Journaling for Awareness

In our society, we’re sometimes given the impression that to feel pain or discomfort is to be weak. We should push through without complaint. Or, that giving thought to small things is a waste of time. Things like constantly needing to clear our throat, stomachaches, dizziness upon standing. It’s just the way things are, probably. Just an annoyance.

The body gives us signals that something can be improved, if we learn how to read these signals.

Let’s make clear that there is a difference between being hypochondriac vs. being observant. Noticing how you feel doesn’t mean you’re looking for something bad, or trying to find an illness that isn’t there. There is no judgment, just observation. Is that shoulder pain more nagging if I sit this way? This way?

After you eat a meal or snack, what is your mood like? Do you feel bloated? Are you happy? Clear headed? Irritable?

Do you sneeze a lot? Each time you sneeze, does there seem to be a common trigger? Maybe it was something you ate? Or a particular location you walked into?

We can say that “what gets monitored gets managed”. No outcome is bad or good – it is just information. The important point here is to notice cause and effect relationships.