Journaling for Mental health

Why Keep a Journal

There are many reasons to start journaling for mental health. Writing helps your creativity flow. It helps you solve problems, track your personal patterns of behavior, and be honest with yourself about what you’re feeling in your everyday life. Keeping a journal allows you to write down honest thoughts and feelings you may not be able to share with others.

What to Write in a Journal

Figuring out what to write in a journal is one of the toughest things about starting a journal in the first place. Don’t worry if it doesn’t go as smoothly as you want it to the first few times. Like anything else, journaling is something you need to get used to and comfortable with. You can write about anything from events that have impacted you, your inner thoughts, creative ideas, a recap of your day, goals you want to achieve, your thoughts on a book, movie, or play, moments that bring you joy, moments that bring you pain and hurt, memorable places you’ve visited, mouth-watering meals you loved, your favorite hobbies, etc.

How to Start a Journal

There are different types of journals you can create for yourself, depending on what your goals are for your getting into journaling. Journaling shouldn’t feel overwhelming. Start off small and if you’re wondering what to write, give yourself a simple task such as writing down 5 people you talked to that day. Getting into the habit of journaling is the first step. Here are some tips for starting your journaling journey.

Time Yourself. A good way to start journaling is giving yourself a time limit of 5 or 10 minutes to get your thoughts down on paper. If you leave it open-ended it might start to seem daunting or you may start to get bored. When you have a set time, you’re more likely to make time for journaling in your day rather than thinking you need to sit down and devote hours on end to it.

Use Paper Only. It is possible to journal on your laptop or phone, but it’s best to avoid screens and write in a notebook instead. Allow yourself to slow down and really immerse yourself in the creative process of journaling. Take your time to complete your thoughts and write them down on paper. It’s a nice break from our screen-driven world.

Date Your Entries. Dating your entries allows you to look back and reflect what’s been happening in your life and how you’ve felt at different times in your life. This can be incredibly insightful. It also shows you gaps between your entries, which is helpful to reflect on and keep track of.

Be Truthful. Your journal is yours and yours alone. Allow yourself to write down the truth about what’s going on in your life and how you’re feeling about it. Don’t talk yourself out of accepting what you’re really feeling. Take your time, go slow and let the truth flow out.

Re-read Your Entries. There’s something important in every journal entry you write, even if you don’t see/know it when you’re writing it. Always keep your journal entries and re-read them. They’ll offer lots of insight at a time you need it most.