Commonplace Health

I took some time over the last few days to create a health journal, in the format of a commonplace book. I wrote out sections for all of my health conditions, including diagnosis dates, care dates, medications and more. I didn’t fret if I couldn’t remember, but also got exact dates in whenever I could.

Laying it out like this felt GOOD. I don’t have to remember as much – and with things like dates, medication doses and more in one place, I can give clearer information to medical staff.

I highly recommend doing this for yourself. I have a way to take better notes after doctor visits now, and it’s already helping me. A personal health journal is quite practical, but also is mental and stress relief.

Related talks & stories

Fred speaking on this

Growing up as the only kid who looked like him in a small, unkind town — and the unlikely place an escape route showed up.

Written for a parent worried about their own child — about a family that went quiet after a loss, and the long process of learning to speak again.

Why he stopped celebrating his birthday, and what nearly thirty years of strange, sudden loss taught him about staying alive.

A childhood nighttime visitor, a phrase he didn’t understand until years later, and a piece of his family’s history he didn’t know he was carrying.

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