for the things we’re expected to do every day. Whatever the reason, if you go through your days thinking you haven’t accomplished anything special, how are going to feel? Maybe not like a failure but certainly not successful. So, where’s the motivation for continuing to perform day after day? The truth is, we can’t possibly do amazing things every day but those ordinary things that we accomplish do matter and they do add up. For instance, getting up on time, doing the laundry, getting the kids off to school, and all of the items you checked off on your Todo list are all successes that should be celebrated and recorded in your Success Journal. If you make this a daily practice, I guarantee that you will feel more successful and more energized, which will help contribute to even more success in the future.
The third journal is an Introspection Journal. You would only use this when you’ve got thoughts rattling around in your head that you need to write down so you can sort them out, or when you are feeling an unexplained anxiety or malaise and want to brainstorm with yourself to figure out what’s going on with you. This kind of journaling is not a new concept. Psychologists and therapists have encouraged their clients to do this for many years. It helps you clarify your thoughts, problem-solve, and release negative feelings. Note, I think it is important to have a full-size, 8-1/2x11 notebook for this journal so you have plenty of room to record all of your thoughts as they come tumbling out.
Why three journals? Can’t you just record everything in a single journal? You obviously could, but each journal has a special purpose that requires periodic review of your entries. If you want to remind yourself how lucky you are, you want to view past gratitude posts without getting side-tracked by your introspection entries. Similarly, if you are feeling a bit like a loser, you want to review your success posts and not get side-tracked by your anxiety entries. You might not want to clutter up your Introspection Journal either. For example, a few years ago I went back and looked through older entries in my Introspection Journal and found that I had been stressing over the same thing for several years. What a wake-up call for change that was and it might not have been so obvious if I had positive entries mixed in.
You only need to spend a few minutes a day on your Gratitude and Success Journals to experience a significant improvement in your outlook on life and your self-esteem. Your Introspection Journal will help you deal with problems as they arise. The combination of all three will help you live a happier and more fulfilling life.
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