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How Journaling For 5 Minutes A Day Will Change Your Life

Journaling means different things to different people. Some enjoy writing their thoughts out on paper and working through their anxieties or fears, some see it as a meditative practice while others might see it as a path to a more organised life.

Whatever it is that has drawn you to journaling, when kept up regularly you could end up seeing major benefits over the course of the year and your entire life.

But why journal?

There’s a number of reasons to pick up a pen and journal. In fact, it can be both a great reflective and goal-setting tool.

By expressing your feelings each day, when you read over your journal entries you can recognise patterns – where and when you feel good and other times when you don’t. It can allow you to address any areas of concern you may have, find problem solving strategies and grow from your past experiences.

Similarly, journaling can help you look to the future. It can help you in setting your short-term and long-term goals, and keep you accountable. By having your goals written down in a journal, you give yourself the boost you need to actually achieve it (and allow you to see the steps you take, or have taken, to get there).

So with all of this in mind, here are 5 top tips to making journaling your mission this year:

1. Create new habits that stick

When writing in a journal, take some time to write out what positive habits you want to pick up in 2022. This could be exercising more, eating healthier or simply feeling better both inside and out. Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to re-read or re-write these habits in your journal regularly, that way you give them the best chance at sticking.

If you’re looking to add to your fitness regime each week, commit to completing Hannah’s heart pumping x-training workout, Claudia’s power pilates or Tracy’s flowing heart yoga.

2. Clear your head before bed

 Journaling can be a great way to clear your head before bed. It’s important to get a good night’s rest and bottling up feelings from the day, like anxiety or stress, doesn’t feel good and can actually stop you from falling asleep quicker.

Remember, your journal entries don’t have to be long and don’t always need to be in the same format. One night you may opt to write out a paragraph or two, and on another you may just write a few dot points or key words.

Once you’ve filled in your journal you can clear your mind with one of our calming meditations. Try Michael’s Breathing Exercise Meditation, or his Deep Rest Meditation.

 3. Organise your life

Having organised life is a great way to reduce stress, help you sleep better and increase productivity throughout the day. Journaling can be a very handy tool when it comes to planning and reflecting on your day-to-day life. By staying organised you free up space in your mind for positive feelings and more time for yourself to enjoy the good things in life.

4. All you need is a pen and couple of minutes

Journaling doesn’t have to be a strenuous activity, as all it takes is a couple of minutes sometimes. Jotting down key feelings from the day, a funny event or even an inspirational quote are all useful for clearing your mind. Plus, if you want to come back later and write out something in more detail down the track, at least you have the bare-boned version ready to go to spark your memory.

Also, don’t forget that drawing is also a very cathartic practice when it comes to journaling. As they say, sometimes a picture can speak a thousand words – so why not creative?

5. Buy the right book for you

While this one may seem a little silly, it is amazing how the right book for journaling can influence how often you actually write in it. By buying a book that looks aesthetic or that you’d want to write in often you can motivate yourself to create a regular journaling routine and in turn achieve the goals you set in it.

Download Your Journal Below

We have put together a daily and weekly journal for you to track your sleep, hydration, psychical activity and more. Make Sure to print multiple copies of these out and some categories might surprise you once filled out over a week! Once you acknowledge your current lifestyle you can then make changes towards a better you!

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Fill in our registration form to become an online member here and gain access to FREE Pilates, Tai Chi, Meditation, Fitness, Yoga and Nutrition programmes.

We’ve got everything you need to stay active so login and book your active training, yoga class and meditation either in the park or online now.

References

Live Life Get Active is building a fitter, healthier and happier Australia and we want people to have fun along the way. With the help of Local Government and Corporate Australia we provide FREE health, fitness and nutritional education both online and in the parks, suburbs and cities of Australia.