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Posts Tagged ‘Journaling’

Making The Most of Your Mornings

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on July 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »

As the beginning of the school year quickly approaches, I’m reminded of my family’s rushed mornings out the door where I lack patience and feel frazzled. As those days progressed, I found it difficult to keep myself motivated and to stay focused on tasks on my ever-growing to-do list. At the end of many days, I felt exhausted with very little completed from my list.

Journaling

In preparation to not repeat the rushed and frazzled mornings this coming school year, I’ve started doing some research about how to make the most of my mornings. Research shows that a productive morning routine can have a positive impact on a person’s day. There are lots of different ideas when it comes to creating an energizing morning routine including getting up early, exercising, drinking water, eating a healthy breakfast, and journaling to name a few. I quickly found all the options overwhelming and wanted to find something that made creating a morning routine a little easier.

That’s when I came across a book called The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. Hal’s approach to a morning routine made it easier for me to implement. He suggests waking up earlier than you normally would and spending your time doing six personal development habits to transform your morning and your life. The six habits are an acronym SAVERS:

  1. Silence– As you sit in silence, you’re totally present in the now, in the moment. You calm your mind, relax your body, and allow all of your stress to melt away. You develop a deeper sense of peace, purpose, and direction.
  2. Affirmations– Reading over the reminders of how capable you really are, gives you a feeling of confidence. Looking over what you’re committed to, what your purpose is, and what your goals are re-energizes you to take the actions necessary to live the life you truly want, deserve, and now know is possible for you.
  3. Vision– Visualize the change you want to make in your life. Either by creating a vision board or closing your eyes and working through your visualization.
  4. Exercise– Stand up and spend some time getting your heart rate up. Getting energized, waking yourself up and increasing your ability to be alert and to focus.
  5. Reading– Grab a self-help book and read a couple of pages. Learn a new idea, something that you can implement into your day, or discover something new that you can use to be better.
  6. Scribing– Grab a piece of paper and take a minute to write down what you’re grateful for, what you’re proud, or the results you’re committed to creating for today. In doing so, you put yourself in an empowered, an inspired, and a confident state of mind
Quality Wins

The book gives you a base to apply the habits to make them work with your life and I love that I can customize these to fit with my goals. How would you feel if this is how you started your day? How would the quality of your day—your life—improve? I encourage you to wake up each day with more ENERGY, MOTIVATION, and FOCUS to take your day and your life to the next level. 

Author: Amanda Bohlen, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Washington County, bohlen.19@osu.edu

Reviewer: Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.416@osu.edu

Sources:

Elrod, H. (2012). The Miracle Morning . Hal Elrod International, Inc.

Harvard Professional Development. (2016, September 21). 3 Ways to Boost Productivity with a Morning Ritual. Retrieved from https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/3-ways-to-boost-productivity-with-a-morning-ritual/

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Have you tried “Journaling” your Stressors??

Posted in Healthy People, Healthy Relationships, tagged , , , , on May 15, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Just like journaling your physical activity, expenses, or the foods you eat – journaling your stressors and how you react is also a good idea. Research has shown that writing about what stresses us improves our mood and even boosts the immune system. When you journal or write down your stressors, no one will disagree or criticize you, which can be a good way to get swirling thoughts out of your mind. Talking with others and reaching out to professional help is important, but may not be easily available to all of us. Journaling

Try in the next few weeks to journal your stress for a 5 to 7 day period. Track what causes you stress and what you do. When you find out about a big project that is due, do you head to the vending machines or do you stop eating all together? Do you take a walk to clear your head? Or do you skip your Zumba class? Once you know your current reactions, you may be able to choose some new coping techniques to get through the next crisis.

Other techniques to help you handle your stress:

  • Laugh – a good belly laugh can help. Try comics, funny YouTube videos, comedy movies or TV shows.
  • Be Physically Active – all forms of exercise will ease depression and anxiety.
  • Establish Boundaries in Your Life – choose not to check work email at home or after a certain time, don’t answer the phone during family time or meals, or promise to only look at Facebook once a day.
  • Use Your Vacation or Personal Days – don’t let the company keep them. Use that time to recharge.
  • Find Your Relaxation Zone – Take time for at least one thing you really enjoy like music, reading, crafting, golf, fishing, playing cards, or gardening.
  • Avoid the Bad Habits – Avoid excessive snacking, caffeine, too much or too little sleep, smoking, and anger. They will only make things worse in the long run.

Try journaling your stressful situations and reactions, or just writing when things are really bothering you, then let us know what you think. Did it help?

Writer: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County.

Reviewers: Michelle Treber, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Pickaway County and Pat Brinkman, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Fayette County.

 

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Reflections: A Year in Review

Posted in Healthy People, Healthy Relationships, tagged , , , on December 29, 2011| 1 Comment »

On New Year’s Eve we realize more than at any other time in our lives that we can never go back in time.  We can look back and remember, but we cannot retrace a single moment of the year that has past.  Additionally, we may fear the future because of events in the past.  But we need not remain chained into our memories because we can move ahead.  The old familiar saying, “Out with the old, in with the new”, is appropriate as we embark upon the New Year . . . personally and professionally.  It’s a time to reflect upon our accomplishments for the past year and plan for the year ahead.  However, in order to begin anew, we must release the old.  According to Michael Angier of SuccessNet.org (2009), “a trapeze artist cannot swing from one bar to another without letting go, thus in order to prepare for the New Year, we must review the past year – release it – and learn from it.”

Our busy schedules and hectic pace of life can take a toll on our time and energy.  Daily we find we have places to go, people to see and a never-ending to-do list, with little time for daily rest, reflection and an the opportunity to re-focus our priorities.

According to Angier (2009), setting aside time for daily reflection is part of our personal development and time well spent.  I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “don’t just sit there, do something.”  I’m suggesting, “just sit there, allow yourself time to reflect.”  Connect with those you love.  Practice journaling, jot down your thoughts and feelings. Write a letter to yourself; it can be very insightful to write and interesting to read it in the future.

According to Angier, here are some suggestions to get you started in reflecting on the past year . . . or, a year in review.

What did you learn about yourself?

What did you accomplish? How did you feel?

What were the most significant events of the year?  List your top three.

What would you have done differently, if anything?

What was your greatest contribution to your family?

What do you feel especially good about?

What were the fun things you did?

Did you try anything new in 2011? (skill, hobby, sport, etc.)

How are you different this year than last?

Anything you can do to make the year ahead more powerful in terms of your own personal and professional growth will be time well spent.  I challenge you to establish a regular, daily reflective practice.  Grab and create every opportunity, relish every moment, both large and small; don’t miss opportunities to celebrate “life”.

Source:  Michael Angier, SuccessNet.Org

Written by: Cindy Shuster, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension.

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