Find Clarity & Calm: Journaling as a Mental Health Practice

What is Journaling for Mental Health?

Journaling for mental health is the practice of putting down your thoughts and feelings on paper or in an online diary. This practice can help you think more clearly by getting strong emotions out of your head. Journaling has many benefits, especially if you struggle with stress, anxiety, or depression. Keeping a journal can help you gain better control over your emotions and improve your overall mental health. Studies have shown that journaling can help to improve mood, promote better sleep, and increase self-confidence. 

Common Questions About Journaling and Mental Health

Does journaling actually help mental health?

Research suggests that journaling does result in improved mental health along with better social interactions and physical well-being. Additionally, journaling can improve certain behaviors and habits. 

Can journaling help with a specific mental illness?

Further research is needed to understand the benefits of journaling for specific mental illnesses. Nonetheless, given that journaling does not require many resources and has a low risk of adverse effects, it can be used as an adjunct therapy to evidence-based treatment for a specific mental illness. 

Who can benefit from journaling?

Everyone can benefit from including journaling as part of their everyday life. However, people with elevated anxiety symptoms or those who have suffered a traumatic event in the past may benefit from journaling the most. Check out our blog “What are the Symptoms of PTSD?”

How to do journaling for mental health?

To do journaling for mental health, you simply have to write down your thoughts and feelings every day. Pick a convenient journaling time and set a time limit, for example, 20 minutes. Try to write at least a little bit every day. Use your mental health journal to process your emotions or work on self-improvement goals.

How to do therapeutic journaling?

You can do therapeutic journaling by keeping a regular journal in which you write about your emotions. Your journal entry should include events in your daily life that cause both positive and negative emotions, such as anxiety, grief, anger, or joy. Therapeutic journaling is different from keeping a diary in that it does not simply record daily events but also the emotions associated with them. This form of emotional expression can help you deal with stressful, upsetting, or traumatic events in your life. 

What are the types of mental health disorders?

Mental health disorders are broadly classified into the following types:

• Mood disorders such as major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder

• Anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobias

• Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorder

• Trauma-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder, paranoid personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder

• Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia

• Substance use disorders such as alcohol and illegal substances

The Immediate and Long-Term Mental Health Benefits of Journaling

Short-Term Gains: Emotional Release and Symptom Management

The short-term benefits of journaling on mental wellbeing include:

• Relieving stress 

• Improving anxiety

• Reducing depressive symptoms

• Improving cognitive processing

• Learning self-reflection and self-awareness

• Identifying triggers for negative thoughts

• Focusing on things that are important

Long-Term Rewards: Enhanced Self-Awareness and Personal Growth

Long-term benefits of journaling include:

• Developing healthy habits

• Setting, working towards, and achieving life goals

• Overcoming fears

• Improving self-confidence

• Finding inspiration

• Building resilience

Types of Journaling for Mental Health

There are many ways to maintain a journal for mental health, including:

• A gratitude journal where you write down things for which you are grateful.

• A creative or art journal where you draw, paint, write poems, or paste images.

• A prompted journal where you answer questions that nudge you into sharing your deepest thoughts.

• An expressive or reflective journal where you delve deeper into your feelings rather than simply documenting stressful events.

• A bulleted list journal where you write short sentences to declutter your mind and improve organization.

The Science Behind Journaling: What Medical Professionals Say

The Link Between Journaling, Mental Health, and Neuroscience

Mental health professionals say that writing about difficult feelings or experiences can help you process emotions in a constructive way. Journaling encourages you to express your emotions. It helps you sort out your personal thoughts and feelings. Research shows that writing down anxious thoughts can lead to decreased mental distress. Journaling can, therefore, be a powerful tool to manage symptoms of mental illness, develop self-awareness, and achieve overall better mental health.

Keep in mind that journaling does not only consist of processing negative emotions. It also encourages positive aspects of mental well-being, such as expressing gratitude, living in the present moment, reflecting on positive life experiences, positive self-talk, and planning for future goals and achievements. Journaling can significantly enhance your mental health by fostering optimism, building resilience, and helping you achieve a growth mindset. 

