Injunction [What to do]:

Spend five minutes every day making a record of what you can identify as
having bothered you since the last time you did this discipline.

Why do it [Rationale]:

Paying attention to our feelings connects us to ourselves…to what is going on
with us. We don’t like the feelings of being bothered and there are powerful
influences in our lives that tell us not to pay attention. We learn to try very hard
to keep things from bothering us. As a consequence we become increasingly
disconnected from ourselves. Noticing what is bothering us is a simple but
powerful way to reconnect.

What it will get you [Promises]:

While in the short run you will be more aware of being bothered by the events around
you, and thus will feel more bothered, in a short time [usually a couple of weeks] you
will notice the “bother” subsiding. This is because most of what bothers us are things
we already know how to address but haven’t simply because we haven’t given those
things sufficient attention. Over time you will feel more confident and will be better
able to anticipate problems rather than having them sneak up on you.

Suggestions:

Try to do the journal at the same time everyday. Build it into your routine.
Most people find that doing it in the evening while looking back over the day
works best, but find your own rhythm.

Don’t do an extended narrative about each item. Keeping a diary is fine
if you want, but this is something else. Just note each item with enough detail
that you can identify it and then ask yourself, “And what else?” Try to find as
many items that are bothering you as possible.

You likely find the same emotional issues coming up day after day. If you
make a chart of these you can just check off the events that happen over and
over again. Try to group them into categories.

Some bothers are easier to identify than others. We can usually identify
“when others do things I don’t like” as things that bother us. A bit harder
to find are the “things they don’t do that I wish they would.” Harder still to
recognize are the “things I do that I wish I hadn’t.” And hardest to identify are
the “things I leave undone that I wish I had done.”

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by all of the events that are
bothersome, make a second log of all of the things that satisfy you. Do it in a
similar manner where the goal is to notice as many items as possible.