Health and Beauty

Do You Have a Self Care Journal?

2020 has taken a very negative toll on everyone around the world and self care has never been more important. It has always been important, but self care through the recent years has been brought to light even more than before. Self care journals show you how important it is to make sure you are eating healthy and content before thinking about helping others. It is important to make sure you get your priorities done before anything. 

Recently, I took it upon myself to go ahead and purchase a self care journal. I was walking around Urban Outfitters in Garden State Plaza and I went to the home section where they have books, rugs, everything you could possibly need. I spent quarantine trying to get into a healthier lifestyle and attempting to form better habits, but nothing was really working. When I saw this book that said “Day and Night Self Care Journal” I immediately walked towards it because I have been wanting to jot down what I have been eating, activities i’ve been doing, and my moods throughout the day. I purchased the journal and immediately started to jot everything down on the first page. 

The first question in the journal is “What is one intention you have for the day?” I personally think that is a great question we should ask ourselves first thing in the morning because it prepares us for our day and sets our mindset in place. For example, usually everyday I write to maintain a positive mindset as my intention, I always try to maintain a positive mindset as a highschool student because with online school, college decisions, and work the day can become stressful. 

The next couple of questions in the journal ask “how many cups of water did you drink during the day?”, and they also ask what 3 meals you ate for the day. For me personally one of my new year resolutions was to drink more water, so that is one of my favorite things about the journal because I have been drinking more water since.My goal this year is to completely remove my bad habits from my daily routine and start forming new habits. If that is your goal too, I highly recommend a self care journal.

After a month of reflecting my days into the journal I wondered what my friends thought about it and so I asked them a few questions such as “What is your opinion on self care journals?” Nicole Sim a senior here at LHS stated ““ Self care is very important and I think many people need to start focusing on jotting down how they feel, or really anything they would like to jot down about themselves and their life. After hearing her opinion I wanted to get another perspective and asked one of my gymnastics teammates and she stated ““I had a self care journal and it helped me focus on my everyday priorities.”

After reading this article I hope it has inspired you to not only think about purchasing a self care journal, but I hope it inspires you to make sure you are focusing on yourself before anything. Self care journals can even be created at your house! Just grab a pen and a paper and start jotting!