Clinical Studies and Professional Perspectives on Journaling

Researchers have done many studies on the effects of journaling on mental health. Some of the major findings include:

Benefits of Expressive Journaling

Expressive writing about stressful, emotional, or traumatic events can result in improvement in both mental and physical health. Studies have found that people who journal regularly about mental health related topics for just a few minutes every day are better at stress management compared to those who write about neutral topics. 

Adjunct to Other Mental Health Services

Journaling is not something that works in isolation. People struggling with strong emotions can benefit from a range of strategies, including:

• Seeking social support, such as talking to a trusted friend or family member 

• Consulting a mental health professional

• Getting regular exercise

• Getting plenty of quality sleep 

• Eating a healthy, balanced diet 

Journaling for College Students

Studies have found that in addition to general medical patients, the benefits of journaling for mental health are especially important for college students. The fact that journaling is highly adaptable, requires minimal resources, and can be tailored to personal goals makes it an excellent tool. Young adults can use journaling to promote personal growth and improve mental well-being in many settings, including academics, personal life, and as an adjunct to psychotherapy. 

Journaling Styles

There are different types of journaling styles, such as blank page journals, journal prompts for mental health, gratitude journaling, anxiety journaling, bulleted list journaling, reflective writing, and reflective visual journaling. They can all improve mental health-related symptoms.

Online Positive Affect Journaling

With digital technologies becoming increasingly present in everyday life, online therapy and journaling can provide a more inclusive, participant-driven approach to mental health. Online journaling involves expressing your emotions on a public forum. This not only helps you deal with your own stress and anxiety but can also provide insights into your lived experiences. This can help your readers cope with their own stressful experiences. It is a low-cost, high-impact intervention that can reach people who do not have access to conventional treatments, such as in-person support groups. 

Journaling Strategies for Different Mental Health Issues

Anxiety: Using Journaling to Manage Worry and Panic

Journaling can help to reduce anxiety and decrease feelings of distress by helping you:

• Identify events that trigger anxiety

• Challenge unhealthy and negative emotions and thinking patterns

• Understand and face your fears

• Figure out solutions to problems

Stress: Techniques for Identifying and Reducing Stressors

Journaling can help to reduce stress by helping you:

• Remember what you can and cannot control

• Prioritize the things that are important to you

• Process your emotions in a more healthy way

• Plan for your personal growth 

Depression: Journaling to Navigate Through Low Moods

Journaling can be used to manage depressive symptoms in combination with other forms of treatment. Daily journaling helps to:

• Decrease psychological distress 

• Improve your outlook on life

• Become aware of your symptoms 

• Identify triggers that cause depression

• Gain perspective on negative emotions 

• Control negative patterns of thinking

• Refocus on positive aspects of your life

OCD and PTSD: Specialized Journaling Prompts for Healing

Specialized journaling prompts for mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can help you heal. In addition, journaling can encourage emotional expression and help people with these mental illnesses:

• Cope with difficult emotions such as fear, anxiety, and anger

• Change negative thoughts to positive ones

• Reduce physical symptoms such as body tension

• Restore focus on the people and things that have positive effects on life

Best Practices for Effective Journaling

Choosing the Right Journal: Blank Pages vs. Structured Prompts

You can write your mental health journal in a notebook with blank pages. Alternatively, you can purchase one with journaling prompts for mental health. Both forms of journaling have benefits. 

Dealing with emotions and feelings can be overwhelming. As a result, some people find a blank page intimidating. In such cases, structured journaling can help with deeper exploration by encouraging self-reflection and triggering memories.

Frequency and Timing: How Often and When to Journal

Try to write daily in your mental health journal. Journaling for just 15-20 minutes is enough to provide mental health benefits. You can do morning journaling (goal-oriented) or evening journaling (recap of your day).

Privacy and Safety: Keeping Your Mental Health Journal Secure

• Keep your journal in a safe place - a simple lockbox works well for most people. 

• Choose a boring cover for your journal so it does not invite curiosity. 

• Indicate your desire for privacy on the first page of your journal.

• If you are writing about a specific person or situation, use initials or code words to protect the identities of the people involved.

• Use a journaling app that is password-protected.

