Category: Self-Care

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 Share on X

3 | 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!

Written with love for you,

Brightside Bear  

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Life can be overwhelming. Sometimes it seems that there is no explanation for what is happening because it just seems so terrible. We get caught up in our emotions and how an awful thing should never be happening. What good could possibly be coming from this?

But, what if we changed our perception? What if we took a moment to look back on our life? To ask the same question, but in a different mindset: What good could possibly be coming from this? This question is not asked to make light of the hard time you are in. Rather, it is asked to give you an optimistic mindset and trust the process of life and your resilience.

Blessing in Disguise

A blessing in disguise is something good we are able to take away from our troubles. Some events are easier to find the blessings in than others, but there is always one to be found!

There are countless stories of people who narrowly escaped death, only then to realize what is important to them. The heart attack that caused someone to realize their job was too stressful. The car crash where the true love of their life flashed in front of their eyes. The health diagnosis that promotes a healthy lifestyle change. Maybe the blessing is a new perspective or increased sense of self-worth.   

There are also numerous examples of people striving after what they want, only to get the door slammed in their face, but reaching their goal when the time is right nevertheless. Walt Disney was once fired for not being creative enough and had his idea of Mickey Mouse be rejected by over 300 bankers. No, that is not a typo. Over THREE HUNDRED different bankers told Walt Disney Mickey Mouse was ridiculous, yet now Mickey Mouse is a household name. But those hundreds of bankers were not the right one to give Walt the opportunity to make Mickey Mouse come to life, and their rejections were a blessing in disguise.      

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”- Walt Disney

So, how do we find the blessing? Through reflection and identifying past blessings. Keep reading to try the exercise for yourself!

Finding Blessings

Find a quiet space for yourself and get a pen and paper before you begin…

1 | Reflect on a few struggles you have had throughout your life. It doesn’t matter if these struggles were decades ago or weeks ago, just list a few for now.

2 | Summarize the struggle into a sentence and write in onto the paper, leaving plenty of space in between each struggle.

3 | Begin to reflect on the effect of the struggle, positively. What good came from your struggle? What lesson did you learn? Take your time, thinking deeply and listing off as many of the positive impacts as possible for every single struggle you listed.

4 | After you complete your list, take a few deep breaths. Reflect and reread what you have written. Realize how much you have not only overcome but how much your struggles have given to you- as blessings in disguise!

Current Struggles

Sometimes we cannot find the blessing in disguise for what we are currently struggling with, and that is okay. Keep in mind that you may not have realized the blessings you just listed while going through those struggles. The blessings may have come to light sometime after your hardship. You know what they say, hindsight is 20/20.

But, the exercise of blessings in disguise is still extremely helpful. The list you created reminds you of your strength and how much you have been able to overcome. It also shows you that the struggles are helping you more than you realize, forming you into the person you are. It reminds you that everything is temporary, even this current struggle will pass.  Life is built from the ups and downs. Here is a good representation of this…

“Life is like a piano, the white keys represent happiness and the black show sadness. But as you go through life’s journey, remember that black keys also create music.”-Ehssan

RELATED: Finding the Good in Every Day- Creating Your Happiness Highlights Calendar  

Please comment below and tell me what you think of blessings in disguise!  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!

Written with love just for you,

Brightside Bear   

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Water is essential to all life. As humans, our bodies and minds are no different. The fact that water makes up 60%-70% of the adult body weight is huge! Being hydrated is obviously important to our health and wellbeing, but its importance is still not being stressed enough. Without realizing it, you could be suffering from the negative side effects that are easily brought on by dehydration that impacts our minds and bodies alike. Keep reading to find out just how important water is to our mental and physical health- plus tips to stay hydrated!!

We are All (Mostly) Water

It is eye-opening to learn how much our organs rely on water. In Hydration for Health’s helpful chart, which I placed below, you can see the break down of the water content of our different organs.

Dehydration impacts everything from how your organs are functioning to your mood. Because our brain is composed of 74.8% water, it makes sense that dehydration would impact its functioning greatly. Among the effects are fatigue, headaches, slower reaction times, irritability, and cognitive performance. Additionally, when dehydrated, your brain utilizes more energy to perform the same task as it would be hydrated. While we might be inclined to say these symptoms are caused by stress or mental illness, it could be a result of mild dehydration too!

Several studies found that it only takes 2% of dehydration to impair performances and function. While other studies found it takes only a 1% dehydration rate for the negative effects to begin. When our bodies are composed of so much water, we can easily be at least 1% dehydrated without realizing it.  After learning this, hydration has become my first line of defense when I am feeling off. Tired? Water. Headache? Water. Upset? Water. Of course, water does not cure everything, but dehydration could be causing a lot of issues that you did not know!

How do I know if I am drinking enough water?

Use this hydration calculator from Hydration for Health! By just entering some of your information, you will receive their recommendation for your daily water intake. Another way to check your hydration level is with this urine color chart! Everyone’s hydration needs are different and depend on multiple factors such as weight, activity, diet, and genetics!

