Start a bullet journal for Covid self care stress relief

What’s a recovery bullet journal, and why do you need one right now? First of all, what’s a bullet journal? Remember daily planners? They allowed you to note appointments, make lists, and outline daily tasks. More than a calendar but less that a diary, they let you plan by the day, month, or year. We all had them before smart phones, the way people used to have diaries before healthy living and journaling came into fashion.

For stress reduction right now, we all need some proven techniques, to stave off depression, bring us back to the selves we used to be, or the self we want to be. Journal entries are self talk in the best possible sense. You can write about what’s happening, what makes you happy, sad, triggered, calm. You can relieve your frustration by writing letters to people you can’t communicate well with in person (and thankfully never send). Here’s where bullet journals come in.

A bullet journal can be anything you want it to be

You can express yourself as you would in a diary, create priorities as you would in a planner, or be your own worksheet with your own chosen journal prompts. A bullet journal can be a self esteem diary, or a vision board, or anything you want it to be. Any pad of paper will do. The purpose is to focus on positivity every single day. Your recovery bullet journal can get your mind off of whatever is bothering you, which may be a lot right now.

Your journal can have as many prompts as you want

Here are 5 recovery bullets that can keep you calm you down right before bed or, give you a bracing start for your day.

Inspiration: What inspired me today………………………………………………………

Serenity: What made me feel serene today…………………………………………….

Quote: What is my quote of the day…………………………………………………………..

Gratitude: What am I grateful for today…………………………………………………..

Insight: What new idea did I get today………………………………………………………

We have the journal prompts to get you started

Choose a journal prompt to inspire you. Or download a group of them. This task of arranging your prompts is its own form of bullet, or outline. People love our journal prompts because it’s the easy way to choose your topics.

If you’re looking for a workbook, see why recovery literacy light can provide hours of soothing coloring along with the writing prompts that nourish your brain.

If you want a more structured approach to launching the New Year, get some recovery wisdom from 100 Tips For Growing Up and use your bullet journal for additional notes to self.