Journaling has made a massive comeback in the mental health world, and it’s no surprise. Writing our complex thoughts and feelings can actually help you process what’s going on in your inner world. It helps you pinpoint feelings of depression and anxiety and bring greater awareness to your thoughts and feelings. There are many benefits to journaling for those experiencing overwhelming stress or emotions.
While journaling, many individuals feel like they are improving their self-talk, re-discovering themselves and feeling more grateful in their everyday life.
Journaling doesn’t have to be a time-consuming task either. You can take 10 minutes of your day and pairing it with counselling can be very helpful in sorting through emotions and bring you a greater sense of clarity.
The Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health
Having a record of your life is invaluable because it allows you the opportunity to look back and track personal patterns and behaviours over time. The records can allow you to reminisce and think about important events in your life and how you feel about those events.
Journaling also benefits those who are looking to gain some clarity about their thoughts and feelings.
This is also a good way to bring uncomfortable emotions to the surface. Acknowledging and dealing with negative emotions is imperative to helping us feel better. The more we try to ignore and push down negative emotions, the more momentum they build within us, until one day they pour out of us, ultimately causing more damage. Journaling helps us confront these negative emotions in a more productive way.
Journaling gives you the space to pause for a moment to consider what is going on in your life and helps you structure and organize your thoughts. The result is better conflict management, better problem-solving skills and clearer thoughts and emotions. Journaling improves your mental health by helping you process your emotions in a healthy way. Journaling in an effective tool that helps you:
clear your mind
identify and recognize fears, stressors, and areas of concern
reduce mental clutter, which gives way to an increased focus
let go of the past
achieve insight into thought patterns and behaviours
create positive self-dialogue
increase writing skills and creativity
Improve your relationship with yourself
How Do I Start a Mental Health Journal?
Starting a journal can feel daunting if you’ve never journaled regularly, however, there are some helpful ways to encourage you to start. Using these methods can help keep you on track and incorporate journaling into your daily routine.
Pick a Journaling Tool
There are many options for journaling tools available. If you love the feeling of free hand and can spare an extra few minutes a day, you may want to consider investing in a paper journal. This caters to those who enjoy the sensory experience of writing. If you are looking for something a bit more portable, a digital journal is easily accessible and can be stored as files on your phone for reference. Perhaps it’s a combination of both. Determine what method works best for your lifestyle, preferences and needs.
Time Yourself
Giving yourself an allotted amount of time helps you get your thoughts out and prevents you from feeling overwhelmed by having to take on a bigger task than necessary. 5-20 minutes is a good amount of time to aim for.
Date Your Entries
Dating your entities will help you track your patterns and progress and provide a historical timeline of events.
Just Start Writing
The best place to start is at the beginning. Don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, or grammar, this is all for you after all. Write quickly to get all of your thoughts on paper and don’t second guess the importance of thought. Just write. You will have the opportunity to review it later.
Review Your Journal Entry
Reading your journal entry after you’ve written it gives you the opportunity to process your thoughts and emotions.
Write Often
Pick a time of day that works best for you and stick to it! Writing regularly will help you stay in touch with how you feel and what you think. This builds a habit that allows you to process and reflect on your mental health in a healthy way.
How to Write in a Mental Health Journal
Writing shouldn’t add any more stress to your life, the point of journaling for mental health is to provide clarity to your thoughts and feelings, free your mind from mental clutter, and ground you in the present moment.
This can help alter the way you approach problems, and how you react to your thoughts and ultimately help you process your emotions in a healthier way.
Some tips for recording your thoughts in a journal:
express your thoughts, ideas, dreams and emotions without judgment
write the first thing that pops into your mind without judgment
write in a free-flowing way
acknowledge, process, and release the negative emotions attached to your thoughts
document physical and emotional feelings that may pop up (ie anxiety, anger, chest tightening, sadness etc..)
read and reflect on your entry in a compassionate way
find a quiet place to write
create time to write, set aside 15-20 minutes a few times a week
Journaling Prompts for Beginners
Like everything, journaling requires practice, and for those who have never done it, you may be wondering where to start. When journaling for mental health, writing about the things that you are happy about is just as important as dealing with negative emotions.
We don’t always experience life through one lens, so documenting your entire experience can help remind you of how you cope during stressful times and help remind you of your strengths.
Here are some journaling topics that will be helpful in keeping your mental health in check and to recognize more of the things that bring you joy.
I feel anxious about…
5 things I am grateful for today…
What qualities do you consider trustworthy in another person?
How do you show kindness or compassion to others?
What not-so-nice qualities about yourself do you think can be improved?
How do you draw strength from loved ones?
What traits do you value most in potential partners?
What do you fear most?
What three things could use some work in your current relationship?
Where do you see yourself in 3 years?
When do you feel most happy?
Write a letter of forgiveness to yourself.
What or who motivates you the most?
How do you let go of negative feelings?
Describe what you like to do when you’re feeling low?
Name three things that are working in your relationship with your parents/friends?
Which part of your daily life causes frustrations and how do you cope?
Describe yourself in 10 words. Then describe yourself in 10 words you would like to be. How can you transform your behaviour/thoughts/emotions that are more in line with who you want to be?
When do you feel most confident? When do you feel like it’s harder to love yourself?
Describe one or two significant life events that helped shape who you are today.
What do you want to accomplish most in life?
What are some signs that my mental health is suffering?
Final Thoughts
There are many benefits of journaling for mental health. It is a healthy way to understand your emotions and the experiences that affect your daily life. It also gives you space to reflect, understand yourself better, and deal with stress in a positive way.
Journaling paired with counselling is a great way to manage your emotions. This can arm you with coping strategies that can help you untangle difficult emotions, understand yourself better, and create healthier relationships in your life.
If you are interested in exploring the benefits of counselling or specific therapy methods (ie: EMDR therapy in Vancouver), get in touch today. One of our counsellors is waiting to hear your story.