Journaling as a tool to increase mindfulness and reinforce positive behavior
Keeping a health journal is a powerful Habit of Health, but we often find that new clients are hesitant or skeptical. Many people have the idea that keeping a journal is a long laborious process along the lines of writing classic literature, which either feels silly or like too much work. In our system, journaling is a tool to increase mindfulness and reinforce positive behavior, and it does not have to be an intense commitment of time or creativity.
Recently, I had this same conversation with a client, and I asked her, “Can you write 10 words a day?”
Up until that point, she was resistant to journaling, but when we put a clearly attainable goal to the action, she lit up. “10 words?” she asked, “Yes, I can definitely do 10 words a day.”
In 10 words, you can start to make your journal a useful part of your journey toward optimal wellbeing.
This micro Habit of Health—something so small it’s almost impossible to fail—is a big step forward. Before we talk about how you can get your start with a health journal, here’s a quick overview of why you should keep a health journal.
How a health journal helps you
A health journal helps you to:
- Reflect on the choices you made that day to identify opportunities for better choices next time.
- Pause the bustle of your day and focus your mind on your health.
- Find a moment to celebrate your victories for the day.
- Zoom out to look at the big picture of your progress and to flip back at thoughts you made in previous entries.
- Plan for the future in a tangible, concrete way.
- Reflect on the choices you made that day to identify opportunities for better choices next time.
- Pause the bustle of your day and focus your mind on your health.
- Find a moment to celebrate your victories for the day.
- Zoom out to look at the big picture of your progress and to flip back at thoughts you made in previous entries.
- Plan for the future in a tangible, concrete way.
Getting stated
If you aren’t currently journaling, here’s how you can start:
- Pick a sturdy, dedicated journal, diary, or notebook.
- Set aside 5 minutes a day, every day, to journal.
- Set a reminder in your phone if you need to, and perhaps consider making your journal part of your bedtime routine.
- Make your initial journaling goal to write 10 words a day for 66 days, to start.
- To get you writing, ask yourself what healthy choices you did well that day and ask yourself what choices you made that could have been healthier.
- For the unhealthy choices, write down what you will do next time.
- Adopt a writing style that fits you. Long, elegant paragraphs aren’t necessary; a quick bulleted list is just fine.
Remember, your journal is just for you. Start small but practice at being consistent so that you can reap the full rewards.