Journaling allows you to record and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, experiences and goals. The vast majority of Canadians live very busy lives and the stress caused by our current lifestyle is detrimental to our overall health and wellbeing. Journaling is just one of many stress management strategies that can be used to bring yourself back into the present moment. There are so many types of journals available that you’re sure to find one that’s best suited for you. We’ve listed a few of the more common ones here for you to check out.
The bullet journal method was created by Ryder Caroll who has grown up with learning disabilities that forced him to come up with new ways to be and stay productive. This method uses a type of short hand with bulleted lists and signifiers in a grid sheet notebook. The basics consist of tasks, events and notes with priority levels in daily, monthly or future calendar formats but you are encouraged to make it your own.
The benefits:
- Easy and customizable.
- Improves organisation and productivity.
- Visuals create awareness of behaviour patterns.
A Classic Journal
The classic journal is used to write anything and everything in whatever style suits you best. There are no rules with a classic journal, you can write, draw, make lists, add pictures, etc. The most common use is that of a diary where you record your thoughts and experiences as often as you want.
The benefits:
- It helps process and release strong emotions in a healthy way.
- Boosts memory and comprehension.
- Improves immune function.
A gratitude journal consists of writing a list of 5 things you experienced over the last week that you’re grateful for. However, to really experience the benefits, it is recommended that you make a conscious effort to be happier, record your list only once or twice a week, focus on the people you’re grateful for over things and to go deep and really focus on the details of the experiences you’ve chosen.
The benefits:
- Improves sleep.
- Reduces symptoms of illness.
- Increases happiness.
A Food Journal / Fitness Journal
A food or fitness journal allows you to record and analyse the details of your health behaviour change plan. Food journals at the core record your meals and snacks throughout the day, however, they can also be very detailed and include macro splits, calories eaten, time of day, location when eating, feelings at meal times, hunger scores, etc.
Fitness journals record your baselines in the different components of fitness (cardio, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition), as well as, your workout logs that usually contain more specific details, such as: activity, reps, sets, weight, distance and time.
The benefits:
- Keeps you accountable.
- Tracks your progress.
- Helps maintain focus and motivation
There are also dream journals, travel journals, artistic journals, plant journals, book journals, letter journals, idea journals, poetry journals, finance journals, etc. Journaling can be very therapeutic because it helps get all your thoughts, feelings and ideas out of your head and on paper, making it much easier to make sense of it all. There are so many benefits, it’s definitely worth trying out, no?
Which type of journal would you start?
Let me know in the comments!
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