Journaling and Goal Setting

In my holistic health coaching practice, I encourage journaling.  Journaling is a great way to track progress, to monitor things like food intake, (types, amounts, frequency, etc.), exercise, blessings  received, and whatever else comes to mind for the summation of any given day.  It’s a wonderful life-giving habit to acquire and stick with long term.

Also in my practice, I work with others as they set reasonable, attainable short term goals consistent with their long term goals. Together we track the goals, monitor them for success, and in some cases, re-work them for an even better outcome.

Where am I going with this?  Precisely to encourage a new partnership—journaling and goal setting.  Continue to set those goals, for sure, but commit them to paper now, and keep them handy so that you can work in the journaling part as you go along, and watch the successful outcomes roll in as never before! 

When you write down your goals, you’re laying the first brick, or planting the spring seed, so to speak.  The ongoing recording of the process of working those goals, bringing them into  being on a day to day basis can help you achieve them  in several different way.

First, by setting a few minutes a day, every day at a predetermined time to write about your goals, you are guaranteeing that you will spend at least that amount of time each day thinking about those goals and how you are going to achieve them.  In other words, it’s time that you’re going to spend “tending your garden.”

Second, a journal allows you to record your progress.  If you’ve encountered setbacks while trying to achieve an important goal you may be feeling discouraged. Writing about your experience can help you to keep motivate to keep moving forward as well as to see the progress you’ve already made toward the achievement of your goal. Also, if success has been hard to come by, reviewing the process may help  you uncover what, precisely, isn’t working.  Then, by making a small adjustment in timing, or amount, or another variable, you’ll be right back on track to achieving your goal.

Third, a journal is evidence of past success.  Before you start working on a new goal, it’s a good idea to sit back with some of your old journals and read about your past successes.  Doing this will give you motivation to work on a new goal with a feeling of certainty that it too will be achievable.

Fourth, having a set time during which you’re going to write about your  goals each day keeps you accountable.  Nobody wants to sit down and write: “I did absolutely nothing o move closer to meeting my goals  today. Knowing that this time of reckoning will occur every day will help you in the “having something positive to say” department.  You’ll like that!

Finally, writing daily about your goals helps you to identify possible obstacles that you may encounter, and create an action plan on how you’ll deal with those obstacles when they arise.  Then, when a obstacle does appear on your path, you won’t be blind-sided or caught off guard about it.  Rather, you’ll know just how to deal with it.

Journaling of all sorts is a good thing.  Goal setting is a good thing.  Combine these two things can be a powerful tool for achieving those goals, helping you to achieve your health and lifestyle ideals.    Begin your Goals Journal today!

And if you’re interested in having additional support and encouragement as you work to achieve your most healthy and vibrant self, visit my website at www.janesmith-healthcoaching.com to learn more about the benefits of working with a certified health coach. 

Eating When You Don't Want to Be? -- Try HALT!

Small Group  Support

I have spent some years of my life in wonderfully  healing Twelve Step Programs, and many more years counseling others who have also been in those groups in those rooms.  An acronym turned guiding philosophy in those programs is H.A.L.T., which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired.  These are the states to be guarded against if we want to avoid sliding back into addictive behaviors with whatever substance or lifestyle it is that pulls at us into what we mistakenly think will give us the peace, serenity, and the fully alive state we desire for ourselves.


In my last post, I shared some thoughts about cravings, and the fact that they usually come to us bearing a message.  I think that the message that they often carry to us is that we are, in fact, too hungry, too, angry, too lonely, and/or too tired.  Think about it.  Does this ring true for you?

Hungry? Angry,? Lonely,? Tired?

For example, consider your experience with anger for a moment.  As we grow and heal ourselves into greater and greater wholeness and health, anger is an important and vital force for us.  It is an appropriate emotion when it is used for our protection of ourselves and our loved ones, particularly our cubs.  However, anger can become an addiction unto its own, resulting from hanging on to long-time hurts and old pain.  At some point, forgiveness is essential to moving on with our lives and moving into health, letting go of our past, and allowing more good into our lives.

On the other hand, if we repress anger with food, as many of us do, we may be missing the important messages that it has for us.  The message may be as simple as, “You are angry,” in which case we can acknowledge the feeling for what it is and move on.  Or, it might be bigger, as in, “You hate your job and need to do something about it!”

Is it the job?

Whatever the case, it’s just very important do deal with our anger for what it is.  Avoiding it, stuffing it down with food instead of looking at it courageously will not make it go away.

So when a craving comes your way and you feel a big urge to overeat, stop and say, “HALT!  What is this about?  Am I too hungry, to angry, too lonely, too tired?  What?” 

 

Journaling can be a very helpful tool when dealing with any of these HALT warnings. If it is anger, to continue with our example, that keeps finding its way into our lives, pay attention to it, address it.  Try writing about it.  Talk to the anger.  Is it time to do something about your anger?  Is there some action that you need to take that confronts the anger directly rather than hiding from it with some comforting, and probably non-nutritious food?  Is it time to let go of the anger?  Have you been carrying it too long?  Brainstorm about possible actions to

take. Or write a letter to your anger, setting it free.

 

Journaling -- is good HALT tool

Then treat yourself to a well-chosen healthy snack or meal.  You’ll feel good in your everywhere!

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