r/bulletjournal • u/snoopingsam • Nov 25 '19
Habit Tracker I’m hoping that this mini tracker will help me to take better care of myself
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u/nanfanpancam Nov 25 '19
Now that’s a great start, just remember some days you’ll accomplish less some days more. It’s not a contest, it’s a daily struggle. Any thing you do on that list is an achievement. I find having my dog and having to walk her is a daily motivator and of course that’s necessitates getting up, dressed, etc, I wish you happiness only.
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
I was already beating myself up for not having breakfast, so thank you so much for this reminder!
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u/nanfanpancam Nov 25 '19
I have the same thing every day, slightly nutritious, slice of whole grain bread toasted, with peanut butter ( no additives) half a banana ( save the rest for a snack later when blood sugar drops) and a pot of tea. Saves thinking to much about it. Fairly quick and easy. You’ll get it tomorrow!
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u/Phollie Nov 26 '19
Same but two pieces of toast and cottage cheese with salt and pepper.
Or toast with two boiled eggs and hot sauce.
The pot of hot tea is the real secret though. Nothing helps you wake up and have a morning poo like hot water of some kind.
And nothing helps me chill the fuck out like a good hot cup of herbal sleepy tea. Who else round here struggles to regulate their sleep cycle???
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u/SarcasticHulktastic Nov 25 '19
I love how pretty and enthusiastic you wrote ‘let’s get less depressed!’ And even highlighted it in yellow, the happiest of colors. Made me laugh. Wishing you the best :)
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
Thanks! Trying to fake it till I make it ✌🏼
In all seriousness, making my trackers look nicer makes me more likely to use them lol
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u/rs_alli Nov 25 '19
I’ve never been diagnosed with depression, so my experience could be completely different than yours and I’m really not trying to be one of those thanks I’m cured people, but for me personally when I get into slumps for long periods faking it really does help. Being at work around people and pretending I’m all good helps me a lot. I might still be sad and hide in a corner once it’s over, but being in a position where I have to get dressed, I have to look decent, I have to speak, and I have to be professional makes it a lot easier for me personally to get out of my slump. I really hope that ends up working for you, and props for trying. It’s hard, and I really hope you’re successful. If it doesn’t work, please seek medical care. No one should have to feel depressed, and it’s okay to get help.
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
All of what you said is really valid! I try to do the same, too. I‘ve been dealing with depression and other issues for years, and I usually do manage it fairly well, but every so often my mood becomes less manageable and I find myself becoming less functional and forgetting to take care of myself - that’s where the tracker comes in. I have been pretty bad this past week, but I’m trying to get myself back on track. Thank you for the suggestion about medical help, but I do see doctors regularly and I am medicated, so I’ll be okay :) I hope your strategies continue to work for you!
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u/nanfanpancam Nov 25 '19
Ps great penmanship!
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Nov 25 '19
I had to check first if I was here or on r/penmanshipporn since I think this deserves to be there also!
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u/DRWDS Nov 25 '19
Good work! Even if some days have blanks, keep filling this out each day. This is the B in CBT.
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Nov 25 '19
[deleted]
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
It’s so easy to forget or not be bothered to brush teeth, isn’t it? I think that taking care of our teeth is more of an issue for depressed people than a lot of us realise. You’re not alone :)
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u/Swati2510 Nov 25 '19
Not kidding - I made the same one yesterday!! I find monthly habit trackers overwhelming, plus lately I’m facing a tough time even doing basic tasks each day. So I made one with make bed, brush teeth, wash face, brush hair, etc. for the whole day. And today morning was a success :) I also wrote “progress, not perfection”on the side to remind myself that it’s not important to fill in all the boxes, but it’s important to try.
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u/StarburstSam Nov 25 '19
I feel this so hard. You can do this, every little step counts and is important in its own right. Missed something? Lean into the fact that you accomplished some of the other tasks and that you did just as much as you were capable of that day. Don’t should on yourself. That’s not a typo. Constantly saying you should have done something frames it as a task you failed. Instead these are all tasks that you CAN do. Some days you may not do them but that doesn’t make you any less capable of doing so. I personally like to give each of my days a grade, 0-100%, then at the end of the week I look at which days were better than others and why and try to incorporate more of what made me feel good those days.
