Journalling regularly can help improve sleep, lead to better decision making and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. It has also been shown to decrease emotional stress, make it easier to turn new behaviours into long term habits, improve the quality of our relationships and, ultimately, help us lead more mindful and intentional lives.
Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.
Today’s clip is from episode 413 of the podcast which was a solo episode I recorded to celebrate the launch of my ‘3 Question Journal’ where I outlined the transformative power of journaling.
Over the years, I’ve recommended a journalling practice to thousands of my patients, and I’ve experienced the benefits first-hand in my own life too.
In this clip, I share a simple way to begin each day by asking yourself three powerful questions. They are deceptively simple, and answering them will take less than 5 minutes, but doing so regularly can prove transformative.
If want to take a look at ‘The 3 Question Journal’ go to: https://drchatterjee.com/journal
Thanks to our sponsor https://drinkag1.com/livemore
Show notes and the full podcast are available at https://drchatterjee.com/413
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Actionable Insights
1. Identify Daily Priority
Each morning, ask yourself, “What is the most important thing you have to do today?” and write down one answer. This practice helps you prioritize, define a successful day by completing that one thing, and ensures that crucial aspects like health and relationships are intentionally addressed rather than neglected due to endless to-do lists.
2. Practice Daily Gratitude
Each morning, ask yourself, “What is one thing you deeply appreciate about your life?” and write down your answer, even if it’s brief. This practice serves as an antidote to the brain’s negativity bias, fostering positivity, reducing anxiety, improving self-esteem, and enhancing relationships.
3. Choose a Daily Quality
Each morning, ask yourself, “What quality do I want to show the world today?” and write it down. This intentional decision-making helps you break reactive patterns, reinforce desired virtues like patience or curiosity, and improve interactions with others.
4. Start a Journaling Practice
Initiate a daily journaling practice, even for just a few minutes, to break unconscious patterns, externalize anxieties, and gain clarity. This habit can be transformative, leading to better self-knowledge, improved mental well-being, and more intentional living.
5. Avoid Morning Negativity
Refrain from immediately checking your phone for social media or news upon waking. Consuming negative content first thing can reinforce your brain’s negativity bias and adversely influence your mood, thoughts, and actions throughout the day.
6. Insight 6
Recognize that emotional stress, often generated by reactive interactions with others, needs to be neutralized and frequently leads to unhelpful coping behaviors like consuming sugar, alcohol, or engaging in doom scrolling online.