The One-Sentence Journal Habit That Helped Me Heal From Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Right now, I’m supposed to be doing “life admin.” My inbox is overflowing, there are 20 cases of Girl Scout Cookies stacked in the dining room that need to be sold by next week, and I’m due to coach my kid’s sports team in an hour. Instead of replying to emails or solving cookie logistics, I’m laying down with my dog, breathing in her musky funk and gazing into her loving eyes.
I’m resting, because I have to.
I have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), an under-researched condition that leads to debilitating flu-like symptoms, all worsened by physical or mental exertion. I don’t rest daily, I risk becoming bedbound again and not being able to take care of my kids… or myself.
Today I need rest, but you might need something else.
Introverts need alone time, creators need time to make stuff, highly sensitive people need quiet, folks with ADHD need structure. If you’re a parent, you know how explosive it can be when a baby or toddler’s basic needs go unmet. Even worse, unmet grown-up needs often lead to problems with our mental or physical health.
That’s where my One-Sentence Journal Habit comes in. This simple, daily practice helps me slow down, tune in, and give myself what I need most. (You can find other versions of the one-sentence journal from Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project and James Clear’s Atomic Habits.)
Step 1: Ask, “what do I need today?”
I first heard this prompt in a chronic fatigue support program. It stuck with me because it cuts right to the heart of recovery — any kind of recovery.
Why does it matter where I learned it?
Because my larger point here is that our needs are not merely annoying, confounding, and disruptive to our plans. They’re messengers — and potent sources of wisdom.
The momentum of our everyday lives is like the current of a river, pulling us toward largely inconsequential things like email triage. When we stop to listen our needs, we step out of that rushing river and onto the firm ground of our inner knowing.
What is your body telling you?
Close your eyes and do a quick “body scan,” or a mental inventory of the sensations you’re experiencing from head to toe.
When people do this, they discover all sorts of things. For example, a person in chronic pain may observe the many body parts that are pain-free. A workaholic may discover an ache at the occipital muscles at the base of the skull, where we contort our heads to see our various screens. A person working on integrating more play into her life may discover that she feels ready, perched at the edge of her seat, and available for engagement. Each of these sensations offers a clue to what you need today.
What is your schedule telling you?
Reflect on what’s in store for today. Are you booked solid through lunch? Are you in for a long stretch of solo parenting? Does your day have a “deadlines approaching” vibe or more of a “breezy pajama day” vibe?
Importantly, this isn’t the moment to answer with a bunch of “shoulds.” If you think you should exercise today, the answer to “what do I need today” isn’t necessarily exercise. This is the moment to listen and let your intuition speak up, not your sense of obligation.
What areas of wellness might you consider?
Reflect on your cognitive, emotional, or social wellness. Perhaps add a category in which you know you could use support, such as mental health or gut health.
On any given day, a person’s reply to the “what do I need” prompt may be: morning tea outside, a phone call with a friend, focused work on an important project, time to be silly, a long walk, listening to music in the dark, more social or intellectual stimulation, an earlier bedtime, or just more fiber.
The only wrong answer to this question is the answer that doesn’t reflect a genuine, felt need.
Step 2: Figure out how to give yourself what you need.
Pick a concrete time and place to do your thing. Since I’m suggesting this as a daily practice, I am also suggesting that the best time and place is here and now. Unless you are an astronaut on a lunar mission, you can probably give yourself what you need in the next few hours.
For example, schedule a convenient time to take that walk or text a friend to set up a phone call, or perhaps best of all, simply do the thing immediately and get it off your to-do list as soon as you put it on. Need play? Get outside with the dog and chase her around. Need rest? Google “Yoga Nidra,” a deep sleep-like mediation, and find a cozy spot to lay down. Need novelty? Seek out a new lunch spot or plan to browse at your local bookstore for a new title.
The point here is that we’re identifying our needs and making a plan to fulfill them.
I got in the habit of planning each day while I was in the throes of chronic fatigue. It may seem like a strange time to come to daily planning, but when you’re disabled from work the days stretch on and mental health decline can be the biggest threat. I found if I planned my days I felt more in control of my recovery during a time when I felt pretty out of control.
In many ways, the one-sentence journal habit is an opening to developing this enhanced sense of control over your day. If you can give yourself one thing, just one thing that you really need, it tends to become an anchor for the rest of the day.
Step 3: Write it down to help you keep your promise to yourself.
Why is this important?
First, numerous studies have shown that we are more likely to follow through with our plans if we write them down.
Second, when we write things down in the same spot, what some of us call “journaling,” we create a record that can then be used as data. Data that you can interpret and take action on.
Daily journaling, even one sentence, is powerful. In truth — and I don’t want this to freak you out — I currently have an eight-sentence journal habit. I know, it’s rock star level journaling. And I’m evangelical about it only because I believe that it can help you, too. But let’s start with just one sentence and see how we go.
Step 4: Repeat daily.
When I was in my twenties, I was a full-time yoga instructor. I practiced almost every day. What you learn from doing the same exact postures day in and day out is that our bodies are different every day. These subtle changes come into focus against the backdrop of routine. The same is true of your one-sentence journal habit.
The best time to do any daily practice is when you first wake up. So, if you want to give the one-sentence journal a whirl, consider grabbing a notebook and putting it on your bedside table on top of your cell phone or next to your morning coffee. You’ll increase your odds of completing it through this kind of “habit stacking.”
As a stretch goal, commit to the one-sentence journal habit for a month. One way to support yourself is to set your phone timer — now. Choose the “repeat daily” option and name the timer “one-sentence journal.” You’ve just increased your odds of adopting this habit.
Step 5: Begin to connect the dots.
While your phone is out, add a calendar event for one month from now. Call it “connect the dots on the one-sentence journal.”
On that day, here’s your assignment: re-read all your responses to the prompt “what do I need today?” Are there patterns? Does one set of needs come up regularly?
Once you get in the habit of observing and responding to your own needs, you’ll be surprised by what you learn. This is where you get to see if your current life design has room for you and your needs in it.
After you’ve gathered some data, ask yourself these questions:
A. What did you need most often?
B. How did it feel when you were able to give that to yourself?
C. If you weren’t able to give that to yourself, what do you think was stopping you?
D. How did having your needs met impact other people in your life?
E. What changes could you make to your routine that could help you get your core needs met more easily?
F. What feelings come up when you face your needs head on? What belief is under that feeling?
Step 6: Trust yourself to take care of yourself.
This is what it’s all been building toward. A deeper relationship with yourself. The belief that your needs matter — and that you can meet them. Whether you’re healing from chronic illness or just learning to take up space in your own life, this habit is about trust.
Trust between you and you.