Tips on Staying Hydrated

1 | Start the morning with a glass of water!

After hours of no water intake, this is exactly what you need to nourish yourself in the morning! Drink water before anything else to help replenish and wake up your body. Because our brains are made up of 74.8%  water and our muscles are made up of 75.6%, dehydration in the morning can easily cause headaches and muscle aches. I fill up my water bottle before bed and am sure to drink at least 16 ounces first thing in the morning (usually more)! After starting this morning water routine, I have found myself having fewer headaches in the morning and a general feeling of being ready for the day!

Related: Morning Routines! Benefits and How to Create A Positive Start Daily

2 | Invest in a reusable water bottle

In order to stay hydrated, you need access to water for you to drink! By having a reusable water bottle handy, you will never need to worry about staying hydrated when out and about. I always leave the house with my water bottle- even if I am going out to eat. There are water bottles with built-in filters too, so you can ensure your water is clean! Not only will you be working towards staying hydrated, you will also be helping to keep our planet clean! 

3 | Keep track of your hydration throughout the day

To be sure you are drinking enough water, you must know how much water you are drinking. There are various ways to keep track: on your phone, through a hydration app, or in a journal to name a few.  On my habit tracker, I have a space for “daily water intake” to help me stay on track (print your habit tracker here)! There are even smart water bottles! By being more aware of your hydration needs, the easier and more natural monitoring it becomes.

Hydration is an essential part of our overall well being! I even keep some extra cute cups in my self-care kit and drink a big glass to calm myself! I hope my article inspires you to stay hydrated and make it part of your daily self-care! Please comment below and tell me what you think of my article on hydration and mental health! I would love to hear your hydration tips! 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!

Written with love just for you,

Brightside Bear  

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What is Self-Care?

Self-care sounds simple enough- just taking take care of yourself, right? Well, not exactly.

Taking care of yourself could be interpreted in a lot of different ways: paying your bills, celebrating your little victories, having your reports ready for work or school, getting enough rest, staying hydrated, eating nutritious food- the list goes on and on.

But, there are two different ways you take care of yourself: in a way to survive and in a way to thrive. When you are taking care of yourself for survival, it is when you are doing what you need to in order to survive life. That is making sure you have the essentials- a place to live, food to eat, good hygiene, and so on. Taking care of yourself in a way to thrive is what self-care (and life) are really about!

Self-care is care for you, by you. Basically, self-care is taking care of yourself so you are able to recover from life and be recharged for it all over again! It is giving yourself the love, relaxation, and break you deserve and is much needed! Self-care can be thought of as treating yourself like you would your best friend. Such as checking in regularly to ensure you are taking care of yourself and your peace of mind. Self-care is an all-encompassing concept, involving the health of your mind, body, and spirit.

Why do I need Self-Care?

You need self-care so you can enjoy life! There is no life that is stress-free, but with self-care, you are taking the time to let your mind, body, and soul recovery from the stress. You are allowing yourself the rest from stress you so desperately need! Self-care makes you better equipped to handle the stressors of everyday life. If you don’t allow yourself to rest and recover, you will eventually experience burnout. The stress you are holding on to, and it’s impact on you, will not go away by itself.  

Self-care goes beyond helping with the stress of life. When you are practicing self-care you are making a big statement- “I AM WORTH IT.” You are worth the rest and relaxation time needed to rejuvenate yourself, these are some of the rights you have. You are worthy of letting all of this stress you have been holding on to go. You are worthy of stillness in your day while living in this non-stop world.  You are showing yourself that you are worth love, compassion, and respect.  

How Do I Practice Self-Care?

There is no one way to practice self-care. There isn’t even one way I practice self-care! Self-care is practiced by listening to yourself. What is your body, mind, and spirit needing from you? Maybe reflect with your journal to see what is really going on. Sometimes the body needs to get moving to feel better, other times it needs to lay down and rest. Sometimes we need to be with loved ones, other times we need that alone time. The list of self-care ideas is never-ending, but I put together this PDF of 10 Free and Easy Self-Care Ideas to help you out! You can even create your own self-care kit to fit YOUR needs!

The key to enjoying self-care is doing so fully. Put away the distractions and fully enjoy what you are doing. Your mindset is very important. Remember that you are taking time for yourself in the best possible way! Feeling guilty or thinking of other responsibilities instead of the self-care action at hand is not how to practice self-care. Instead of enjoying your bubble bath of relaxation, you end up in just a tub of guilt – more stressed out than before! The mindset of, “I deserve this rest,” “I am doing this because I love myself,” and “I am worthy of this compassion I am giving myself” are VITAL.

“I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.” - Audre Lorde Share on X

Self-care is the Best Care

I cannot stress how important self-care is (hence the entire category to be filled with posts all about it!!).  I hope my tips help you embrace self-care! How do you practice self-care? Please comment below and tell me what you think of my words on self-care and if you have any questions, experiences or advice to add! 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!

Written with love for you,

Brightside Bear  

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