I’ve( 22M ) been an overthinker for almost my entire life. Not only that, I have hyper-anxiety and overwhelmness. I haven’t been scheduled with a psychiatrist so far.

A few months ago, I seriously realized that I was wasting my time on devices( phones, laptops etc) and haven’t been paying attention to real life and responsibilities. Because I had made devices as a way to escape from reality.

Then I made a schedule to maintain that included low and controlled use of devices and some other things. Journaling was also a part of that.

I began to write my daily events on a journal app in my phone. I had a physical diary that I started to use to write down advices, methods, facts, important instructions that I was gathering from youtube. That diary is now filled around 60%.

I continued writing my daily journal in the app for 1.5 months and then lost the drive to continue for unknown reason. Consider this one of my main psychological problem. I lose drive very quickly.

Then I realized that, when I continued journaling, I had more control of my overall daily activity that I used to do. I had less laziness, more energy, more drive, healthy sleep schedule etc. And now, it seems that I’ve sunken into my peak rabbithole again.

Now I’m seeking advices from people who turned their life in a positive way by writing journals as a first step. Any other advices except journaling is also welcomed.

  • TwistyLex@discuss.tchncs.de
    2·
    7 hours ago

    A thought for why it may have been easier for you to regularly use your paper journal while not maintaining the digital journal: it may be a matter of visual cuing.

    With the paper journal it sits somewhere that you’ll see it regularly, probably along your route to bed. Seeing the journal may have been your mental cue to write in it, as opposed to simple routine or habit. You don’t get the same kind of cue from a digital journal because even a set reminder is no different from the bevy of notifications your phone gives you throughout the day.

    Something that could help you keep up with your digital journal is to start keeping a physical journal in the same place you kept your old one. Maybe put an NFC tag in it that just launches your digital journal when scanned/tapped. Then you’ll still have that visual cue and habit reaction force to keep you journaling.