One Of The Best Ways To Help Manage Your Chronic Condition Is To Keep A Symptom Journal

A journal sits on a table.

Dealing with a chronic condition can be challenging. Finding new diagnoses and treatments can be difficult when symptoms change quickly and fluctuate daily. One of the best ways to help manage your condition is to keep a symptom journal. This will help you regularly track your symptoms and identify patterns related to food choices, water intake, and even exercise.

What is a symptom journal?
A symptom journal is a diary in which individuals with chronic illnesses can record any symptoms they experience. A symptoms journal allows people to keep track of their experiences, which can help them identify what triggers the symptoms and what they need to do to prevent them from occurring. I designed a chronic illness symptom journal and planner that you can download for free below.

Why is keeping a symptom journal important?
Keeping a symptom journal is important for several reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that it helps you to identify patterns in your symptoms. For example, if you have a headache almost every day, you might start to notice that it develops around the same time of the day or after eating a particular food. Having your symptoms written down will let you look back to see if an outside factor is causing them. Another reason to keep a symptoms journal is that it helps you give the doctor an accurate view of your struggles. I have several medical conditions that were not taken seriously until I had documented the exact symptoms I was experiencing, along with the frequency.
It’s essential to keep a symptom journal because it helps you document how you feel. It’s also important to keep track of your symptoms because it might help you find out what is causing them. This can help you find a solution to some of your health struggles. Please consider sending a small tip if you find this printable helpful. Contributions from readers help keep this website going!


I’d love to hear from you! If you have a chronic illness, how do you track your symptoms? What other kinds of free printables would you like to see posted here?

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13 responses to “One Of The Best Ways To Help Manage Your Chronic Condition Is To Keep A Symptom Journal”

  1. This is very true advise! Early in my OCD diagnosis, my family doctor recommended I keep a record of my habits (hand washing, etc.) in order to get a better understanding or what and when I was doing it. But journaling can be used for a variety of other reason too! Thanks so much for sharing!

  2. I agree! Keeping a journal is so important. You get to know your symptoms and manage your chronic condition better.

  3. Having a specific journal to document everything is a really good idea. I used to keep a food diary when I had an allergic flare-up to see what foods were triggering it. The diary/journal was useful.

  4. Love that you made this free to print! I love using journals and logs to keep track of various things in my life.

    1. I do too! I really can’t get enough printables!

  5. Very helpful post. Managing a chronic condition is so difficult and zoning in on symptoms for doctors visits is so beneficial to the patient and doctor. Great suggestion to start a symptom journal.

  6. This is a great idea. I can see how useful it would be in terms of documenting your journey.

  7. Aaahhhh….this is always good for documentation purposes and better treatment of the conditions and illnesses. Personally, I use my Google Fit app. It does store all these info, for me.

  8. Great idea, I don’t go through this but it definitely will help people to deal with this. Thank you for sharing!

  9. I couldn’t agree more with the importance of keeping a symptom journal when managing a chronic condition. It’s an incredibly helpful tool for tracking patterns and triggers, and can provide valuable insights for both patients and healthcare providers. Thank you for sharing this helpful tip for anyone navigating a chronic illness.

  10. I definitely need one. I have been problems with my period/ ovaries and had been recurring for the past 5 years. I think it’s a great idea to start making note and journal the symptoms. Thank you for sharing the free printable. Appreciate it.

  11. […] One Of The Best Ways To Help Manage Your Chronic Condition Is To Keep A Symptom Journal […]

  12. […] One Of The Best Ways To Help Manage Your Chronic Condition Is To Keep A Symptom Journal […]

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