Tips for Journaling for Mental Health
4 minute read.
Journaling for Mental Health.
This piece is being posted at the start of 2022, which I have dubbed “The Year of Hope,” whether it wants to be or not. Over the past 20 months, many of us have had to face the hard truth that we can only control what is immediately in front of us.
You may have read that first paragraph and thought, “Nah, that has been my life.” Fair - considering the oppressive nature of our nation’s institutions (schools, hospitals, government, law enforcement), I believe you. I also think that many people who were unfamiliar with lack of access before March 2020 became familiar with it, to a certain degree, over the past 2 years.
Lack of access has always (and will likely always) be a massive issue in the US, and the pandemic solidified that for many.
So why make a blog post about tips for journaling? Because journaling helps me, it helps my clients and my friends - it just helps. There is never a better time to learn more ways to practice mindfulness and self-reliance than now. In 2022, The Year of Hope.
Want to know something cool? I believe in you. I believe that making a habit of journaling can be helpful to you and I believe that you can commit to it.
Why is journaling good for mental health?
What’s the deal? Why is journaling important and why does it help? Journaling can help you process and organize your thoughts. It helps soothe anxiety symptoms and lifts your mood when you are experiencing depression. It provides an opportunity for you to reconnect with yourself, have a private moment to reflect and challenge your mind to think beyond your daily tasks.
Try this. Sit still and take the biggest inhale you’ve taken all day, while thinking about a minor annoyance that has been bothering you today. Now exhale, imagine your vision of this minor annoyance expanding, so you see more than just the annoyance, but also the causes, the people and the systems that created it. Keep breathing like this. After a few rounds of breath, it’s likely that you now have more information and feel more equipped to manage the minor annoyance. You may also feel less personally targeted by this minor annoyance. That is what journaling offers you, an expanded view of something you’re stuck on. It gives you perspective, it gives you a release.
Ready to learn tips for journaling to improve your mental health? Solid, here we go!
Tips for Journaling for Mental Health.
Lower your expectations.
Many wellness activities that have gained recent mainstream popularity can be intimidating (think meditation and yoga) and journaling is no exception.
If you are feeling this, do yourself and kindness and adjust your expectations. Decide what your goals for journaling will be and give yourself space to meet those goals. Maybe you’d like to recap your day and internally process, maybe you want something to look back on in the years to come.
Allow yourself time to get good at journaling, allow the discomfort that comes with trying something new, be curious about how your body and mind respond to it.
Your journal entry can be as short as a few words. Try not to get hung up on the length - or look - of your entry.
My favorite mantra “Be kind to yourself,” may come in handy at this time.
2. Have a special spot where you journal.
No, you do not need a dedicated meditation room, a sun room full of plants or a necessarily quiet area (all those do sound nice). I’m talking about leaving your journal in the same spot everyday (visible or not, depending on the level of privacy in your home). That way, you can sit down and begin unhindered, saving the suffering of needing to locate your tools in order to complete your project.
Currently, I sit by a window in the kitchen of our second floor apartment that overlooks our small street.
3. Have a dedicated notebook/journal that is only for journaling.
No daily planners, your old Calculus notebook from grad school that still has notes in it, and especially nothing that has to do with work.
This helps establish that your journaling is only meant for helping you. It sets a nice boundary between you and the many demands of life. I am a big fan of protecting your precious time and energy.
You can pick up a journal at your local pharmacy or craft store.
4. Pick a journal prompt.
Google is a wealth of knowledge. For the past 6 months, I have been posting a journal prompt every Friday on my professional Instagram.
Prompts are super helpful because they give you a definitive topic to write about or a question to answer. This allows you to grow accustomed to processing internally, which is a big part of journaling. Eventually you can move on to the next tip…
5. Decide who you will be writing to when journaling.
While you write, are you writing to the journal or to yourself? Both have benefits. Writing to the journal may feel more comfortable, like a conversation, while writing to yourself may cultivate a greater sense of privacy and trust.
If it helps, decide between these two: “I did this today” vs “You did this today” (both describing you). Which sounds/feels more comfy? It may sound silly, but having consistent language in your journaling can make it feel easier and more approachable, and we tend to stick with things that are easy and approachable.
Personally, I switch back and forth and it still works.
6. Journal at the same time everyday.
This habit building piece is important on a few levels. One, you get the benefits of daily check-ins with yourself. Two, a reliable routine in times of uncertainty provides stability and symptom reduction and finally, you get to be good at something that is just for you.
You’ll notice that your mind starts to crave the release around the same time every day. It’s similar to when your body craves what is good for it (thirst when you’re dehydrated, need to get outside to clear your head, yogis report feeling the need to stretch between their practices, I’ve even heard of people craving vegetables and salads).
Working class and professional millennials/Gen Z in Pennsylvania - ready to start therapy?
Therapists and social workers - ready to build your dream private practice?
Thank you for reading!
Email contact@teletherapywithsarah.com with questions/comments/concerns.
Pennsylvanians - ready to start therapy? Click here, or reach out to contact@teletherapywithsarah.com for a free 20 minute consultation.
Very Best,
—Sarah
*Disclaimer - This piece was written by a straight, cis, able-bodied, white woman. Intersectionality (coined by lawyer, civil rights advocate, scholar and philosopher Kimberlé Crenshaw) tells us that ethnicity, class, sexuality and gender that differ from the above identifiers encounter more hardship and oppression.*
Find a therapist:
includsivetherapists.com
therapyden.com
zencare.co
thrivingcampus.com
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. Learn more
1-800-273-8255
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Text “START“ to 88788
https://www.thehotline.org/
