5 New - and more creative - ways to Journal!

We frequently read about and are told how good journalling is for stress and anxiety. I'm a true believer in this, after all, this is how I started blogging. By not writing, I was anxious and felt like I had a lot bottled up. Not just emotions but words, ideas and thoughts.

You might call me a bookworm or a book and reading enthusiast, but not all of us are. We're not all writers, or even necessarily creative in a conventional way. But some of us do tend to get caught up in our heads. Maybe we spiral with our thoughts. Maybe they wake us in the night or prevent us from falling asleep in the first place. Maybe there's something we want to say to another person but we want to choose our words and our message very carefully. Journalling is one of the best ways to help guide us through these processes but when left with a blank page, sometimes our minds also go blank.

So in classic book-nerd fashion I spent a few hours at Chapters/Indigo in a euphoric state, falling in love with dozens of titles and books wanting to take all of them home with me. As a writer and a blogger, writing off the top of my head comes a bit easier, but there are times I want and need to be guided. I want my brain to be stimulated by an idea; Other times I need my brain to be more focused instead of wanting to explode with a hundred different thoughts.

I was so excited by what I found and wanted to share these amazing resources with you. So here are some unconventional ways to journal:

The 52 Lists Project is a book in which you will create a list for each week of the year. Each page will prompt you with different inspirations and ideas for making lists to help with your own self-discovery and expression. Some include listing your favourite movie characters, the best road trip songs, places you want to visit, etc.

Not only are you prompted with what to list, but it gives you the opportunity for self-reflection.











642 Things to Write About is a wonderful book and resource for those of us whom writing comes a bit easier, but still experience the dreaded writer's block. If you want to be creative without sharing your works with others, this is a great way to stretch out those writing muscles.















Wreck this Journal: A creative and very unconventional way to journal, this book will guide you through "exercises" and practices for literally wrecking the book. You might be instructed to rip out a page and crumple it, or spill some coffee on it.
It forces you to make mistakes and be content with imperfection. A great exercise for those who tend to
 perfection. You are given full permission to be messy, to break a book and make it look used.  And even better for those who will get a great sense of relief from the messy and somewhat destructive instructions instead of solely relying on journalling as a writing exercise.

What's even better is that Keri Smith's collection of "Wreck This Journal" is now up to 5 different books/journals.





Finish This Book, also (partially) written by Keri Smith, requires you to literally help her finish this book. Inside is a series of missions - if you should choose to accept them - with guided instructions.

This book takes the guess work out of the equation and all you need to do is follow her instructions, using your own words and creativity along the way.










The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook was just one of several workbooks found in the Well-being book section that uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques.  These types of workbooks are extremely helpful for helping you get to the root of any emotional and mental issues you're experiencing.

This book will guide you step-by-step to help you recognize your feelings and the experiences that accompany them. It will help you to identify your triggers for anxiety and stress, and teach you how to utilize stress management techniques.

Workbooks such as this are wonderful when you feel stuck or when you're struggling to overcome a specific or general type of stress.

Remember that feeling...?

It's not uncommon for us to have issues with discipline, especially when it comes to food. That instant mouth-pleasure associated with sweet, salty or rich foods sends a signal to our brains, releasing dopamine and serotonin. We feel like we have been rewarded.

Not only do we feel rewarded, but we tend to use food as a reward. If I do (this), then I can have a treat. And we wire our brains to think that "junk" foods are rewards, even as children: "If you're good, you can have a treat." This is the exact opposite of what we should be doing. If you eat healthy, your body will reward you with increased energy, good sleep, clear skin and more even moods - but our brains don't receive that signal as instantly as a huge sugar-inducing dopamine or serotonin surge.

We remember that feeling and make a choice. But what about the feeling of being bloated? Heavy and uncomfortable with an upset stomach; Maybe you feel lethargic or get brain-fog and can't work afterwards. You have to loosen the belt another notch or change into your stretchy clothes.

But there is another way to send great happy-inducing signals to the brain and through the body: physical activity. We've all heard of endorphins - that wonderful release of happy-feelings from exercise - also known as the "runner's high." If you're not used to exercise, it can take a bit to get to this point, but it becomes stronger each time you do it. The reason for that is because working your body can feel uncomfortable for a short period of time. When overheated or during sweating, we release dynorphin - a substance that helps to cool us down but that also increases the amount of opioid receptors that endorphins bind to. By increasing these receptor sites, each time you release endorphins, you'll experience an greater euphoric feeling.

Yoga is another fantastic example of activity that will give you that incredible feeling. But even yoga can be tough. Where most of us feel the greatest is at the end of the class during the final Savasana (laying on the floor). You're focused, lungs full of oxygen and the work is done. Exercising is work - it's not supposed to be easy! The point is to put your body through a little bit of stress and then as you recover your body gets stronger. You don't increase your muscle mass during the exercise itself, you "stress" out the muscles a bit and then with the proper protein and carbohydrates (and water!), they repair themselves and are stronger with that repair.

Where people tend to struggle the most with healthy living and weight management is retraining the brain. We need to learn to give up that instant gratification of "junk" foods - sugars, processed foods, processed carbohydrates like bagels, muffins, cookies, cakes, even pizza.

