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7 Unique Habit Tracker Ideas for Self-Care
Last Updated on August 22, 2023 by Tracey McGrath
Keeping track of your healthy habits is a powerful tool. Sticking with healthy habits helps to maintain your overall well-being. Look no further for effective ways to track your habits. Here are seven unique habit tracker ideas that can help you stay on top of your self-care routine.
Mood Tracker
A mood tracker is a great way to keep track of your emotions and identify patterns in your mental health. You can use a simple chart or a more detailed app to record your mood throughout the day. Just identifying your emotions is a great first step to becoming more self-aware. You can note any triggers or events that affect how you feel. This can help you to identify your emotional patterns. Then you’ll be better equipped in the future to handle those same triggers.
For instance, you know a big business presentation always makes you feel really nervous. The night before you can journal about your feelings and plan to get plenty of sleep. Then plan for a fun activity for yourself after the presentation is done.
Gratitude Journal
Practicing gratitude has a positive impact on mental health.1 Consider starting a gratitude journal to practice gratitude and stay accountable. The journal itself serves as a habit tracker. Write down three new things you are grateful for each day. This exercise helps you to focus on the things you enjoy and feel blessed to have in your life. An instant mood boost! You can use a special journal like The Happiness Planner, a plain notebook, or a digital app to track your gratitude practice.
People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.”
Zig Ziglar
Meditation Tracker
Meditation is a powerful tool for improving mental health.2 Check out my article the Benefits of Meditation for more info! But despite all the wonderful benefits, it can still be difficult to make meditating a consistent habit. Use a meditation tracker to keep track of how often and how long you meditate. You can use a habit tracker idea like this one or a calendar also works great to keep track of your practice.
Digital apps are also great for making meditation a habit. I like the Headspace app as well as the Unplug Meditation App. Check out my review on the Top Mediation Apps for more info! As with all new habits, you’ll gain motivation by seeing your progress. Habit trackers help you to see your progress. With a consistent meditation practice, you will reap all the amazing benefits.
Sleep Tracker
Getting enough sleep is crucial for maintaining good mental health.3 Sleep trackers help to identify any issues that may be affecting your sleep quality. You can use devices like a Fitbit or there are also smartphone apps. These programs track your sleep duration, quality, pulse rate and any sleep disruptions. Or you can also use a simple paper habit tracker like this one.
You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret to your success is found in your daily routine.
– John C. Maxwell
Exercise Tracker
Regular exercise has numerous benefits for your mental health. It helps to strengthen your body, improve your mental well-being, and reduce the risk of many diseases.4
This is probably one of the most utilized habit tracker ideas. You can set goals for yourself and monitor your exercise. You could track your steps using a digital device. Or you can set a goal of 15 minutes of movement per day, and fill in what you did. Then simply check it off a habit tracker idea like this one.
There are also advanced fitness trackers that monitor your heart rate and calories burned. Regardless of what type of tracker you use, it helps you to stay motivated when you see your progress day by day.
Nature Tracker
Studies show that being in nature helps with overall mental health and well-being.5 And you get to experience all the beautiful things in nature. You can use these to spark creativity and gratitude. Just noticing the beautiful butterfly on your walk can uplift your day. Or perhaps getting curious about where a path goes in the woods and discovering a babbling brook. You can use a piece of paper to track or your calendar. I love these free coloring trackers you can download here. Or simply drawing a star on your calendar might mean that you met your nature time goal.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.
– Aristotle
Creativity Tracker
Creative practices are my favorite form of self-care. A creative practice allows you to do self-care in a fun and playful way. Remember coloring as a kid? The opening of a new box of crayons. And just coloring without purpose or need to be “successful”. Check out my article on the 7 Techniques on How to Relax Creatively for how to develop your creative practice.
Creative practices can help to reduce stress.6 Creativity practices help to spark thinking outside of the box. You’ll start to notice you find solutions for other areas of your life. Let go and play with art supplies to see what you come up with. Make a goal to do a creative practice for at least 7 days and track it using a paper tracker or your calendar. Get the whole family involved for even more accountability!
Let’s Connect!
I hope you find these habit tracker ideas helpful! Getting started is the first step. And tracking your progress will make you more likely to stick with your new habit. I teach stressed-out women how to reconnect with their creativity using mindfulness techniques and art. My digital course, Becoming Blissful, contains step-by-step exercises to help you develop healthier habits. So that you achieve your desires!
Successful people are simply those with successful habits.
– Brian Tracy
Frequently Asked Questions about Habit Tracker Ideas:
Find one that makes sense to you. That may be a digital app or a printable tracker. Download it or print it out. Fill out any necessary parts like days of the week or habit activities. Put it in a place to make sure you’ll see it every day or set a reminder on your phone.
Pick something that you want to change. Then work backward from what you want to achieve to a step that is achievable for you NOW. So, if you want to meditate for 15 minutes a day but have never tried it before. Find out what feels achievable now and make that your goal. Starting with 3 to 5 minutes or even 1 minute. Do what feels easiest for you right now. Build up the muscle. Then advance as you gain confidence and practice.
Whatever works for you! I prefer printable because I like to see it in the same place every day and make the physical check mark. But that’s just me. Try them both and see what you like best. Then pick one to stick with and get tracking!
References:
- https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/can-expressing-gratitude-improve-health#:~:text=Expressing%20gratitude%20is%20associated%20with,pain%20and%20risk%20of%20disease.
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
- https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/why-sleep-important
- https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm
- https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
- https://reset.me/study/study-creativity-can-reduce-stress-and-become-a-habit/
Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.
Tracey McGrath is an artist and pharmacist. She is on a journey to share how mindful art can help women with their mental health. She is a certified mindful art teacher by the International Mindfulness and Meditation Alliance and a certified meditation teacher by UnPlug Meditation Studio. She is also a Duke Health & Well-Being Usui Reiki Level 3 Master Practitioner as well as a Certified Strategic Life Coach and Certified EFT Practitioner by Priority Academy. She earned her doctorate of pharmacy from UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2004.