Create a Self-Care Plan – Easy Journal Ideas

Having a self- care plan in place is super important, it’s one of those things you need to try and not forget about. You know, amidst the bustle of working, life, family, friends. You need to remember to take care of you and notice what you need.

Self-Care Plan & Journalling

Many of you may already have a journal because you love to brain dump, or because you like to try your hand at bullet journaling.

Brain dump Journal = Writing down all of your thoughts onto however many pages it takes up to create some more headspace

Bullet Journal = Sometimes a very creative space to fulfil multiple needs such as; time blocking, tracking, tasks, and so on.

But, I can guarantee most of you don’t include a self-care plan into your journals. Now, if you are already brain dumping then you’re doing a good job. Emptying all of your thoughts is a great way to practise self-care already. Now just add in a few more things and you’ll be grand.

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

Audre Lorde

Journaling

I mean, how are you supposed to start including a self-care plan into your bullet journal if you don’t even have one yet?

I love to use the Leuchtturm 1917 journals, but there are tons out there!

Find a journal here –

The things you want in a bullet journal are;

• Hardback
  Not everyone likes a hardback journal, but I like the sturdier feel, and if it is in your bag, its less likely to get crumpled up. All personal preference though.
• A5 size
  This is also a preference, if you want a full-size A4, go for it.
• Quality paper
• Squares? Lines? Dots?
  The paper can come in different forms, I prefer to use the squares.
• Back Pocket
  Most journals have a pocket at the back for you to put notes in, or maybe photos.

Anything else that the journal is missing, you can add in yourself. That’s the beauty of bullet journaling.

Things To Log

Here are the 8 things you can log in your bullet journal to promote self-care.

You may not want to do all of these, or you might already have some ideas of your own… I have tons of pins on my board about self-help etc.

Eights Ideas For Your Journal

1

• Track your sleep.
  Getting enough sleep is so important. You already know what happens to your body when you are tired.
  You’ll be grumpy, unmotivated, and all-round in a bad way. You will spend your whole day waiting to get back into bed! This site has some good sleep tips and statistics for you if you want to take a look – Sleep Council.org.uk – Sleep Stats

2

• Plan your meals.
  I am rubbish at doing this, so planning what I am going to eat is something I have started to do. It is so important to make sure you are eating throughout the day to avoid burnout. It is too easy to work through your break, and feel like rubbish by the end of the day because you have 0 energy left! Look at food as our petrol, you need it to keep going.

3

• Log your movement.
  By this I mean, make sure you include time into your day to move. Get out of bed, move from the sofa, maybe even go for a slow jog if you’re feeling up for it. I have to admit. I’m also not the best at this. Another thing I will be adding to my journal.

4

• Measure screen time.
  Spending too much time looking at our phones is ruining us. It really is! Do you really need to sit scrolling through social media for four hours per day? Think about what you could be getting done instead of that! You can track your screen time using apps, or taking a look in your settings.
  Here is a very detailed post about Screen Time – Inc.com

5

• Check into your body.
  Is it time to wash your hair? Shave your legs? Paint your nails? Check into your body, take a good look at it! It’s your body and the only one you have, so look after it. Maybe even pamper it now and then.

6

• Hobby log.
  Don’t forget to do the things you love, if you wanted to schedule an hour into your day just for reading, or going to the gym, then do it. An hour of your time for yourself if really not a lot, so if you arent even spending that much time doing something you enjoy, then start tracking it!

7

• Night-time routine.
  I love having a nighttime routine. It’s the best way to get prepared for a good nights sleep. Well, know what happens when we have a good night sleep! Log the time you are going to get into bed, and what you are going to do to preop for this; bath, read, hot drink, film?

8

• Daily gratitudes.
  My favourite thing to add to my self-care plan. Writing down one thing every day that you are grateful for, or that you have loved, can really help to lift your spirits and see the good in every day.

Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.

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Thank you for reading, I hope this post has given you some useful information and encouraged you to include some self-care into your daily routines! I will have a more in-depth blog post on how to include self-care every day of the week for self-employed/working from home people.

Other related posts you can take a look at are;

• How to be happy in your own company
• Five Steps to get back on track.

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