When you only feed your body whole, nutritious foods, you will feel better in the long run, guaranteed. One of the ways to improve your discipline with foods is to remember how you feel after those sugary or gluten-heavy foods, and this can take time. When a certain food makes you feel sick or gross time and time again, you begin to realize that it's just not worth it. Similarly, with exercise, if you make it a regular occurrence in your life (daily or 4x/week), if you stop, you'll notice a difference in how you feel. For example, if I haven't gone for a run or done any type of exercise in over 3 days, I know I get more agitated, irritable, and my body feels sluggish and stiff. So I go back and remember what it feels like to finish an awesome workout and that drives me to go and do it.

We need to reprogram our brains. Remember how good it feels to finish a workout, remember what it feels like when you've eaten clean for a week or longer. Then compare that to how you feel after bingeing on Oreos, or to how you feel after going to yoga once a week to not going at all. Get back to feeling good and don't let deceptive sugar trick your brain. Sugar should not be your reward. Feeling amazing and keeping diseases and illness away is the reward: Living your healthiest life and being able to share that with your friends and loved ones.

Do we really need to take supplements?

Supplements have gotten a bit of a bad reputation much to do with the lack of proper regulation. The media has reported that some products have been found to not contain the ingredients listed on the label, or in much smaller amounts than advertised. I like to believe that Canada is a little more restrictive than our neighbours to the south; It's common to find many "performance enhancing" supplements filled with steroids and sildenifil or similar drugs (the generic form of Viagra) at gas stations around the country.

Regardless of these incidents, there are still many great supplement companies who perform third party testing and whose products are standardized to contain the exact compounds and amounts of those compounds in each tablet/capsule.

As a naturopathic doctor I'm extremely picky with which companies I prescribe or recommend. But in recommending a higher quality product, the cost of certain supplements also goes up. So do we really need to spend hundreds of dollars on supplements? Do they actually do anything for you?

That all depends on you, your diet and your health status. Most people don't need to take supplements to survive, but they definitely have a role in optimizing your health.

Here's an example: do we all need probiotics? We need beneficial bacteria in our guts for proper digestion (and many other things!). Without a good gut microflora we experience gas, bloating, constipation or loose stools. Long standing, we may experience low mood or depression and a lower functioning immune system, including skin rashes. By incorporating fibre (vegetables) in your diet each and every day we eliminate the need to take high doses of probiotics as fibre helps to feed the good bacteria in your large intestine. However, if your gut bacteria has been out of balance for a while, taking a probiotic can help to repopulate your gut faster and crowd-out all the "bad" bacteria. In this example, taking a supplement (probiotic) will help you to feel better sooner.

Supplements in general aren't needed by everyone, but again, they optimize your well-being. Sometimes I forget exactly how many supplements I take daily - there's a lot of them! But I truly feel better on them. For most supplements, it can take up to three months to feel an effect. In some cases you might not even notice a difference but your blood work says otherwise. For example, using a high quality fish oil to manage cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

I would also bet that 90% of Canadians have less than optimal vitamin D status. Due to our winters, and decreased sun exposure, many of us don't get enough vitamin D.  You may or may not notice any differences, but when your vitamin D levels are in a certain range, you decrease your risk for cancer, bone fractures, heart attack (men), and multiple sclerosis (click here for references).

I personally would still rather take multiple supplements now than to be on medications later in life, or even right now. By taking certain vitamins and botanical formulas, I'm decreasing my need to take ibuprofen (generic Advil) or naproxen. These over-the-counter medications have been around for years and seemed benign, but we've recently learned that NSAID's such as ibuprofen may lead to adverse effects such as heart attacks and stroke, as reported to Health Canada. Now someone who takes ibuprofen maybe once or twice per year is less likely to experience this, but for females who take Advil for 1-2 days each month to handle menstrual cramps... it all adds up, and personally it makes me very uncomfortable.

Instead I'll keep up with my fish oil, B6 complex and botanical formula (and even acupuncture!) to decrease the need for these pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories and pain relievers.

So do we really need to take dozens of supplements and spend all this money on them? That's an investment I'm willing to make and I encourage you to have your supplements reviewed by a naturopathic doctor. An ND can tell you if what you're taking is the best for your health situation, and also if the product you're currently taking is the best one for your money. As an example, several B vitamins such as B6 and B12 are available as cheap synthetic forms, but also as more bio-available forms - forms where your body doesn't need to take it and turn it into the "active" form. So what's the point in wasting money on a vitamin that you might not be absorbing? This is also a huge problem with multivitamins - but that's a topic for the next blog post.

The other issue is that we confuse all supplements with being "natural" when in fact many of them come with their own "warnings" or contraindications. Your individual allergies and health issues can be exacerbated with certain supplements, so make sure that you'r not just grabbing anything off the shelf - a naturopathic assessment is crucial for your safety.

Don't let the media influence you in avoiding all supplements. There are terrible companies out there and there are fantastic, responsible ones as well. Supplements are for improving your quality of life, preventing disease and optimizing your body's overall performance. We don't all need them, but they can really influence our health and proper functioning of our bodies.