Make 2021 the year of you. Now more than ever it is important to invest in our Mental Wellbeing. Mindfulness is the practise of paying attention and being present. This blog has five ways you can use your Bullet Journal to practise mindfulness.
Take a break from the digital world.
We spend most of our time online now which is not great for our mindfulness practise. Whether it is on Social Media or google we have never relied on the internet more. Study after study has shown us how damaging the online world can be for our mental health. It is important that we give ourselves a break.
Bullet Journals are a wonderful way to step away from the digital world we now find ourselves in. Nothing is as simple as a paper and pen. Once you strip away all of the amazing creations that is really all a bullet journal is, pen and paper!
The online world can be so overwhelming so focusing on one thing can be really helpful for our minds. It is impossible for our bullet journals to send us constant notifications so even if we have a long to-do list we are not reminded of it constantly.
A Bullet Journal is not just a to-do list.
Traditionally journals and planners have been mainly used as a to-do list and tool for organising your life. In todays world planners and bullet journals are so much more. The Bullet Journal was invented to help you be mindful of the tasks you need to complete. When you re-view any tasks that have not bee completed what do you do? You focus on if that task is still worth your time.
Ryder Carroll created the bullet journal system and describes it as a paper mirror. He says it is a reflection of your thoughts, feelings and ideas as well as tasks. When you put pen to paper, feelings, thoughts and tasks flow. Bullet Journals allow you to organise these and achieve them day to day.
Personalise your bullet journal.
Making pages like brain dump, feeling trackers, habit trackers, affirmation pages and manifestation pages can help you practise mindfulness. You can use these pages to dive into your mind and pull out what is important to you. You could do this daily, weekly, monthly that is up to you. I find it helpful to then go back and see how I was feeling last month. This helps me gage what I have been doing differently, what serves me and what doesn’t.
I also find it helpful to look back at what I have done day-to-day and see what I can get rid of to make more time for things I love. I often look back and see that on day’s I did not exercise I was in a bad mood. I find this part of bullet journaling very helpful.
Think of your Bullet Journal like an adult colouring book.
Adult colouring books have taken the world by storm in recent years. They have been praised for helping us slow down and practise mindfulness. Bullet journals can also help us with this. When working in your bullet journal treat it like you would a colouring book. Slow down, focus on what you are doing and enjoy the process.
You may not be the type of person who can create the amazing spreads often associated with bullet journals and that is fine. Just enjoy making the pages you make, organising your thoughts, tasks and being selective about what you do in a day.
My bullet journal has helped me make my life more manageable and if that all it does for you, that is a huge win!
Tap into your emotions.
If you use your bullet journal to tap into your emotions you will start to feel more mindful about the world around you. All of the tips above are very helpful but perhaps the best thing you can do is be mindful of how you are feeling and when you are feeling that way.
Take a deep breath..
One final tip and it is not bullet journal related. When I am at my most stressed and when my mindfulness has gone out the window, I step away and breath. Take a deep breath in, hold for four seconds and then breath out. Repeat as many times as necessary. How do you feel now?
We hope these tips have helped you. Did you find them helpful? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading our blog – The Planner Addict.
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