3 important AM journal questions Dr. Chatterjee
Many of you know the power of Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s work, having participated in our Feel Better in 5 book study. We wanted to share information from one of his recent episodes on his podcast, Feel Better, Live More, #413 How to Make 2024 Your Best Year: 3 Questions to Ask Yourself Each Day. You might want to listen to the full podcast, but we have distilled the essence of his message to get you started!
This episode focuses on the power of journaling. Journaling can be a transformative experience because you are having a conversation with yourself. Journaling helps you take what is in your head and get it out on paper. The health benefits of journaling are well documented:
improve sleep
lead to better decision making
decrease emotional stress
reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
support turning new behaviors into long term habits
help us lead more mindful and intentional lives
In this episode, Dr. Chatterjee poses 3 questions to ask yourself each day, and 3 questions to ask yourself each night. This post focuses on the AM questions; look for the next blog post for the PM questions! Remember, starting small helps establish new routines!
Dr. Chatterjee states the power comes from asking the same questions every day because you refine your reflection skills, develop more understanding about yourself, and shift your intentions. Take 1 minute to write down the answer to each question - it doesn’t need to be an essay to reap the benefits.
Question #1: What is the most important thing I have to do today?
Do you have clarity or freeze when asked this question? Too many things come to mind? Our to-do lists are endless, and sometimes we feel everything is equally important. But not everything in life is equality important. You might think there is one answer for home, one for work, one for yourself, but Dr. Chatterjee says if you do this over time, you obtain clarity that there is one most important thing you need to do today. Two examples he provides:
Stop work and pay attention to my children when they get home from school
Take a 20 minute walk at lunch
Sometimes we feel like we can only do things like this once our to-do list is done, but once we journal and understand the most important thing, you have shifted the focus in your brain. That day is a win when this most important thing has gotten done.
Question #2: What is one thing you deeply appreciate about your life?
There is hard science behind gratitude which Dr. Chatterjee discusses in his podcast. If you are struggling getting started, you can start simply, such as:
Feeling sun on your face
Being able to afford food
Have the technology to listen to a podcast
The more you start to look for things about which to be grateful, the more you will see. To enhance your practice:
Be specific. Ex: A cafe where you visit. To be more specific, what was it about the coffee, the atmosphere of the cafe, the barista? You train your appreciation muscle by digging deeper into the why behind your gratitude.
Focus on people rather than things. It might be a colleague who smiled at you, a student that thanked you for your help, something funny your child did today. This also strengthens our connections to people which has huge health benefits as well.
Connect with your emotions; think about what you felt during that experience. Focusing on what you have rather than what you don’t have will drastically change your mindset.
Question #3: What quality do I want to show the world today?
This question is a powerful way of intentionally deciding how you want to be in the world. We don’t tend to think about how we want to show up, so we repeat past behaviors such as rushing or being reactive. By taking a moment to think about it and write it down, you are bringing it into your awareness; it’s a form of visualization. We are the same people yesterday as we are today and as we are tomorrow, unless we bring intention to how we want to be in this world.
Establishing Journaling as a Habit
If you are new to journaling, remember to start small and to habit stack. Find an existing behavior, such as waking up or having your morning cup of tea or coffee. Stack journaling onto that behavior.
Then, remember to start small! Tiny steps! Start with 1 question. Write 1 word, working up to a sentence. You want to build the foundational habit, rather than going full throttle right off the bat. Remember, motivation will wane - it always does. Building that foundation is crucial in making new habits stick! Then, remember to congratulate yourself for accomplishment!
Lastly, you don’t need a fancy journal, but having a journal does make the ritual more special for yourself. Leaving your journal by your bedside or by your tea kettle will also help trigger your habit.
Journaling helps you take control of your life; give it a try!