It’s been a minute since we’ve posted about self care around here (not that admiring artwork isn’t self care—beauty and creativity are important and valid!) and as I’m finally emerging from a rough-for-mental-health winter, the topic of emotional wellness is on my mind. Journaling is a practice I hold dearly for both my health and creativity, and I’m happy to see all the traction it’s gaining in my self care circles. But, I still feel like many people who coping with anxiety, depression, and chronic stress, don’t really know why it’s being recommended so much. Yes, there’s something to be said about getting out whatever it is on your mind—but what’s at work beyond that? It turns out, there are a lot of mental health benefits of journaling, you just need to find a way that works for you and make that a consistent habit in your life.
(Not to mention, the human brain loves routine, and routine is shown to be especially helpful for alleviating anxiety! One benefit right there.)
the mental health benefits of journaling
So, how can journaling benefit your mental health? Most mental health treatments and therapies past and present encourage journaling at some level, whether you’re practicing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Nervous System Regulation or trauma healing. It’s even a practice encouraged by some health practitioners to help reduce chronic pain!
The Energetic Release
Journaling has been shown to decrease anxiety and depression and reduce stress because it’s a practice that allows you to work through difficult emotions that are otherwise stored and can get “stuck” in the body. One immediate mental health benefit of journaling is this energy release that you feel after having “let it all out”. Spending at least 15 minutes expressing your feelings—whether it’s writing about a specific event in your life or just unloading everything on your mind in that moment—helps you release pent-up emotions. Increasing studies have shown the effect un-released emotions can have on our minds and bodies (I highly recommend reading The Body Keeps The Score if you’d like to learn more about this) and writing is a safe and private way to find relief and begin to move on.
Similar Benefits to Talk Therapy
Talk therapy has many benefits, but it can also be incredibly challenging. You may have trouble finding the right therapist, being able to afford one, or you may not yet feel like you can even begin to face certain thoughts and emotions, let alone discuss them with a stranger. Journaling is a powerful practice when you can’t see a therapist right in that moment, and the best part is is there for you at any time, for free, as often as you need. It offers many of the same benefits of talk therapy—in dialogue with yourself, you’re able to express yourself openly and freely; you’re simultaneously the one listening–without the roadblocks.
Just like talk therapy, writing in your journal has to be a regular practice for you to experience continued relief. And just like other forms of therapy, it is not a cure-all. It’s one of many self care activities that you can practice in combination with other healthy habits when seeking to increase your overall wellness.
To learn more about the benefits of journaling for anxiety specifically, here’s a past post on the topic.
Journaling to Boost Mood
While expressive writing can help you work through difficult emotions and situations, you don’t always have to write about what’s bothering you. Writing out the hard stuff is vital to healing, but it doesn’t always have to be a heavy topic. Sometimes when I feel down and can’t quite figure out why (and feel too exhausted to attempt to do so), I instead write about the positives. I make a list of everything I love about spring. Or all the events I’m looking forward to, or all the ways I’m grateful in that moment. I keep going until I feel well enough to get out of bed and move on with my day!
how to start journaling for mental health
Here’s something you may not know about journaling for mental health: there are no rules. None! You are doing this for yourself and yourself only. The topic of the day can be whatever topic you want it to be, or you can use prompts to guide you. You can journal from bed, at a cafe, or while on vacation. You can create a ritual around it or just pick up the pen when you’re feeling overwhelmed and need a little me-time. You can even destroy the paper after each session. I’ve done all of the above.
This also means that you can begin anytime.
For your first journaling session, I suggest starting now! Simply open a notepad and answer these questions:
- What do I hope to gain from journaling? (to feel better, to work through something, find closure, etc.)
- When can I make time for journaling? How long can I commit? Choose how many days per week you’ll write and for how long (at least 15 minutes).
- What or who can support me in this new self care practice? Maybe you’ll talk to a friend who has also struggled with mental health and swap tips, or maybe you won’t tell anyone but you’ll read self care books to keep you motivated)
- Spend a few minutes deciding which topics you’ll cover in the near future. If you’re not sure where to begin, here are some prompts we’ve posted in the past: morning pages journal prompts, journal prompts for highly sensitive people, journal prompts based on your enneagram type. You can of course also do a quick Google search for journal prompts, which currently yields about 86,700,000 results!
I hope you can reap the mental health benefits of journaling in some way. We are all deserving of self care and mental health support, and this is one of my favorite, easy ways to show up for my own wellness.
