I started journaling a couple of years ago to help me become more present in my life, a friend of mine, Sue introduced me to it, and I love it. Amongst all the busyness in our day to day lives I am guilty of sometimes living for the future, whether that be working hard for a future goal or worrying about potential challenges that may come up that I often forget to enjoy the moment and live in the here and now as much as I would like too. Journaling has been a great tool at helping me focus on the smaller things in life and look at what’s happening on a day to day basis and focus on the things that bring me joy. I’ve also found that by calling out things I am grateful for doesn’t leave room to dwell on what didn’t go so well in any given day, which keeps my mind positive and my overall outlook on life positive-win, win!
Here’s the template I use in the evenings, there are only 3 which means it’s easy to stay committed to doing it each night.
Journaling Template
- 3 things I am grateful for today….
- I acknowledge myself today for….
- What could have made today even better?….
By focusing on the positives in life and what I’m grateful for I find it makes me happy and writing down what your grateful for is good training for the brain to counter act negative thoughts, lets face it we all have those and if too many negative thoughts exist it is easier to end up feeling unhappy. My top tip is find 10 minutes each day for some quiet time to yourself, with no devices, no internet, use an old fashioned pen and paper and have a go at journaling!
