I've recently had a period of depression & my counsellor advised using an Alternative Journal. It is a bullet point diary focusing on the positive things that have happened in your day. It is a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) technique & it attempts to change your thinking from negative thoughts to positive ones.
So, rather than remembering your day & subconsciously focusing on the negative things that happened, you list the positive things that happened. With practice your subconscious should automatically start doing this for you.
Give yourself a mood score out of 10 at the beginning of your day & once you've written your journal read through it & then put how you now feel. Hopefully reading it will make you smile & nudge up the number.
See below today's Alternative Journal.
Mood Score 6.75
- Chatting to a guy in the queue for the Doctor's surgery.
- Deciding to work on my blog.
- Spending 2-3 hours on the blog.
- Good luck from one of my friends when I asked her to have a look at the blog.
- Tips from another friend suggesting ideas for the blog.
- Hearing Oasis' "Whatever" on the radio.
- My wife telling me over the phone "I feel ill. I think it's because I've eaten too much." She lied but we won't go into that now :-)
- A friends daughter who apparently keeps saying my wife & I's name & even that our cat, Lucy, says "Hissss". SSSooooooo cute.
- The Sun shining on the river & the way it sparkled.
- Had a good swim & a very relaxing steam room session.
Mood Score 7.0
Right, well I'm off to watch a film with the Mrs.
So, rather than remembering your day & subconsciously focusing on the negative things that happened, you list the positive things that happened. With practice your subconscious should automatically start doing this for you.
Give yourself a mood score out of 10 at the beginning of your day & once you've written your journal read through it & then put how you now feel. Hopefully reading it will make you smile & nudge up the number.
See below today's Alternative Journal.
Mood Score 6.75
- Chatting to a guy in the queue for the Doctor's surgery.
- Deciding to work on my blog.
- Spending 2-3 hours on the blog.
- Good luck from one of my friends when I asked her to have a look at the blog.
- Tips from another friend suggesting ideas for the blog.
- Hearing Oasis' "Whatever" on the radio.
- My wife telling me over the phone "I feel ill. I think it's because I've eaten too much." She lied but we won't go into that now :-)
- A friends daughter who apparently keeps saying my wife & I's name & even that our cat, Lucy, says "Hissss". SSSooooooo cute.
- The Sun shining on the river & the way it sparkled.
- Had a good swim & a very relaxing steam room session.
Mood Score 7.0
Right, well I'm off to watch a film with the Mrs.
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