Journaling for Mental Health
Writing is one of the oldest forms of communication. We’ve seen it in ancient civilizations such as hieroglyphics from the ancient Egyptians, to Instagram captions and statements. It’s a tool we utilize regularly; and yet when it comes to journaling there is resistance. Often people get stuck on where to start; finding prompts that resonate can be really challenging so here are a few ideas:
Daily Mood Tracker
Tracking your daily mood can be an easy starting point to journaling. Answering the questions “how am I feeling today and why”. This can be an easy way to journal for even a few moments to get into the habit. It can also help track patterns and themes that occur to inform you on your day to day life.
One Thing I’m Proud Of
Writing about one thing you are proud of can help change your mindset from negative to positive. It can be something as seemingly small as “I’m proud I got out of bed this morning”; some days that can feel impossible to do and it’s important to celebrate wins of all sizes.
Write A Letter
Writing a letter to someone or yourself can be a really useful prompt in accessing your emotions and thoughts around any particular thing. Write the letter to the ex you’d never send to express yourself. Write your inner child or self a letter- always address it as if you are talking to someone else. It helps when reading it back to yourself; it can feel more impactful when it feels like someone else is saying it to you.
Journaling can be accessible to anyone and everyone. Whether it is a note in your phone, a voice recording, or a physical journal you handpicked. It’s a great tool and way to express yourself and process things without having to involve another person. Journaling can also be used within the context of therapy, as therapy homework to bring with you to the next session, to help you process something sticky or think differently about a topic you’ve been working on.
If you care about Mental Health, please consider donating to our nonprofit, which pays for someone else’s therapy who cannot afford it. Donate here.
