The Five Minute Journal Review: A Happier You In 5 Minutes A Day
In short, yes! Keep reading to find out how Intelligent Change’s The Five-Minute Journal works, how to use it and why I’ve been an advocate for the last 5 years. So many people have raved about Intelligent Change Five-Minute Journal that we think it's finally time for you to try it out.
Table of Contents
It is no secret that I strongly believe in visualization (unless, of course, you're new here). Visualizing the things you want in life, meditating, creating a vision board, etc., all go hand-in-hand. It is easy to get swept up in the chaos of everyday life, stress, and uncertainty. Trust me, there's a lot of uncertainty for me right now. And I realized it was consuming too much of my mind causing constant worry, anxiety, and a lot of sleepless nights.
Over the years, my mourning routine has shifted to a more mindful and intentional practice. As an earlier raiser, my routine consists of making coffee; there is something very meditative in a pour-over art itself. While the water heats up in the kettle, I take these next three minutes to sit and meditate for three minutes and set my intention for my day. Meditating and then writing in my journal immediately after. There's no real topic when I write; it's free-form, whatever comes to mind. However, this has been one of the newest additions to my mourning routine; but one that has been with me for the last 5 years is The Five Minute Journal, by Alex Ikonn and UJ Ramdas is an excellent option for those with commitment issues or wanting to develop a gratitude practice.
THE FIVE MINUTE JOURNAL
$29 USD
Positive Psychology Is A Thing
One of The Five Minute Journal's main principles is positive psychology and the effect of focusing on positive behavioural traits as opposed to depression, anxiety, and perceptual disorders. The broaden-and-build theory by B.L. Frederickson elaborates on positive thoughts and emotions compounding overtime to produce increases in daily experiences of positive emotions, which, in turn, makes an increase in a wide range of personal resources, including mindfulness, purpose in life, social support, and a decrease in illness symptoms.
Thinking back when I first started, after my first 30 days of starting my morning writing down what I am grateful for, I have found myself consistently waking up in a more positive frame of mind. And continues to do so five years later.
Now, The Five-Minute Journal hasn't relinquished all negative from my life. Instead, it's forced me to shift my thinking to live the little things in life that bring joy and value to my experience and to focus on any of the positives in my life. For example, I may wake up one morning and be grateful for my cosy bed or for waking up before my alarm. Like my mother always said, it's the little things that count.
Gratitude can change your life. It's the experience of recognizing and counting your blessings and being thankful for the life that you live. Sure, it's not easy, but there is always a light within your day. The Five-Minute Journal makes these valuable moments more apparent.
Journaling for Awareness
Every morning, you set an intention with three things that would make the day great—the caveat being that these things all have to be within your power. As much as I'd love to say a day with no upset clients or getting off work early would be great (believe me, it would), it is the power of focusing on specific actions that I can take that help to give me consistently better days.
After I write down these three things, I consciously make sure that they are accomplished throughout my day. I am actively engaging in activities I have determined would make my day great and therefore being more proactive at improving my wellbeing on a day-to-day basis. The past month of using The Five-Minute Journal has made me more productive and appreciative of achieving smaller tasks.
It Calls For Reflection & Progression
Following the positive note from each morning, The Five-Minute Journal asks you each night: "What are 3 amazing things that happened today?"
This simple process of reflecting on the day and making a checklist of all the positives in the day is a way for your brain to start getting in the habit of recognizing the significant aspects of life that we otherwise take for granted. Knowing that I'll be taking an inventory at the end of the day, my attention to activities and the joyful feelings that arise has become more instantaneous now. Within those immediate moments, I become gratuitous and elated in the present because I am giving my happiness recognition.
The conclusion of each day requires you to write down how you could have made the day better. What would you have done differently if you had a time machine? This could be changing an action or reaction to an event. This could be doing more or saying less. Whatever it is, I think of it as a way for me to start becoming aware of my f*** ups and using the past as a vessel to adjust my future. Once we begin to understand negative habits or behaviours, we start to recognize and correct them to become the best possible versions of ourselves.
well-beingOne of my favorite elements of The Five-Minute Journal is the daily quotes and challenges. Each day stores a new section and new opportunity to be grateful and productive with your day; each week poses a small challenge that encourages you to take actions beyond your comfort zone. I'll be sharing these quotes daily with an interpretation of how to put the inspiration into action.
The Five-Minute Journal is a minimal investment for a significant return on your well-being and outlook on life. It inspires progression and the cognitive awareness gained by evaluating and thinking about your day gives you the ability to make tomorrow better. For only five minutes a day, I'd say this method is a steal.
So what are you waiting for? Get yourself a journal and join me on the bright side!
I genuinely hope this post was helpful! If you get The Five-Minute Journal or try any of the guided meditations, let me know your thoughts in the comments on here.
THE Change Five-Minute Journal
So many people have raved about Intelligent Change Five-Minute Journal ($25) that we think it's finally time for you to try it out.
This post was updated in 2022. Our reviews are researched, tested, and recommended when we stand 100% by them. We may receive commissions on purchases made through links on our site. As always, all opinions are solely our opinions.
