For most of my life, my notebooks and journals were always a safe space to release my innermost thoughts and feelings without holding back.
It wasn’t only my saving grace in hard times, but a way for me to express myself even when I couldn’t pinpoint how I was feeling. I’ve found that the times I stopped writing was when I was holding back the truth of how I felt, in hopes that it would either somehow improve or resolve itself eventually.
When we aren’t giving ourselves time to process how we feel and dive deep into our emotions, we only end up suppressing them more and more. After going through a heavy grieving season this year, writing became a healthy outlet for me that held me together like glue. No matter how real or raw my emotions felt, I kept showing up for myself, which made the biggest difference in my mental health and the healing process altogether.
Keep reading to learn how journaling can improve your mental health, along with the best practices to make it a habit and helpful journal prompts to guide you:
How Journaling Helps Improve Your Mental Health
Journaling has numerous mental health benefits including gaining clarity into our feelings, cultivating mindfulness, and improving our overall health and well-being. It helps us dive deeper and identify the areas of our lives that we want to change, while providing an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve been through and where we hope to be.
When I was younger, journaling became something I had to do every day. I made it a priority to write no matter what my day brought, especially since there were many times I didn’t know how I was feeling until I was able to release it on paper. Whether it was filling notebooks with random thoughts and hopes, or having designated journals for certain topics, the most important thing to me was just writing.
Journaling can help improve our mental health by sorting through our emotions and breaking down any barriers to help gain more self-awareness of our true feelings. A lot of the time, we might not even realize the deep-rooted emotions we’re holding onto until we can unpack them.
The Best Practices For Journaling For Your Mental Health
The best part about journaling is that there isn’t only one right way when it comes to getting started.
One of the journals I use now is strictly for free writing: where I write any and everything that comes to mind without giving it a second thought. I love this type of journaling because it’s an easy way to express yourself without overthinking any emotions or feelings. There are so many feelings that we might not even realize we’re burying until we’re about to release it. Free writing provides a space to do just that, without holding back or burying how you feel.
Other types of journaling include:
- Five-minute Journaling: Set a timer and spend five minutes reflecting on your day. You could also write down intentions each morning, and then reflect later at night, highlighting what happened. Even though it’s a short amount of time, it makes a huge difference getting in the habit of brain dumping each day how you feel.
- Bullet Journaling: A simple yet effective way to organize different areas of your life (exercising, meal prepping, setting new habits and intentions). I usually dedicate a blank notebook for this type of journaling, making bullet-point lists of each category for anything I’m working toward or want to accomplish. Plus, I love using different colored pens or doodling on the pages to make it more fun and creative.
- Journal Prompts: Prompts are helpful when you aren’t sure what to write about, but want to release your emotions and feelings. Prompts help guide you so you can reflect and dig deeper into how you’re thinking and feeling,
There isn’t a right or wrong way to journal, but the best practice to find what type of journaling fits your needs. You might also find it helpful to have a variety of journals, whether you want to brain dump how you feel in a blank notebook, or follow prompts for more guidance.
How To Make Journaling A Habit
The hardest part about starting any type of habit is getting started.
When I first started journaling regularly, I would typically do it at the end of the day when I was winding down. It felt easier to sort through my thoughts and the quiet time gave me the space I needed to truly reflect without any distractions.
Incorporating journaling into your routine begins with simply starting. Whether it’s only five minutes in the morning or at night, a midday break to sort through your thoughts, or even once a week: how and when you journal is what works best for you.
Related posts you might like:
- 6 Ways To Reconnect With Yourself When Feeling Lost
- 5 Small Changes To Help Transform Your Mental Health
- How To Effectively Manage Stress
20 Journal Prompts To Help Your Mental Health:
If you’re looking for a space to examine your heavy thoughts and feelings while learning how to process through them, check out these 25 journal prompts to help your mental health:
Self-Reflection:
1. How would I describe my mental health right now in three words?
2. What’s something that’s been weighing heavy on my mind?
3. What does self-care look like to me? Are there any habits I want to change or improve?
4. What are my intentions this week/month? Is there something I can start doing today that would set me up for a better tomorrow?
5. What situations or people have been impacting me lately? Is there anything I need to let go of to make space for?
Gratitude Reflection:
6. Something I’m currently grateful for.
7. A “win” recently that I’m proud of, no matter how big or small.
8. What’s something that brought me unexpected joy?
9. Reflect on the last three months. In what ways have you grown, and where do you hope to be in the next three?
10. What does mindfulness mean to you? How can you practice it daily?
Stress and Anxiety:
11. What’s a fear I’m trying to overcome? How can I reframe my mindset?
12. Have I felt any stress lately? How has it been affecting my mental and physical health?
13. What’s something that’s in my control (thoughts, mindset) and something that’s out of my control (circumstances)?
14. My favorite self-care activity when I feel overwhelmed.
15. What lessons have I learned from past situations I felt anxious in? What can I remind myself when things feel out of control?
Healing and Growth:
16. Reflect on a past or current mistake. Is there anything you need to still forgive yourself for?
17. How do I handle change? Do I lean into it or shy away from it?
18. List your non-negotiable boundaries. Are there any you need to set or strengthen?
19. An area of my life that I hope to grow in the next three months.
20. Where was I at mentally at the start of the year? Where am I at now?
Daily Mental Health Prompts:
21. How do you feel today?
22. List two things you want to focus on improving this week.
23. What are three intentions for the day and what do you hope to accomplish?
24. A way you gave yourself grace today, even in the hard moments?
25. Something you’re looking forward to tomorrow.
Learning what journal method is best for you might be a trial and error process. It isn’t always easy expressing your innermost thoughts and emotions, but you’ll feel a weight off your shoulders once you’re able to let go. Your mental health matters and is the most important to take care of, even if it’s releasing how you feel one word at a time.
