If you’re someone that struggles to look after yourself, like I do, a wellness planner could be a great way to start taking care of your mind and body. Wellness journals can focus on a variety of aspects in your life, from water intake to meditation and reflection.
Related: The best mindfulness books to bring you a sense of calm
Reflecting and writing thoughts out onto paper can help promote a clearer mind. Whether it’s the fact that you take time out of your day all for your own personal gain or monitor your meals, sleep and goals, the whole approach is understanding your mind and body.
It's an act of self-care and will reflect in the way that you see both yourself and the world.
How to get the most out of your wellness journal
Write about you!
Wellness planners are all about you. Being honest with yourself is the only way a wellness planner can work to your advantage. Start by analysing where you’re currently at, and where you would like to be in the near or far future. A wellness planner is as personal as it gets, and during the process, you’ll find you may even learn more about yourself.
Make it a routine
Get yourself in the habit of taking this time for yourself, no distractions. If at first, you find it difficult, be kind to yourself and start once a week. It doesn’t have to be a part of your daily routine right away, find a time and a place that works best for you. You want to make this a habit you enjoy coming back to, a part of your day you look forward to.
Start small
At first, you may only feel comfortable writing a few words, and that’s OK. Start with the basics, like understanding why you chose to begin a wellness journal in the first place. What did you want to achieve with this? And where do you hope this can take you? Once you are comfortable with the little things and getting into your bigger goals, you’ll find yourself with more to write than there is space.
If you’re someone looking to work on your mental wellbeing and self-care, we’ve pulled together a few of the best wellness planers to get you started.
The best wellness planners for 2022
1 of 9Joy Wellness Journal
Whatsthebest Top Pick For 2022 This journal features plenty of prompts to keep you engaged throughout. Starting with a wellness map and pages for personal intentions, the wellness journal encourages meaningful reflection with regular body and mind check-ins. You can also get a month's free subscription to the mindfulness and meditation app Headspace when you order a Papier wellness journal.
2 of 9The Calm & Mindful notebook
Best for inspirationTake part in daily reflections, focusing in on specific areas of your life, becoming more aware of yourself in the present. With inspiration and small activities throughout, this planner pushes you to awaken your mind. It includes monitoring water intake, reducing screen time and acknowledging good deeds and gratitudes. These encourage you to make appreciation a daily habit, rather than an afterthought.
3 of 9Lovendu Wellbeing Pad
Best wellness pad for quick reflectionAn amazing affordable option, this wellness planner comes in the form of a pad instead of the typical journal. Perfect if you're looking to spend only a few minutes each day on practising gratitude and positive mental health. This Wellbeing Pad contains space for acknowledging gratitude, positive affirmations, feelings, water intake, mood, and room to write about self-care, meals, exercise or sleep.
4 of 9Smart Planner
Best for promoting productivityThe Smart Planner gives you the freedom to start and re-start at any time. This un-dated journal lets you keep track of self-development, happiness and mindfulness alongside everyday motivation to keep you productive. Take small steps every day and be one step closer to achieving your goals. Keep track of what's left behind, improve self-development, happiness and mindfulness with the SMART planner.
5 of 9Stay Grounded Gratitude Journal
Best journal for gratitudeAnother amazing pick from Papier, this journal focuses on gratitude, putting your appreciation onto paper. The journal features daily prompts as well as monthly check-ins, with uplifting affirmations, activities and mottos throughout. We love thelist of gratitude tips Papier have thought of to get you started. Plus, a month's free subscription to the mindfulness and meditation app Headspace when you order a Papier gratitude journal.
6 of 9LSW Mind Notes
Best for focused thoughts This gorgeous journal is aimed at sorting your chaotic mind into some sense or organisation; it's split into sections for your week, with room for 'thoughts of the day', what you're grateful for, how you're focusing your energy, plus motivational quotes, affirmations, and positive practices. It's jam-packed with positivity to help refocus your mind and become more empowered.
7 of 9The 6-Minute Diary Pure
Best for daily reflectionsThe follow-up version of the 6-Minute Diary, the 6-Minute Diary Pure features a new weekly routine and planning section. Highlighting scientific insights, this diary offers practical tips and brand new challenges promoting mindfulness, with a commitment of just six minutes each day.
8 of 9The Positive Wellness Journal
Best for creative reflectionsSplit into three sections; mind, body and soul. The positive wellness journal encourages creativity and positivity with spaces for free drawing, positive affirmations and evening reflections. You'll find everything you need inside this journal to nourish your mind.
9 of 9Lovendu Happiness Journal
Best journal for happinessHappiness is wellbeing, and we love that this journal is a tool to guide yourself on the path to a happier life. The structure of this journal is loosely based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. This is a motivational theory in psychology that suggests that humans are motivated to fulfil their basic needs before moving on to more advanced needs. This journal will take you through some of this hierarchy and strive for you to meet some of your needs and learn more about yourself. It will also make you reflect on who you are as a person and what makes you happy.
The verdict: The best wellness planner
All the planners mentioned above will send you down the right path in improving your wellbeing.
As a beginner to a wellness planner, we would recommend Papier Joy Wellness Journal to guarantee the best possible start. Beautifully crafted both inside and out, this mindful planner provides multitudes of inspirations and prompts to get you started on your wellness journey. Plus, a month’s free subscription to the mindfulness and meditation app Headspace when you order a Papier wellness journal.
Read more:
The best spiritual books to set you on a path of self-healing
Angelica Daujotas is a Commercial Content Writer at Bauer Media, where she reviews products for sites like What's The Best, Yours, Mother&Baby, heat and Closer.
Subscribe to the What’s The Best Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews and recommendations from Angelica and the rest of the What’s The Best team.