Hi everyone, hope you're all doing fine! Today, we are going to touch the very sensitive yet significant issue of mental health; and have a look at how BuJo can contribute in keeping it in place.
The concept of emotional and mental health is important because it’s a vital part of our life and impacts our thoughts, behaviors and emotions. Our mental health encompasses our psychological, emotional and social well-being. This means it impacts how we feel, think and behave each day.
Bullet journaling can be a great way of checking in on our mental health. We can track our habits and moods, our medication and appointments, our self-care and our triggers. Having all of that information in one place, and indeed, having an outlet for it can be incredibly helpful in managing our mental health.
The different ways in which you can use bullet journaling to your benefit are:
1. Organizing your routine
Having a system where we can write everything down in one place can be really helpful. It means we don’t have to worry about remembering where we put the various lists we’re working from. Writing everything down might also help us to order our thoughts, and to get some ‘stuff’ down on paper so that our brains are less full.
2. Outlet for your thoughts
A lot of people have trouble sharing their thoughts with people around them. In such cases, your BuJo can be your best secret-keeper. You could use it to work through thoughts that you might feel are irrational.
3. Identifying Patterns
One of the most used spread of a bullet journal is a habit tracker. You can track things like emotional/physical feelings, behaviours, sleep, medicines, or any other habit you find significant. Tracking in such form can allow you to analyse whether any patterns emerge & identify some of your triggers. This holds true for whether you are trying to inculcate a habit; or trying to leave one.
4. Goal Setting
Bullet journaling can be used to set goals. There are times when we all feel lost and directionless. Having something concrete to aim for in an easily accessible place, and ticking them off when you achieve them, can help show us that we are able to do things. This can help to increase our motivation, our confidence and sense of achievement.
5. Mood Trackers
Since monitoring your mood is key to managing your mental health, you might want to create a separate chart that serves as a tracker for your moods. Some trackers simply involve assessing your mood on a numeric scale, while others highlight specific feelings (e.g., angry, calm, annoyed, excited) and encourage a more detailed evaluation of your emotional state.
6. Achievements
Bullet journaling can provide us with a space to record any achievements we have. An achievement will mean different things to different people. For some of us, achievements are things like leaving the house or cooking a meal. Others might find achievement in seeing family or friends. Recording your achievements can remind you that you’re making progress when those ‘stuck’ feelings arise.
7. Self-Care Ideas
Self-care is a vital part of keeping you mental health in place. Although the term is very subjective, having a page of self-care ideas can help you plan, manage and analyse of what works for you and what doesn't.
8. Escape Route
Sometimes, all you need after a difficult day is an escape from the reality of life. For some of us, shutting down from everyone for introspection is the way to go. At such instances, your bullet journal can help you distract your mind by just scribbling and ranting; without the fear of being judged.
This brings us to the end of today's list - which isn't an exhaustive one. There can be many more ways in which your bullet journal can help you relax. An important thing to remember while maintaining your bullet journal is that it doesn't really needs to be tidy, aesthetic and organised always - it just needs to be you!
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