You've heard about journaling for mental health, but if you're like me, grabbing a sheet of
paper and a pen and just writing for 20 minutes is daunting. I'm going to show you another
way on this episode of The Dr. K Show.
I'm Dr. Karthik Ramanan. I help ambitious individuals end self criticism with tools
and strategies to create optimal everyday mental health. If you're new here and you
know you need to get out of your own way to execute on your passions, Iím here for you.
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Each week on The Dr. K Show, I answer YOUR burning questions. The second segment is Progress
Success, where I share a win from K Nation, people just like you. And in the final segment,
I Bring The Heat. If you need a kickstart, a little motivation, stick around until the
end. I drop wisdom, raw and real.
Journaling has a tremendous number of documented and researched benefits. The act of occupying
your left brain - your more analytical side - with the act of writing allows you to both
better commit to memory what you're writing and frees up your right brain - that's your
more creative side - to create, feel, and be intuitive. Journaling helps reduce stress,
better understand yourself, solve problems more effectively, and generally clarify your
feelings.
Research by psychologist James Pennebaker, PhD of the University of Texas at Austin has
even shown that writing and emotional expression may lead to a boost circulating lymphocyte
levels, which basically means improved immune function. Journaling is amazing
Furthermore, if you just find that your mornings get away from you, and that affects your entire
day? Well then you MUST reclaim your mornings to create unbreakable everyday mental health.
Here's the problem. If you're like me, you want a little more structure. Something that
doesn't take too long. Something, dare I say, easy.
I researched several journaling systems, but ultimately I came up with my own system for
me. And once my clients caught wind of it, they wanted it too. So I decided to make it
available for everyone.
Step one, go to doctor K journal dot com and download your free copy. Just pause the video.
I'll wait for you.
Got it? Great, now I'm going to show you how to use it.
Step 2, import it onto your tablet that supports handwriting, or print out a sheet for each
day. You want to write in this journal by hand. We use different areas of our brains
when we hand-write versus type, and things that we write are committed to memory at a
greater rate. And we believe our own handwriting more than generic typed text.
Step 3, the night before, write down your main tasks for the day. Use the section "My
Tasks for Today / Notes" to make a list of your most important tasks that relate to your
goals.
Step 4, leave your phone outside the bedroom at night. Start your morning with meditation
or prayer, then use the journal before looking at your phone. This is critically important,
especially in the beginning when you're developing the procedural memory and habit of journaling
and setting your mind right for the day. If you're not good at meditation, don't worry
- quite honestly, I'm not all that good at it either. It's the attempt to breathe deeply
and clear our mind, especially first thing in the morning, that makes all the difference.
Step 5, write down your 3 month goals, one year goals, and tasks for the day in column
1. Write your goals in PAST TENSE. You're training your mind that you've already achieved
your goals, and Time has yet to catch up to you. Your 3 month goals should be achievable.
Your one year goals should be aspirational. You will make them happen!
Step 6, write out your thoughts in column 2. Write them in past tense, like you've already
done it.
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Here are some things to keep in mind.
Be very specific with what you're grateful for. The more specific you are, the more we
believe ourselves on a subconscious level. Generic gratitude doesn't get us far.
Pick one main task to complete this day that will allow you to feel proud of yourself.
And where it says "I took this action because", write out why that task means something to
you. The more meaningful it is, the more we reinforce the new behavior patterns we're
creating.
If your day went off course - this is a critical item! I can't tell you how many times planning
my day-reclaiming activity has saved me. Something that involves moving your body or energizing
your soul is preferable here.
The small action to create momentum. If all else fails, this is the one thing to help
you see that you're actually improving just a little bit each day. This is the Progress
Principle. If we're making progress, no matter how small, in due time we'll succeed. This
is all about small steps for massive results. My "one small action" has been as simple as
"do one push-up" when I was getting myself back to exercising regularly. That's all it
takes to build great momentum over time.
Step 7, schedule. If you don't use a digital calendar, this is a great place to map out
how you intend to spend your time.
Step 8, Everyday Mental Health Habit Tracking. Sleep, water intake, nutrition, fitness - these
are all self-explanatory. Nobody is going to see this but you, so be honest with yourself
and write down how you did. It doesn't have to look pretty. I rarely hit all four in an
ideal manner in a single day. It's ok. When we write it down, we can look back and see
how far we've come and if we need to make adjustments.
Step 9, Day Review - fill this out at night before going to bed. We can always improve,
and that's what this section is for. Write down one thing that you did today to make
yourself proud. You'll be surprised how quickly you'll start to feel better about yourself.
And there you have it! How to journal for mental health, Dr. K style. Question of the
day: what's one thing you can do today to make yourself proud? Let me know in the comments
below.
Todayís Progress Success is brought to you by one of my clients. She had this mental
block against organizing and clearing her kitchen, and it was causing her undue stress.
She and her husband moved into this house a few months ago, and the longer time went,
the less she felt like setting up this kitchen the way she wanted it. It was functional,
but that was about it. When we started working together to optimize her everyday mental health,
we started with taking up one habit at a time with her physical fitness, then drinking water,
then walking the dog more consistently. And one day she mopped the floors, cleaned the
sink, and then couldn't stop herself as she spent the next couple hours fixing up her
kitchen just the way she wanted. What was once daunting was now done, all because of
creating momentum.
When you're in the depths of depression or the vice grip of anxiety, the last thing you
want to do is take a different action. In my own bouts with depression, I remember vividly
how badly I just wanted to retreat and be safe. So the idea of taking on a new habit
like journaling was the furthest thing from my mind.
I'm here to say this. Whether it's journaling, moving your body, eating nutrient dense plant
foods, or any other activity that WILL improve your state of mental health, the first step
is simply feeling safe enough to take that step.
I know there's a part of you deep down that knows that what you're struggling with right
now, it doesn't have to be this way. Imagine for a moment that you're 92 years old, and
you overcame your present day challenge and evolved into the person you've always wanted
to be. You lived a meaningful life with great relationships, working on things you cared
about. And as you're here at 92, you look back to the moment you decided to take a chance,
stepped out into the unknown, and dared to put pen to paper and start journaling. All
the greatest years of your life resulted from that one, small decision.
Can you take this one action of journaling? Now is your time my friend. You can do this.
You can live the life you've always wanted. It starts with living your morning on your
terms each day, with a journal. I believe in your greatness.