How to reflect on positivity within our life using a Journal

Social Prescriber, Karen Price, explores how to keep a journal and use it to positively effect your wellbeing.

A journal does not need to be an expensive, leather bound book.  It can be as simple as a paperback notebook. What is important is creating the habit and concentrating on you. Who knows you best? Who can identify what is important in your life?

Through the daily practice of self-reflection – your journal can create powerful habits like gratitude, affirmation and visualisation. Where do you want to be and how can you achieve it?

Connecting to your emotions and understanding them will ultimately make you happy, with a little of your own persistence and determination for a few minutes twice a day.

Benefits of keeping a journal: 

Stress relief

Goal setting, achieving and self-reflecting

Improving wellbeing and emotional functioning

Organisation of thoughts

 

How you organise your journal is up to you, but it is good to make every page positive. What goals do you have? Exercise? Nutrition? Self-development? Think about how you can achieve these and if you don’t, how to adjust them with positivity, not disappointment.

It is always useful to begin each day with what you are grateful for?

A partner? Your friends? Your family. Gratefulness and happiness fit hand in hand. Having a few minutes in the morning, reflecting on what you have, will create positivity and calmness to the start of every day.

Identify why today will be a good day – will you be doing something for yourself or something for others? You could:

- Support someone who needs some of your quality time

- Smile at a stranger

- Do a good deed

 

You are ready to start your day

Continue through your day with those targets in mind and then at the end of the day reflect on your high points. Why did they make you feel good?

What would you like to achieve tomorrow?

 

Before bed – finish your day with a positive affirmation.

I am loved

I am safe 

I am kind

I am strong                                 

I am mindful of the world around me 

I have wisdom

I am beautifully unique

I will persevere

I will reflect on my inner feelings 

I show patience

I can do this 

 I will do this 

I am doing this