How To Journal For Mental Health And Wellness

As somebody who has been struggling with mental health and general wellness, I can attest that journaling has been a game-changer. My journey started with just using a Bullet Journal, and it opened a whole new journaling world that helped me do better every day.

Journaling can be a powerful tool for nurturing your mental health and overall wellness. It offers a space to unload your thoughts, process emotions, and gain clarity in moments of stress or overwhelm.

This quick guide on how to journal for mental health will introduce you to ways journaling can help reduce anxiety, increase gratitude, track moods, and even uncover patterns that may be affecting your well-being. I will also share some prompts and general tips to help you start with the practice and get the most out of it.

Journaling is a powerful therapeutic practice that allows you to explore your thoughts, process emotions, and gain clarity in your daily life.

Seriously, just a few moments a day to do some journaling can help you create a safe space to express yourself freely, without judgment or outside pressure. This simple habit can help you better understand your emotions, manage stress, and track personal growth.

One of the biggest benefits of journaling is that it encourages self-expression and reflection. When life feels overwhelming, writing things down can help organize your thoughts, making challenges feel more manageable.

It also provides an opportunity to recognize patterns in your emotions and behaviors, helping you develop self-awareness and build healthier coping strategies.

I can actually write an entire blog post about the benefits of journaling, but since you’re in this post, you’re probably looking for guidance on how to start with this practice rather than learning what you can get out of this.

So let’s dive straight into it.

How To Start Journaling For Mental Health

It seems pretty easy to start journaling – take a journal and go for it. But if you want it to be something you stick to long term, there are a few things to consider.

Worry not, it’s all easy and I’ll walk you through all of this step by step.

Step 1: Choose Your Medium

First, choose how you want to journal -is it going to be paper or digital?

I’m a die-hard fan of paper journaling, but doing things digitally might work best for you. You need to figure out what format works for you best so you can actually stick to this new habit.

The only personal tip I would give here is to write your journals instead of typing, whether it’s writing in a notebook or on your tablet. Just the act of writing, I find, brings a deeper level to the journaling, allowing you to take a second and think about what you write as you write it.

Step 2: Create A Routine

The best way to incorporate a new habit is to incorporate it into the existing routine.

Add journaling to your morning practice and write a few pages when you are having your morning coffee.

Whether you want to incorporate journaling into an existing routine or a new routine, be sure you treat it as a nonnegotiable date with yourself, and you have to keep it for your own well-being.

Step 3: Choose Your Journaling Style

Now that you have everything ready, let’s get to journaling, and for that, you need to choose how you are going to journal.

You might try freewriting, or take the opposite way and use prompts for your journaling session.

I’d recommend starting with prompts and seeing in some time if you have a feeling for what you want to write. Because I know when you are starting a new habit and just staring at a blank page, having a prompt might be a great help.

Either way, remember that there is no right or wrong way to journal, and please don’t worry about sounding eloquate pr not making any spelling mistakes. The goal is to let go of all the judgment and just flow with it.

And because I think prompts are a great way to start with journaling, this is the next thing we will be talking about.

Journaling Techniques And Prompts

Before we talk about these exact techniques and prompts, remember that they are here to help you get started and show you just a few possibilities.

You don’t have to follow any of these letter by letter, journaling is something personal, and you’re free to create whatever you enjoy and whatever brings you the best results.

If you’re new to journaling, try any number of these to see what works and which techniques work for your needs. You might find here the perfect one for you, or maybe you’ll get a combination of different things into one journaling technique that is perfect for your needs

Not sure what to write about? Here are some ideas to help you get started:

Expressive Writing

Just start writing whatever is on your mind. Whatever triggered your feelings of anything that causes you worry and anxiety at this point.

It can help you work through the emotions, see the situations from a different angle, and maybe make it easier to manage.

It can also be generally pretty cathartic just to get all those dark thoughts from your poor mind and onto the paper.

Gratitude Journaling

This is my favorite way of journaling, and it is actually a simple little practice that is perfect for you to start with, especially if journaling is a whole new ballgame for you.

List at least three things you’re grateful for each day. It could be anything from a warm cup of coffee to the friend who made you laugh. Shifting your focus to the positive has a ripple effect on your emotional well-being.

It can be something as simple as writing one word or one sentence, or you can make this prompt more elaborate and write deeper meanings on why you chose these particular things to be grateful for and what it tells you about yourself and your life.

Unsent Letters

Pen a letter to a person you’re struggling with or to your past self. The catch? You never need to send it. Writing without the fear of judgment can be incredibly freeing.

I personally love writing goodbye letters to people with whom we had to go our separate ways. It really helps to work through your emotions and really let go of the relationship.

Dialogue Writing

This is definitely a more creative idea, and you can really have fun with it and challenge your inner thoughts that way.

Have a conversation with a part of yourself, like your inner critic, your past self, or even an emotion like stress or anxiety. This technique can offer profound insights.

Create Lists

Everyone can make lists, so this is an easy idea to get you started with journaling.

Jot down whatever helps you focus and reflect. Some ideas include:

Things that make you happy
Coping strategies for tough days
Goals to strive for
Achievements you’re proud of

I also love this prompt because you can make it just as a list or have fun with it and get creative. And I think being creative in your journal is already by itself a great technique to improve your mental health.

Get Creative

And that’s why, of course, I had to add something creative to this list. Sometimes it’s hard to express yourself or gather your thoughts, so you might be a person who does it better in a creative format.

Try incorporating drawings, poems, or even collages to express how you feel.

And that’s about it, here is all you really need to know to get started with journaling.

The key is to start. Grab a notebook, download a journaling app, or even pull out your phone’s Notes app. Remember, every word you write is another step towards greater mental clarity and emotional wellness.

More Resources

I have, of course, plenty of other resources to help you with journaling and using it to improve your wellness and mental health.

Check out these blog posts next:

>>> What are your favorite ways to journal? Share with us in the comments!

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And remember: Keep Bullet Journaling, and Don’t Be A Blob!