100 Days of Journaling

Today is day 100 of my journaling habit.

It's no secret that I have had mental health issues in the past, and as part of this realisation I have made several changes in my life to help me to manage the day to day stresses of life.

I made many attempts to journal; I must have spent hours reading various blogs to try and work out what I needed to do to write a good blog. I researched journaling books that prompt you with what to write that day but never managed to build a habit beyond two or three days.

Why did I want to do it? I was struggling. There were a lot of thoughts in my head which I used to ruminate about repeatedly and I was struggling for motivation. I needed to get clarity around my thoughts, find direction in my life and to find a way of thinking about all the positive things in my life.

One day I had a great opportunity to help proof-read a journaling guide called "Work in Progress" or WIP, written by George Anderson and Alexa Whitten. Work In Progress is very different from any of the other books out there — it's clear that you don't have to journal every day or at a set time, and it doesn't need to be a chore.

I started very simply writing and reflecting on the things I was grateful for — it took just 5 minutes. I continued my development journey, reading other books and blogs. I listened to an incredible audible book called "Atomic Habits" by James Clear and one of the techniques he talked about was tracking habits daily. Today's tracker says:

100 days journaling
32 day meditation streak
167 days Alcohol Free
29 days art practice
29 days handwriting practice
5 days Duolingo - Spanish

Has it helped me? Yes absolutely, some days it's a chore but most days it's a pleasure. I typically write my intentions in the morning and my tracker, gratitudes and victories at the end of the day. It's probably 15 minutes' work and as a result, I end the day on a positive note with a clear head and motivated for the next day.

Tonight I will be writing in a good quality, leather-bound notebook and with a pen that will feel great — a little treat for myself.