TLDR: a lot of unsolicited advice from one Sam to another to basically say you CAN do this :)
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
I’m so bad at “should”ing myself. Definitely something I’m trying to work on, though. Thank you for the advice :)
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Nov 25 '19
This list is kind of amazing. It's not overwhelming, just the basics, and at the same time it's accountability for yourself and a memory help. Seriously, the 'did I brush my teeth yesterday' question drove me crazy at times.
Just remember it's a help, not a tool to beat yourself up with.
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
the 'did I brush my teeth yesterday' question drove me crazy at times
Ugh same, that’s why I had to include it!
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u/eraserewrite Nov 25 '19
I literally used to have almost the same tasks. o_o
Anyway, I'm good now, but I did find that making my bed right when I got up made me feel more accomplished than after brushing my teeth. Not sure why.
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
I find that, too! For me,I think it’s because it removes the temptation of just getting back into bed lol
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u/KpopKristen Nov 25 '19
I think it’s really cool that you have to categorized into am and pm activities! You’re handwriting is super pretty too :)
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Nov 25 '19
Making my bed actually really helped changed my life, so I’m glad it’s on your list. I now that sounds silly, but just making the bed allowed me to feel like I’d actually done something with my day already and encouraged me not to lie in it feeling horrible.
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
I completely agree! I used to go weeks without making my bed, but I started making it a daily habit about 6 months ago and it has helped a tremendous amount. I haven’t spent a whole day in bed (apart from when I was physically sick) in a really long time.
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u/vulnicure Nov 25 '19
this might seem weird but i think this is the first time i've seen someone use a weekly, not monthly, habit tracker (or at least have a weekly layout). i might use a similar one for december since i find monthly trackers super overwhelming. thanks for the inspo! also what kind of pen do you use? i love the way it looks
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
I use a monthly tracker too, but it doesn’t have these specific things in it. I usually manage okay so I only really track these things when I’m feeling particularly low.
It’s really random but the pen is from a BTS pop up shop lol. I think it’s just a standard 0.5 black gel pen comparable to muji :)
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u/MonounsaturatedChain Nov 25 '19
I LOVE it! So simple,I always find makes it much easier to stick to for me. I really hope it pays off, you'll get there some day!
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u/sjanee11 Nov 25 '19
I live how you split up am and pm. I just write face am and face pm... and I'm definitely going to have to adopt this method. It looks so much better
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
I usually write am and pm too, but I thought I’d try something different this time. I already prefer the look of it
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u/4F460tWu55yDyk3 Dec 05 '19
Also helps to identify trends that can potentially identify what, if anything, is triggering depressive episodes.
Also one thing that I have noticed helped an insane amount for me, personally, is incorporating exercise into my weeklies. Don’t know if that’s something you do on the regular, just didn’t see it in your list there. Nothing crazy but I try for three days a week, half hour of cardio. There’s a pretty major link between mental health and lack of exercise that I was unaware of and even that little bit has helped me an immeasurable amount.
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u/uglybutterfly025 Nov 25 '19
I think I'm going to try tracking things this way for myself! I was drawing a tiny monthly calendar and highlighting each space but then I have a hard time figuring out which day is which and having to count all of them. Going to try something different for December
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u/sianbob Nov 25 '19
These trackers have saved me so many times. It’s great to see other people tracking stuff like brushing teeth and showering. I hope it helps you tons! :)
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
Me too actually! I used to track things like this about a year and a half ago. I’m not as bad now as I was then, but it helped a lot before so I thought I’d give it a go again. Thank you :)
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u/tashamedved Nov 25 '19
I think I may have to follow in your footsteps, at least a little bit. I also have depression, and I’ve been out of work, so sometimes I don’t even get dressed. That needs to change. I think I’m going to add “get properly dressed” to my tracker.
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u/snoopingsam Nov 25 '19
I’m a student now, but I took some time out and was out of work too, so I spent about 80% of my time for 2 years in pyjamas. Honestly, a lot of the time “getting dressed” for me is putting on a bra and swapping pj bottoms for jeans lol, it doesn’t take much time or effort, but it definitely makes me feel better.
