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The original was posted on /r/lifeprotips by /u/islander9605 on 2024-09-16 16:23:07+00:00.

I’ve been tracking my emotions multiple times a day for the past year, because honestly I find the brain and how we form habits fascinating. I’m using tracking to reflect on my emotions/behaviours and making adjust to my behaviours in small ways each day. Here’s a few tidbits I’ve learned in the past month:

• I didn’t realise how habitual my social behaviours were. Tracking my emotions has allowed me to deeply reflect on how my relationships make me feel—whether I feel accepted, connected, or something else. I realized one long-standing friendship I had was bringing me anxiety and discomfort, and making me feel less than. For the first time, I accepted how I felt and decided to end the friendship. It was terrifying, but looking back, I feel sad that I might have hurt the person by being honest, but I don’t actually miss them. Instead, it feels like I now have space to build stronger bonds with people who support and encourage me.
• When you start recognising habits that no longer serve you, you end up with a lot of free time, and that’s where restlessness can kick in. I finally got the courage to take the bike I purchased earlier this year out for a couple of errands. I’m not ready for the Tour de France, but I get why people love biking. It’s grounding, gives my racing thoughts something to focus on, and honestly, being hypervigilant is kind of useful when you’re trying not to get run over! Plus, it’s faster than walking and quicker than the buses in London.
• I’ve built a better relationship with chores through reflecting on how they make me feel. After i’ve tidied up my mind is clearer, and its satisfying to wake up to a full wardrobe of clothes after you’ve done laundry. I’ve started thinking of these things not as chores but as self-care. Once I did that, they stopped feeling like a burden and became something I do to make myself feel better—and it’s taken away the resentment I used to feel about doing these tasks for others.

These are probably things you’ve heard in self help advice, but I’ve found tracking my emotions and reflecting on them seems to protect positive habits and also re-enforce them, so here’s some inspo. Anyone else tried something like this?