There are a few things that I don’t mind to collect in my home.
Books. Cameras. Bookmarks. Tote bags with hipster references. Bicycles.
And journals.
Whether you prefer a digital journal, audio recordings, or luxurious paper like me–I encourage you to tap into the power of journalling.
Why?
As a mother and a doctor, does anyone else listen to you?
You’re probably the one who holds the chaos in check. People come to you with their problems. You fix them.
But you need a place to help yourself.
To drop your mental load.
To express your feelings.
A private space where you don’t need to censor your emotions.
A place to gather your thoughts so you know how best to divide the precious hours of your day.
You need a journal(s).
Feel free to journal in a way that suits your lifestyle, but this is my habit:
I keep a small notebook where I write down an intention I’m trying to practice. This is often tied to an emotion that I want to feel in my day. If you’ve read my blog before, you know I am always working on lessening my need for control. Right now, my notebook says “practice championing other people’s freedom.” It’s a quick practice, and also a powerful reminder. I often insert take-home ideas I learned from podcasts and books in this notebook.
Then I have a large blank journal where I freely write about how I’m feeling. This is a great place to write about stressors that might have disrupted my sleep, or to gather all of the great ideas that came to me in my dreams!
In this same notebook I jot down
- 3 things I’m grateful for
- 3 amazing things that happened
- how I paid attention to my daughter
- how I paid attention to my son
- how I paid attention to my husband
- one new thing that I learned
- one thing that I did to help someone else
- And then I score myself on the day’s habits (more on this later)
Then my last journal includes my calendar for the week with all of the priorities blocked off. I review this and set my phone timers to keep myself organized.
When I block 15 minutes of quiet time to journal before I wake the kids for school, I feel I have already won the day.
Try it for yourself!
Question: what important questions will you ask yourself in your journal?