• Write on your computer in a hidden file or use a fake file name.

Combining Journaling with Other Mental Health Techniques

In addition to journaling, you can practice self-care by eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, getting enough restful sleep, enjoying relaxing activities, and staying connected with loved ones.

The Journey: From Starting Out to Establishing a Habit

How to Begin Journaling: First Steps

Time and Place

Set aside a time and place for journaling. This should preferably be free of distractions. However, don’t overthink it, and try to incorporate journaling into your daily schedule. Many people write in their journals during their lunch break at work or while they’re waiting to take the bus home after work.

Self-Reflection

Before you start writing, take a few minutes to think about your day and the emotions and thoughts you experienced. Then, begin writing about your deepest thoughts without holding back. Try to write for 15-20 minutes, but a shorter or longer time is also okay - whatever works for you. After you finish writing, read your writing and pay attention to how this makes you feel. Notice any changes in your emotions after you read your journal.

Overcoming the Blank Page: Journaling Prompts for Mental Health

If you don’t want to purchase a journal with prewritten prompts, you can use your own prompts, such as:

1. List 10 things you’re grateful for

2. Talk about your goals for the day (start-of-day journaling)

3. Talk about the best and worst parts of your day (end-of-day journaling)

4. Write a personal or professional goal and list 5 ways to achieve it

5. List 5 coping mechanisms that work for you

6. Write down where you were 5 years ago 

7. Write down where you want to be 5 years from now

8. Write a letter to yourself when you were X years old

9. Describe yourself to a stranger

10. Write down 5 emotions you regularly experience

11. Write a love letter or motivational letter to your body

12. Talk about your biggest achievement

13. Write down what you’d ask for if you got 3 wishes

14. Write down your purpose in life

15. Talk about your earliest memory

16. Discuss your biggest challenge in life

17. Write down 5 things you would like to improve

18. Describe the best or worst day of your life

Making It a Habit: Incorporating Journaling into Daily Routine

Life can get busy, and journaling can take a backseat. Here are some tips to stay consistent with journaling for improved mental health:

• Buy a physical journal with a beautiful hardcover and high-quality pages along with a nice pen. The physical act of putting down a written word on paper can be habit-forming. A beautiful journal also makes the process of writing a pleasurable one.
• Add journaling to an existing habit. For example, if you watch TV every night, set aside 15 minutes for journaling before you start your favorite shows.
• Aim to write at least a little bit every day. It may not be possible to journal for 15-20 minutes on all days. For example, if you’ve had a particularly long day at work or your routine has been disrupted by travel. Still, try to write at least a few words in your journal. This will help you stick to the habit.
• Use journaling prompts for mental health to avoid becoming overwhelmed by a blank page.

Don’t focus too much on grammar or sentence structure. This can make journaling feel cumbersome. Just let your thoughts flow. 

Witnessing Change: How Long Until You See Benefits?

There is no fixed timeframe for how soon you will see mental health benefits after you start journaling. It is a highly intimate practice and an ongoing activity that you should aim to continue lifelong. Some people may notice a change in themselves after just a month of journaling, while it may take years for others. 

The common factor is that people who write in a journal regularly all report benefiting in multiple ways. Many people who have been journaling for years, even decades, say their journal is their conscience meter, therapist, best friend, and more.

Additionally, people who are in the habit of journaling enjoy reading their journals and seeing how far they have come from their past selves.

Complementary Approaches to Enhancing Mental Health Alongside Journaling

Lifestyle Adjustments: Diet, Exercise, and Sleep

Regular exercise: Just 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk daily walking, can boost your mental health. 

Healthy eating: Eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, and limiting alcohol and caffeine intake can improve your energy, focus, mood, and overall well-being.

Restful sleep: Sleep hygiene is vital for a healthy mind. Stick to a consistent schedule and get enough sleep.

Mindfulness and Meditation: Allies in Mental Health

Relaxing activities: Relaxation through deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, and wellness apps can enhance mental health and also have physical health benefits.

Hobbies: Listening to music, playing an instrument, reading, spending time in nature, and other restful hobbies can boost your mental well-being.

Social interactions: Staying connected with friends or family members can be a source of emotional support.