A Bullet Journal (BuJo) is a mindfulness practice designed as a productivity system. It is a tool that can help you organize your life and improve your mental health by writing things down on paper. It can be used for anything from keeping track of daily tasks to planning long-term goals. The system is based on a few simple principles:<ul><li>Rapid logging: Use symbols to represent different types of entries, such as tasks, appointments, ideas, and notes.</li><li>Index: Or a table of contents</li><li>Collections for specific topics</li><li>Migrate incomplete tasks from one day </li><li>Review regularly </li></ul>

Bullet Journal

Using a Bullet Journal as a productivity tracker helps you see what all you have done and what is being neglected. It tells you if what you are doing is healing to you or is counterproductive.Manually making a mental health tracker, and filling it daily to check your anxiety, depression, sleep, energy levels or even pain can tell you if there are any trends in the symptoms.

Tracking Everything You Do or Feel

Daily tracking of progress and improvements, noting down one or more successful activities, or any small thing done right every day, can boost your mental health. The idea is not to condemn yourself but to motivate you towards positive progress.

Tracking Success and Improvements

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<a href="https://medium.com/@FrancineLeeW?source=post_page-----37c4b52c108a----------------------"><img src="https://miro.medium.com/fit/c/96/96/1*OXY1DId3GBCB25YRQHyv7g.jpeg"></a> <figure>Bullet journal image by author. </figure> Ten months ago I started my first bullet journal as a way to keep myself organized. I wish I knew then that my bullet journal isn't just an organization tool. A bullet journal is also a tool that helps improve mental health.
A BuJo, as it is sometimes referred to, has a great advantage over a pre-made organizer. Users tailor these journals to their needs. They are better than a checklist or to-dos and a calendar. One can track anything from their <a href="https://www.google.com/search?biw=1920&amp;bih=969&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=1&amp;ei=E2JcXJ_NIqit5wKO9Y2IDQ&amp;q=bullet+journal+period+trackers&amp;oq=bullet+journal+period+trackers&amp;gs_l=img.3..0i10i24.39467.42137..42447...2.0..0.104.961.11j1......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i7i30j0i8i7i30j0.KzQJwqnXy5o">period</a> to their <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=bullet+journal+mood+trackers&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=hp&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwia77C6iqrgAhWRzlkKHQtWCrkQsAR6BAgEEAE&amp;biw=1920&amp;bih=969">moods</a>.
Over the last ten months, I have played with several spreads. Now I have a few trackers that help me not only improve my organization, but my mental health too. Here's how.
The part I love the most about bullet journaling is the creative process. I attend school, take care of my family, and live a hectic life. It's hard to find time to relax. Planning a new theme every month, watching videos of other people's BuJo creations, and finally mapping and drawing out my own pages is cathartic.
The creative part of bullet journaling soothes my mind. Yes, it's a time-consuming process. Still, there's little anxiety in my head as I am blissfully drawing out the new doodles and tracker styles I have seen online and want to try.
When I get depressed it's hard to get the necessary basics of life done. When I'm anxious I feel like I'm not doing enough. Using a productivity tracker helps me to see what I've done and what I've been neglecting. My list is pretty long, but I believe that if I do at least 7 of the items on my list every day then I've been productive and should give myself a break.
<figure>Mental health and chronic pain tracker image by author. </figure> I use a mental health and pain tracker based on <a href="https://youtu.be/QX5cTbe6CQM">Ms. McKenna's Life Leverage</a>'s tracker. There are many different mental health trackers you can use if you don't like hers. All you need to do is <a href="https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&amp;ei=_VxcXOWEBI7x_AajpYfgBw&amp;q=bullet+journal+mental+health+tracker&amp;btnK=Google+Search&amp;oq=bullet+journal+mental&amp;gs_l=psy-ab.3.0.35i39j0l4j0i22i30l5.271.3769..4887...1.0..0.273.3112.0j19j4......0....1..gws-wiz.....6..0i131.YLrohdH3a94">google bullet journal mental health trackers</a>. The benefits of using a tracker are to see if there are any trends in your symptoms.
One of my worst coping mechanisms is binge eating. For some, it's shopping and for others it's drinking. There are a lot of coping habits we develop that are detrimental to our mental and physical wellbeing. A bullet journal allows you to track when you are acting in a way that is contrary to healing. It can be a minimalistic spread, like mine, or a creative spread, like this <a href="https://thepetiteplanner.com/bullet-journal-mental-health-spreads/">trigger tracker by The Petite Planner</a>.
Having anxiety and depression means I almost never let up on self-criticism. I try and I fail, but I've found it easier to cut myself some slack by daily tracking my successes. I also give myself a space on the adjoining page to list where I need improvement or to pat myself on the back if I have gotten better at something.
Every day write down one thing you did successfully. It can be a hard task when your mind is your worst enemy, but trust me. You've done at least one thing right every day. Then look for something you've improved and write it down with a note of how to make it better.
Don't make disparaging comments. This practice is to help you, not condemn you.
There are many other things one can track in a bullet journal to help improve their mental health. Don't go overboard, because you can. Find what works for you. It took me ten months to discover what works for me. I've adapted different trackers and methods to suit my needs. Do the same for yourself. You're worth the time and effort whether or not your mind wants you to believe it.
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Ten months ago I started my first bullet journal as a way to keep myself organized. I wish I knew then that my bullet journal isn't just an organization tool. A bullet journal is also a tool that helps improve mental health. A BuJo, as it is sometimes referred to, has a great advantage over a pre-made organizer.

