ATTENDD Journaling

I highly recommend journaling as a daily practice for wellbeing. The mnemonic device ATTENDD can help guide your journaling process. * 

ATTENDD: Awareness, Tension, Thoughts, Emotions, iNtuition, Dreams, Distractions

Awareness: Write down anything that seems to have changed or feels different in your life.

Tension: Pay attention to your body and note when you experience any physical sensations, tension or tightness.

Thoughts: Take note of any unusual or upsetting thoughts that come up and write them down. Once you see them on paper, does your thinking change?

Emotions: Pay attention to your emotions. Do you feel joyous, depressed, elated, or fearful? Are these feelings different from what you experienced in your last session?

iNtuition: Stay conscious of anything that comes to you intuitively during the week. Do you instinctively have a better understanding of your relationships, your therapy, anything that’s been on your mind?

Dreams: As soon as you wake up in the morning, write down everything you remember about your dreams, including partial images, people, objects, and feelings.

Distractions: Pay attention to what, if anything, is distracting you. Is there a pattern you can discern within the distractions? 

Give it a try!

* Borkin, S. (2014, October). Journaling Exercises to Enhance your Clinical Work: Use the Power of the Pen in Your Practice. Retrieved from http://www.psychotherapynetworker.org.