I kept a daily journal for 11 years.

Did it help me reflect and improve?

Well…based on my cry count…probably not 😅

But what actually helped me become more aware of my thinking errors?

When I journalled this, here’s what my journal said back to me:

When I journalled this, I got vibe checked by my journal again:

Again I got slapped with the vibe check:

It took me years to be more aware of how I’m feeling.

I still struggle sometimes - I’ll get frustrated and irritated at people without knowing why.

But last month, I started using this journaling app Happai.

(Use code JENHAPPY for first month free - it’s sponsored but I genuinely use the app bc it’s so good!!)

It helps me identify my emotions:

And lowkey helped me break out of my people-pleasing tendencies:

Instead of staying complacent (always focused on others), I try to have more of a balance now and practice asking people for help.

This prompts me to actually make changes in my life instead of just documenting it 🤩

Awareness is the first step to improvement.

A year ago (or even a few months ago), I would’ve been unhappy with my video views.

“It only got a few thousand views? I have 80k+ followers, this is so embarrassing,” I’d think.

But after being vibe checked and having these cognitive distortions pointed out to me,

I feel like these things don’t bother me as much anymore.

Instead of overthinking, I just braindump it into my journal and learn healthier ways to approach my problems.

My favourite part about this journal method is that after a certain number of entries,

You get vibe checked even more with a “pattern.”

Basically my journal saying “you’ve been complaining about this same thing for ages now, what’s good…?”

Because in our lives, we tend to repeat the same patterns over and over, until we recognize it and take action to improve.

For me, that pattern is overcommitting to things 😅

I get too excited then get overwhelmed…

I mean, I already knew this was a pattern, but it wasn’t until I became more aware of how I felt about it that I was able to make changes.

For example, reading all these vibe checks got me thinking:

The main driver of my crashouts was always this feeling of shame.

When I overcommit and get overwhelmed, I feel shame -

Shame that I’m not good enough, that I’m a disappointment to others.

And that shame drains me and keeps me even more burned out.

That realization would’ve sent me into a spiral in the past:

“Why do I have to be such a people pleaser, I can’t do anything properly. I should stop feeling so bad about myself and just force myself to be more productive…”

But now, after reading so many vibe checks, I know I should think:

“This is a great insight - I’m excited to learn more about myself so I can recognize these situations in the future and not repeat my mistakes. Each insight moves me closer to living a life aligned with my values.”

If you need the vibe checks too, check out the Happai app - available on both iPhone and Android!

The skills I learned (and the catharsis I felt while braindumping my thoughts) will stay with me for a lifetime.

Don’t forget to use code JENHAPPY to try your first month free 🫶 hope you find it as insightful as I do!

Til next time,

Jennifer

P.S. sometimes it gives me hilarious tips