It’s funny how we can share our progress pics from the gym on Insta without a second thought, but we rarely share our emotional progress with each other. As a society, we’re not talking about mental health enough. We’re taught to look after our bodies in a million different ways but nothing is said about our emotional wellbeing because, well, “out of sight, out of mind” right?!
The team here at Ditch HQ have put together this list of nifty ways to keep track of your mental health:
1. Log
This genius calendar is a fun and creative way to track your moods throughout the year. You simply fill in each day with the colour that most corresponds to your mood. Once the year is up, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how you’ve been feeling on the whole.
Let’s hope it’s predominantly pink 😊 but let’s face it, we all have the occasional ‘red’ day…
2. Track
If graphing is your thing, you can make some awesome looking graphs to track your mood, sleep, diet, self-care and medication. There are also lots of apps available such as Daylio or Moods. The trick is to get creative! Check this out for ideas:
3. Write
Keeping a written log of how you’re feeling is invaluable to your emotional wellbeing. There are some things we simply can’t say out loud but writing them down is the perfect way to get those feelings out in the open. It doesn’t have to be in beautiful prose or perfect handwriting. In fact, you’ll probably even find that your writing will change according to your mood.
4. List
- List what makes you sad
- List what makes you happy
- List what you’re grateful for
- List the things you’re worried about
- List the things that are going well for you
- List the things that aren’t going so well for you
- List the people that you love
- Make a bucket list
- List some self-care goals
[full-width-figure image=”https://dtl-staging.org/2020/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/mental-health-lists-compressor.jpg”]
5. Blog
If writing lists are not your thing, why not start a blog? You can keep it private if you’d rather but you’ll probably find that lots of people feel the same way as you and it’s a fantastic way to look back over recent events and see how you’ve dealt with them. Plus, you can make them look awesome to boot, try WordPress or Tumblr for easy-to-use blogging sites!
6. Vlog
DW, you don’t have to be the next Zoella! In fact, you don’t even need to upload it for all to see but if blogging’s not for you, why not just spout all your feelings in video format? In doing so, you’re actively connecting with the way that you feel and talking it out. You’ll probably feel really silly to begin with, but it gets easier and soon you’ll be a pro – give it a try, we dare you! If you don’t feel comfortable talking to a camera, why not just record your voice on your phone and start your own personal private podcast?
7. Create
Get creative. Creativity is proven to improve mental health and emotional wellbeing. Even if you’re not ‘arty’ in the conventional sense, everybody should have a creative outlet. Be it music, cooking, building, painting, dancing, sewing… Do your creative thing once a week and look back at the progress at the end of the year. You’re guaranteed to feel accomplished and creative outlets are great for relaxation too!
8. Mind Journal
If you’re a guy and struggling to find an outlet that you feel comfortable with, you could try MindJournal. It’s widely recognised that thinking and writing about feelings doesn’t come as easily to guys, but the MindJournal is designed to help with just that. Don’t worry if this idea feels a little intimidating, it eases you in with questions to get you started. Plus, if you find it tough to express your emotions to others, this may be the perfect place for you release them.
9. Share
Chances are, you’ve got some friends who want to keep track of their mental health too. Statistically speaking, 1 in 3 people have a mental health issue. Try creating a group chat/WhatsApp group that is a safe space for you all to talk about your well-being. Sharing your problems, worries and wins is really beneficial and so is listening to other people’s. It will help you to open up, helps get rid of the stigma, strengthens friendships and relationships, helps others with their wellbeing and opens up a much-needed dialogue about mental health. Be the one to make it happen!
Wanna talk about it? Join our Community to get help from an amazing DTL digital mentor or talk it out with other members of the community who know where it’s at…