I hope your depression becomes more manageable, and please feel free to message me if there’s anything you want to chat about :)
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u/tashamedved Nov 25 '19
I’m working on decluttering too, but that’s more “find out what’s in this box” than anything I can put on my to-do list. Medication helps.
And yes, that and shoes and socks was exactly what I did to go to the store tonight. I just need to do it earlier in the day. :-)
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u/corkspa Nov 26 '19
Do you forget to eat dinner sometimes too? No one understands when I say I forgot to eat. I honestly didnt remember then went to bed, lol.
Take it day by day. I hope to have a tracker like this one day but it's to overwhelming for me to have all that listed right now so I went small and just started with wash hair and shower. I know itll get better but man are slumps hard to get through!
Good luck!
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u/snoopingsam Nov 27 '19
I forget meals quite often lol. I drink a lot of tea, and I snack during the day, so sometimes it’ll get to 10pm and I’ll realise that I hadn’t had any dinner, but then think it’s too late to make something. Or sometimes I’ll be all wrapped up in something (usually a shitty feeling) and just go to bed and not realise I hadn’t eaten in however long.
I also struggle a bit with an eating disorder, so if I’ve realised I haven’t eaten, my stupid brain is like “good :)” and then that puts me off, too. It’s all pretty exhausting haha.
I completely understand about trackers like this being overwhelming. I feel a little bit annoyed at myself for listing so many things, but hey ho.
I hope you manage to get out of your slump :) and please remember that skipping a shower/washing your hair is completely okay! You’ve got this!
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u/77P Nov 25 '19
You shoukd go for a walk in between am and pm!! Even if it's just a square block.
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Nov 25 '19
You should also get at least 20 minutes of sunshine each day! It will really help!
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u/apipoulai Nov 25 '19
Smart! I like the am/pm breakdown. (I usually fill in half the box for am/pm things, and it has not been working for me. )
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u/Chef-Cthulhu Nov 25 '19
I like the breakdown of morning and evening tasks. I struggle with maintaining a routine for either, and this would be great to break it down just a little further.
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u/-taq Nov 25 '19
Hell yeah good on you for laying that out. I had something very similar and it was super helpful.
A tip for later -- if you notice you're consistently slipping with some things but going strong with other things (maybe even things that aren't on the list), link them together. eg, if you're eating breakfast every day you might make "eat + brush teeth" one item so you have to do both to get that box checked.
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u/ChaosSheep Nov 25 '19
When I did my habit trackers I had a lot of the same tasks and I don't have depression. Sometimes it helps to get a schedule down. It makes me feel better to check off boxes saying I did something. I hope it helps you too! ❤ You can totally do this! Just remember to take it one day at a time.
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u/julio2399 Nov 26 '19
May I ask how tracking your mood helps you? I'm thinking about using one
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u/snoopingsam Nov 26 '19
I tend to get stuck in a “I’m sad, I’m always sad, why am I always so sad?!” type of thing when I’m particularly low. Tracking my moods helps me to look at my days more objectively. When I feel really down and get all “why am I always sad?!”, I look back and see that sometimes I have okay - and even good - days, too.
I don’t think it’s something that helps everyone, but I experience drastic mood swings and can sometimes struggle to see the bigger picture, so it really helps me when I’m not feeling great. Hope I explained it okay :)
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u/bluebirdskies20 Nov 26 '19
I need to do this for myself... Thank you for sharing your positive example 💖💖
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u/CumulativeHazard Nov 26 '19
Love the handwriting on the title! I’ve done these before and they never turn out perfect but usually I pick up at least one habit that I manage to keep up long term (like making my bed, makes my room feel so much less chaotic). Every little victory is still a victory. The important thing is that you keep trying. Good luck, friend.
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u/bipolar_express_lane Nov 26 '19
You got this!! Next page for the AM add “open bullet journal” and give yourself the gift of that check mark!
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u/littleloversopolite Minimalist Nov 26 '19
I wish I could FaceTime my mom, but she can’t even look at me because I resemble my father.
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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '19
I hope it helps you. You deserve to be happy.