Aiming for more mindfulness? 5 Questions to ask yourself daily:

Have you ever thought about or even attempted journaling, but never stuck with it? 

It's common. It can feel daunting and overwhelming, having to sit with oneself but also figure out 'how' to journal.

However there are many studies that show how beneficial it can be to journal & it's a tool that is easily accessible and cost-effective.

The more obvious ones are:

• reduce stress
• increased well being / mood
• helps process emotions, thoughts and events
• gain more clarity on what you want / the future
• deepens self-discovery

but research has shown that it even

• 'lead to better sleep
• a stronger immune system
• more self-confidence and a higher I.Q.'

Dr. Pennebaker has found that journaling helps organize an event in our mind, and make sense of trauma. "When we do that, our working memory improves, since our brains are freed from the enormously taxing job of processing that experience, and we sleep better. This in turn improves our immune system and our moods; we go to work feeling refreshed, perform better and socialize more." 

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If you would like try your luck again with journaling, here's a little guide on how to start and 5 Questions you could ask yourself:

First of all you should establish if you want this to be a daily habit or just something you do every once in a while with specific events or feelings. 

Research shows that journaling even once for 15-20 minutes can be helpful, however daily journaling can be a great too for continuous self-discovery.

There are benefits to both journaling in the morning and evening - the best is to start with what seems most achievable for you. When can you best spare 5 minutes and just write? Decide on one and try to stick with it.

Depending on your answer, we've curated 5 questions each - just because the difference in timing favours different questions, that all have the same great potential of reflection.

Starting with only 5 minutes will make it easier for you to get into journaling - after all, it's only 5 minutes right? It's a good place to start with to make it less intimidating.

Set yourself a timer if you like or if that is too much pressure, have a look at the time before you start.

After researching and going through many many questions, we think these questions will not only be a great start to get into writing into your diary, but also help you be more mindful of your own life and understand yourself better.

Here are 5 questions each, depending on whether you want to journal in the morning or evening:

5 Questions to ask yourself in the morning:

1. How do I feel right now & why?
2. How do I want to feel today?
3. What am I grateful for today?
4. What can I do today to get closer to my goals?
5. What is one thing that I can do today that will bring me joy?

5 Questions to ask yourself in the evening:

1. How do I feel right now & why?
2. What is one thing that made me smile today?
3. What do I need to let go of?
4. Did I make someone else smile today?
5. What did I take for granted today? 

Good luck

- and if you miss a day, start again the day after. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to work for you. Or just journal whenever it feels good.