productivity

Productivity

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

mindfulness

Mindfulness

writing

Reading & Writing

mentalhealth

Mental Health

Ten months ago I started my first bullet journal as a way to keep myself organized. I wish I knew then that my bullet journal isn't just an organization tool. A bullet journal is also a tool that helps improve mental health. A BuJo, as it is sometimes referred to, has a great advantage over a pre-made organizer. Users tailor these journals to their needs. They are better than a checklist or to-dos and a calendar. One can track anything from their <a href="https://www.google.com/search?biw=1920&amp;bih=969&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=1&amp;ei=E2JcXJ_NIqit5wKO9Y2IDQ&amp;q=bullet+journal+period+trackers&amp;oq=bullet+journal+period+trackers&amp;gs_l=img.3..0i10i24.39467.42137..42447...2.0..0.104.961.11j1......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i7i30j0i8i7i30j0.KzQJwqnXy5o">period </a>to their <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=bullet+journal+mood+trackers&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=hp&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwia77C6iqrgAhWRzlkKHQtWCrkQsAR6BAgEEAE&amp;biw=1920&amp;bih=969">moods </a>. Over the last ten months, I have played with several spreads. Now I have a few trackers that help me not only improve my organization, but my mental health too. Here's how.

The part I love the most about bullet journaling is the creative process. I attend school, take care of my family, and live a hectic life. It's hard to find time to relax. Planning a new theme every month, watching videos of other people's BuJo creations, and finally mapping and drawing out my own pages is cathartic.

The creative part of bullet journaling soothes my mind. Yes, it's a time-consuming process. Still, there's little anxiety in my head as I am blissfully drawing out the new doodles and tracker styles I have seen online and want to try. When I get depressed it's hard to get the necessary basics of life done. When I'm anxious I feel like I'm not doing enough. Using a productivity tracker helps me to see what I've done and what I've been neglecting. My list is pretty long, but I believe that if I do at least 7 of the items on my list every day then I've been productive and should give myself a break.

I use a mental health and pain tracker based on <a href="https://youtu.be/QX5cTbe6CQM">Ms. McKenna's Life Leverage </a>'s tracker. There are many different mental health trackers you can use if you don't like hers. All you need to do is <a href="https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&amp;ei=_VxcXOWEBI7x_AajpYfgBw&amp;q=bullet+journal+mental+health+tracker&amp;btnK=Google+Search&amp;oq=bullet+journal+mental&amp;gs_l=psy-ab.3.0.35i39j0l4j0i22i30l5.271.3769..4887...1.0..0.273.3112.0j19j4......0....1..gws-wiz.....6..0i131.YLrohdH3a94">google bullet journal mental health trackers </a>. The benefits of using a tracker are to see if there are any trends in your symptoms.

One of my worst coping mechanisms is binge eating. For some, it's shopping and for others it's drinking. There are a lot of coping habits we develop that are detrimental to our mental and physical wellbeing. A bullet journal allows you to track when you are acting in a way that is contrary to healing. It can be a minimalistic spread, like mine, or a creative spread, like this <a href="https://thepetiteplanner.com/bullet-journal-mental-health-spreads/">trigger tracker by The Petite Planner </a>.

Having anxiety and depression means I almost never let up on self-criticism. I try and I fail, but I've found it easier to cut myself some slack by daily tracking my successes. I also give myself a space on the adjoining page to list where I need improvement or to pat myself on the back if I have gotten better at something.

Every day write down one thing you did successfully. It can be a hard task when your mind is your worst enemy, but trust me. You've done at least one thing right every day. Then look for something you've improved and write it down with a note of how to make it better. Don't make disparaging comments. This practice is to help you, not condemn you. There are many other things one can track in a bullet journal to help improve their mental health. Don't go overboard, because you can. Find what works for you. It took me ten months to discover what works for me. I've adapted different trackers and methods to suit my needs. Do the same for yourself. You're worth the time and effort whether or not your mind wants you to believe it.

Using A Bullet Journal To Improve Your Mental Health

Bullet Journal

Tracking Everything You Do or Feel

Tracking Success and Improvements

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