I have been to a few different self help groups throughout my life.
One thing that stuck with me, and maybe even helped me the most was doing a Daily Inventory of my thoughts and behaviors.
Watch the YouTube video here:
WHY DO AN EMOTIONAL CHECK IN AND INVENTORY
Here are some amazing benefits to doing this work:
-Improved physical health: Yes, I kid you not, the Mind Body Connection is so real that your thoughts affect your physical health, pain,inflammation, and disease. Each emotion has a corresponding chemical/hormonal release into your body system. Emotions like happiness, joy, and love release chemicals that fight stress, and increase your immune function, and reverse aging. Emotions like anger, resentment, fear have disrupting chemicals to our bodies. When these emotions are not dealt with quickly and efficiently, the subconscious brain stores the chemical imprint into a corresponding body tissue (think meridians in acupuncture) which erodes and causes pain and swelling! Where do you store your emotions/pains?
So doing a Daily Emotional Check in will ensure you do not store up any negative feelings for too long without resolving and understanding them! The check in will also put you in a mental state of gratitude which releases beneficial chemicals like serotonin and dopamine!
-Improved Mood: Spending a few minutes of quiet time each morning or evening in review and reflection also is a great way to start training your mind to search for positivity and meaning throughout your day. It also helps you notice behavioral and thought patterns that may need some tweaking to increase your overall happiness. Analyzing our thoughts is a classical Cognitive Behavioral tool used in therapy to help us challenge unhelpful thinking and better regulate our emotional responses. With more peace and ease in our minds we are able to reap more of the benefits of meditation and manifestation
-Fulfilling Relationships: When we take the time to reflect on our self, our behaviors, our thoughts, we become more aware, people who have self awareness are able to act more from their heart because the ego is not as chronically injured causing us to act out or to lash out at people. Hurt people hurt people. Why? Because we are trying to live out our hurts in a subconscious effort to solve them. When we are at our best, situations and people rise to meet us, or otherwise fall away to make room for matching vibrations. If we take the time to figure out why a certain thing always triggers us, or how to explain what we are feelings, or when we need to apologize for hurting someone's feelings, we are acting fully out of our heart and the results on all relationships are astounding.
A daily and honest check in with ourselves in paramount for
-Leading an Authentic Life
-Cultivating Happiness
-Resolving Anger
What I did was email myself these questions and answers after my day was over.
-Was I unkind in anyway?
-Was I angry at all?
-What did I accomplish today?
-What did I do well today?
-What did I learn today?
-Am I telling myself any fake stories or lies?
-Was I supportive of others?
-Who did I reach out to today?
-Did I make time to breathe, and to laugh?
-What was the single best thing that happened?
-Is there anything left on my heart that I did not speak aloud today?
You can absolutely make your own list of questions that are in line with what you are trying to accomplish. These are just some ideas for you.
It is absolutely best to have a buddy who will do these nightly exercises with you, just completing the questions, emailing them, and reading them for the other person. Not for feedback, but for accountability. To be seen and heard and mutually supported.
Or, send them to yourself.
Doing them is what's important.
A make a commitment to do this every day for a month.
See how your feelings change, and how much better you feel.
As I have mentioned before, one of the biggest issues we face as a society today is mental health issues. As a country we have more stuff and more money and bigger houses than ever before, but we are becoming less and less happy.
WHY?
Because we are disconnected from ourselves and from others.
Instead we bond to things that allow us to stuff our emotions or ignore our emotions (like gambling, porn, shopping, drugs, etc).
There is nothing wrong with coming home from a long day of work to watch tv or have a few drinks, AS LONG AS you also make time for emotional check ins.
It is only by feeling our feelings and exploring our insides that we become the best and happiest versions of ourselves.
So grab a partner
A spouse
A friend
And watch your life open up with sudden insight, relief, and peace.
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