Mood tracking is something that once I started doing, I could not stop. I slowly went from tracking nothing to wanting to track more and more habits. Before tracking, I considered myself pretty self-aware. After tracking, I know I am more self-aware. Keep reading to find out what to track, how to track, and how it all helps you live a better life! I even made a monthly habit tracker just for you that you can print off here!
What to Track
When deciding what to track it is simple- whatever works best for you! You can always change what you track. Maybe you are working on ending bad habits, starting a gratitude journal, and more of self-care. You can track symptoms of mental illnesses and your emotions too!
I started out just tracking my overall day after a friend showed me this post on the “Year in Pixels”. The simple idea of tracking your overall rating of the day is clear and easy to read! After starting to track my overall day, I wanted to track more. Here is what the yearly tracker looks like:
->I moved from tracking my overall feelings from the day to tracking my habits too! I decided to track A LOT of habits! I track so many because I can quickly fall out of touch with my habits and taking care of myself. When I am tracking, I can see myself starting to slip and get back on track before falling completely out of touch. You do not need to track as much as I do, but it really has helped me! Here are some items you could track: exercise, hydration, reading, sleep, self-care, gratitude journal, medicine, journaling, hygiene, time on social media, emotions, cleaning, and meditation! You can also track your symptoms such as rating your pain, nausea, anxiety attacks, and an overall rating for your day. If you are taking up a new skill or working on a project- track it! (You bet I have working on this blog on my habit tracker!) I even made a PDF of a habit tracker for you with plenty of space for you to use!
How To Do It
There are various techniques and methods to track ourselves. The right way is whatever works for YOU. Be flexible with your systems and know you can always change it! You can track using as much- or little – detail you want. I have switched how I track myself many times, and I am sure I will continue to do so. Different times in life call for different tracking. Sometimes I can track my general day, other times I need to track my specific symptoms. Personally, I prefer a pen and paper in a spreadsheet format for the month. This might be because I am tracking A LOT of habits. But it could be difficult to always have the paper available for your tracking. There are plenty of tracking apps available to you or you can use your notes section on your phone! Whatever way works for you is a perfect way!
Why It Helps
By tracking, we are able to see what is happening! You know the saying, hindsight is 20/20? After tracking yourself you will know this saying to be very true! Keep reading for four more reasons to track yourself!
1 | Making Connections
By tracking your habits and emotions, you are able to make connections. Do you notice more symptoms of anxiety when you have less sleep? Maybe you realize you always have bad Tuesdays…hmmm when you have that weekly meeting. Seeing connections between how you are spending your time and how you are feeling are vital to your wellbeing! When you make connections, you are helping identify triggers! Then, you can work on how to approach our days better. It is very helpful if you could go over these connections with your therapist- read my tips for therapy here! Journaling has also helped me make these connections to my feelings and seeing what is really happening!
RELATED: Using a Journal for Self-Care: Six Benefits of Writing It Out
2 | Sense of Control
Life is overwhelming. It can feel as if we are being pulled in every direction, with no sense of control. But, when we choose how we spend our time it is empowering. Having specific goals and working on them for yourself gives you control of your time now and your future. Making time for yourself to work on your goals ensures that you are not putting yourself last or acting as a people pleaser. You can use your habit tracker with your vision board to help you stay on track with your goals! I track different ways of self-care to help me when life is stressful and even break out my self-care kit when necessary. Remember, making time for yourself and your goals is not selfish, but necessary.
RELATED: Morning Routines! Benefits and How To Create a Positive Start Daily
“Either you run the day, or the day runs you.”- Jim Rohn Click To Tweet3 | Realizing Good Days Come and Go
Having a bad day can skew my mind into thinking I have a bad life. It gives me this false belief that I am a failure who does not accomplish anything. But, when I look back on my habits I can prove it isn’t true! I can see that I have ups and downs in life because everything is temporary. I can remember that I do have blessings. I can realize how hard I have been working and that I am working on bettering myself. When I am using my habit tracker I am sure to keep in mind that I do not have to get everything done every day. I remember that I can do anything, but not everything.
4 | Accountability and Motivation
When you have specific habits you want to work on that are clearly outlined and available to track, the chances of you working on it goes up exponentially. Relying on memory to think about how many times you worked out or if you got enough sleep is very inaccurate. But, there is no denying your honest records! Seeing you have not slept more than six hours in the last week will tell you that you need to try and go to bed earlier tonight. Tracking is just one of the many ways to help with motivation for your habit! I also keep a done list to help remind myself of the little victories I have throughout the day.
Tracking for Life
Tracking my habits has helped me accomplish more than I thought I could. I plan to keep tracking myself and learning along the way- continuing to build a better life. The possibilities of what and how you track are endless!
Have you tracked yourself before? Please comment to tell me your tips if you have any or questions about starting! If you know someone who could benefit from this article, please show you care and share the bear! Be sure to sign up for my emails and follow on social media to get the most of the positive world of Brightside Bear!
