Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
Before we get into the review and I reveal ( well, you probably already know hence the title of this blog post, but let’s just pretend to keep the suspense ) my all-time favorite journal, I just want to, yet again, talk about the perks of journaling – especially for us dreamers and introverts. Of course, the answer was writing in my journal! Isn’t the answer almost always the most obvious thing? If you’re at peace and calm but feel nudged that something isn’t right, that’s most-likely your intuition talking. But if you’re in a glass cage of negative emotions, you can bet fear is the culprit. The Five Minute Journal is a guided happiness journal (or a gratitude journal if you’re feeling old school). Writing down these lies makes them powerless. Once they’re out of your head and on paper, you realize how ridiculous they truly are (even though they were completely owning you just moments before).
Did you accomplish what you wanted today? If not, what’s left unaccomplished? What do you want to accomplish tomorrow? The last exercise in the notebook, and the last one I will review separately in this 5 minute journal review, is the two-line reflection of your day, where you list ways in which it could have been better. Created by Alex Ikonn and UJ Ramdas, from intelligent change, the idea behind the five-minute journal is to offer people a fast and reliable method of morning planning, gratitude, and end of day reflection. But what about your relationship with yourself? How do you connect with you? How do you continue being the hero in your story? You’re probably wondering how to tell if it’s fear talking or your intuition, right? This is where exploring your feelings comes into play.In general, I am in awe over this journal, but there are a few features that I am especially fond of. Even after cutting through the smoke of Law of Attraction-style belief systems, gratitude has shown to be quite transformative in humans ranging from housewives to nursing students. It’s free and requires nothing from me other than just showing up wherever I am–talk about an endless source of grace! Reflect on you are grateful for and think of what is within your power to make this new day great and fulfilling. One of the best and easiest ways to tap into your inspiration and feel a little bit of creative magic in your life is through stream of consciousness writing.
The final sections of the journal are dedicated to your evening ritual, where you pause to perform an end of day reflection. No self-improvement is complete without some retrospective thinking, and it is certainly helpful when the practice gets embedded into your daily journal. No thinking. No judgements. The only thing you’re not allowed to do is overthink or judge your writing. It’s all good. Everything that comes out is good (even if it’s total crap). One of the major things that I’ve noticed after using the Five Minute Journalfor two years is that I feel better, more creative, and connected to my purpose ( oh gosh, I promise I’m not going woo-woo on you – bare with me). Several weeks later, it was found that the first group who had been primed to think of their work as exercise had actually lost weight. Incredibly, these individuals had not done any more work or exercised any more than the control group (their colleagues who had not been informed about how their work was similar to a workout).
How Does The Five Minute Journal Work?
Set aside time: Set aside a specific time each day or week to write. This helps you to create a habit of journaling and ensures that you have a dedicated time to reflect.
When you write ‘What would make today great?’ you are taking a step to influence your RAS to point out and engage in activities that would make your day better. You are building new pathways in your brain that allow you to ‘see’ what you can do to improve your well-being every day. One of the greatest gifts of being human is the ability to choose what to focus on. If you are perfectly calm and still on the inside, you can handle anything. For those of us without Zen training, the best way you can begin your day is through gratitude.
The Five Minute Journal Collection
Besides the date on the top and the inspiring quote right below, the 5 minute journal includes two sections markedly distinguishing between mornings and evenings. Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing | Advances in Psychiatric Treatment | Cambridge Core Sam decides that his new daily affirmation is: “I’m a loving father and am fully present for my kids. I save the best of me for my family.” The same way that you have to make the time to connect with the people in your life who mean the most to you, you also have to make the time for you to hear your voice:
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