Last Updated on November 30, 2023 by Cathy
Following a healthy diet is your best option to start feeling better and prevent diseases from progressing. Eating healthy, exercising, sleeping, and avoiding stress are all good habits to get into, creating a holistic approach that fosters long-term well-being and vitality.
For most people, there is still something missing. That’s when they need to dig deeper to uncover what’s still holding them back. They may need to optimize their vitamin D or cortisol levels. Or they may have a hidden infection like bacterial overgrowth or a virus.
That’s when journaling will help you figure out what works and what doesn’t. It’s all about finding your balance and getting your health back on track. Journaling helps you to see your progress no matter how small it is.
Why Start a Journal?
Years ago, before I started a candida diet I wrote down all my symptoms. I totally forgot about the list until I found it again about a year later. I decided to make a new list and wrote down all my current symptoms then I compared the two lists. That’s when I realized my severe cotton mouth was MUCH better. It had improved so slowly that I didn’t notice it had improved at all. I was very thankful I made that first list.
Keeping a wellness journal is the best way to keep track of every aspect of your health. Aim for taking manageable steps and then build on them at your own pace, a journal will help you to move forward. Dr. Terry Wahls talks about the benefits of journaling in her book The Wahls Protocol.
Here are 8 Good Reasons to Start a Wellness Journal:
1. Food Sensitivities
You will notice if your body is sensitive to certain foods including healthy foods. If you are keeping track of what you are eating each day it will be an easy look back at what you ate after you had a bad reaction.
Some foods cause a quick reaction such as bloating, gut pains, or diarrhea shortly after eating it. But other reactions can take longer even up to a few days. Such as acne, fatigue, trouble sleeping, or dark circles under your eyes.
2. Stop From Falling Into A Rut
Journaling will help you from falling into a rut. Humans, like all mammals, are creatures of habit. We like sitting in the same spot in the lunch room. Our bedtime routines are the same. We also like to eat the same foods over and over.
Being in a state of unwellness you need to break the bad habits. Keeping a journal will allow you to see where you can improve. Note – a healthy gut likes a variety of food, not the same foods day after day.
3. Lifestyle Factors
Diet plays a role in your overall health but so do your lifestyle factors. Diet, exercise, sleep, and stress all play a huge role in your health. If you aren’t improving them all it will hold you back while you’re trying to heal.
Lifestyle wellness includes emotional, financial, physical, social, spiritual, and environmental wellness. A journal can help you pay attention to all aspects of your health. If you ignore one over the others it can hurt your overall wellbeing.
4. Notice Patterns
While tracking your daily habits you’ll begin to notice patterns. Such as not drinking enough water or staying up too late and not getting enough sleep. You might notice triggers that cause stress such as rushing the kids off to school or driving to work.
It could also include the time you spend outside in the sun which helps you sleep better that night. Or sitting too long from watching TV. Keeping a journal will help you notice patterns so you can correct what works and what doesn’t work.
5. Positive Thinking
Positive thinking helps in many ways. Studies show how negativity can hurt your health and well-being. Writing down your thoughts or your feelings can help to calm and clear your mind.
It will help you to focus on the positive, journaling is a helpful way to relieve stress. By staying positive and believing you can heal you’re giving your body the strength to do so.
6. Health Records
Trying to heal from an autoimmune disease is hard work and it can take many years. Keeping track of doctor appointments, lab work, medications, and supplements can add up. It’s hard enough trying to keep track of everything but when you have brain fog it makes it much harder.
That’s when it’s nice to keep track of everything in one location. Then you don’t have to remember where you put that paperwork. Looking back at your health records will also help you see where you have made progress.
7. Tracking Goals
Writing down goals in your wellness journal helps you achieve them. Sure, everyone’s goal is to find a cure but these need to be realistic goals. Such as getting to bed an hour earlier or meditating 15 minutes each day. Whatever your goal is, write it down. Studies prove that writing down your goals will push you to reach that goal. Goals will help you stay focused, and think about how you will feel when you reach it.
When you don’t write down your goals it’s just a dream.
8. Removing Toxins
Your wellness journey is about healing your body, mind, and soul. It’s about removing the bad and replacing it with the good for your body to heal. Whether it’s food, chemicals, or anything that’s negative in your life.
Negativity is not good for your mental health. Stop watching the news and stop following different social media. You may need to unclutter your living space, leave a job you hate, or get your finances under control. The hardest but still important is to stop being around negative people. Especially being in a toxic relationship. These can severely impact your overall well-being – you may need to seek professional help.
Quick Links to Information In This Post:
How to Start an Elimination Diet
Staying Motivated to Exercise with MS
Need Some Stress Relief?
Wellness Journaling
Discover the game-changer that is a wellness journal! Unleash its power to track your journey, set goals, and embrace self-discovery. Elevate your well-being one entry at a time – because your story matters!
Everyone is different so don’t compare yourself with others. It really depends on how long you’ve had your disease. And the severity of your progression as to how quickly your body can heal. Making the correct choices for wellness can be challenging. Bad habits are hard to break they keep us from doing what’s right for our body. Wellness is a lifestyle, ignore the bad habits of the past and focus on the future.
Journaling will help you create new healthy habits. Which happen to be the key to wellness and a better quality of life. It will help you see your achievements, even a small improvement is still an improvement. Journaling will help you stay focused on your wellness journey back to health.
Want to remember this health tip? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board!
8 Good Reasons to Start a Wellness Journal
