Happy Habits can make a huge difference in how you feel, how you deal with life’s ups and downs and how life pans out for you.
All habits develop over time, some good and some bad, and I bet you can list all your bad one’s in a flash, but if you have to list the good one’s, you will have to put your thinking cap on to fill that list.
When I was a young girl, my diary was my most treasured possession. I shared EVERYTHING with this pretty book, more than I shared with my family or friends.
Life got in the way, and my diary contributions got less and less and they eventually stopped altogether.
You might think that your life is pretty dull and you would not know what to journal about, or you might think you don’t have time, but keeping a diary can provide clues as to where your life is and where it is going. It can help you remember important, happy and sad events and can be a great way to vent your frustrations and celebrate your successes.
All you need is a diary, preferably something that appeals to you. An exercise book can be covered with cutouts from magazines and sealed with clear contact to make it truly and expression of you.
Make time at the end of each day, when you have a little peace and quiet and start detailing your day.
Some of the following ideas might help if you are having a ‘blank’ moment about what you have achieved or experienced:-
- What brought you feelings of joy today, it does not matter how small or grand it was, if you felt happiness, write it down?
- What did you achieve today, did you cook something yummy, did you get the kids to school on time, did you get the washing done without putting a black sock in with the whites, did you have some ‘me’ time and do something that you really enjoy?
- Are you reading a great book, or did you watch your favourite show on tv?
- Did you get to spend some special time with a friend or family member?
- Did you eat good healthy food or do some exercise?
- What really got you angry, if something really got up your nose, write it down, and include why it got you so furious – expressing anger on paper can have a calming effect?
- Did you make any important decisions today, write down the whats and whys?
- Did you finally finish that project you have been working on, or at least take a step closer to finishing it?
- What have you got to be grateful for, when you feel grateful for whatever is in your life, you attract more things to be grateful for, add 5 things you are grateful for today in your entry?
When times are tough, expressing your feelings, reasons and possible solutions on paper, can make for a very insightful read in the future. You may even laugh at yourself for allowing the situation to have such a dramatic effect on you. You may also see the valuable lesson that can be learned from it.
When times are good, share the wonders with the pages, and when you are having a day that is not all roses, enjoy reading back over the good times, knowing you have experienced them and will again.
Make notes of the dominant thought patterns you had through out the day. Are they positive or negative, and does your current life reflect those thoughts, could be a great time to start focusing on the negative ones and changing them in to something more positive.
Don’t look at keeping a diary as a chore, but see it as a way of expressing where you are and what you are experiencing, reading back over the entries in the future can be awesome fun or an incredible learning tool, you get to decide. Enjoy a little ‘me’ time with the pages, it is so worth it….