Journalling is an absolute must to improve your mental health, free your mind and change your whole life!
There are just too many benefits of it to ignore.
Top of the list of reasons why journalling is such a great habit to start is that it is so super duper easy to implement. All you need is a pen and something to write on, or even the notes app on your phone or a Word document on your laptop.
There are no resources that you need that aren’t already at your fingertips. It’s FREE. How often is something that can bring you so much value, free?
As well as being free, and easy to find time for, journalling is proven to have little to no adverse side-effects. Sure, sometimes after a really deep journalling session, it can make you feel worse in the moment, but it’s very unlikely that getting it out won’t help in the long run.
You don’t have to be an amazing writer or a super creative person to journal for better mental health, no one has to see it (unless you want them to), it’s just a conversation with yourself, in a safe and private space – getting your thoughts out, making sense of them and getting past the things that are holding you back!
It can also help you sleep better, reduce stress levels, work through life’s challenges and achieve your goals!
As you can tell, I honestly can’t advocate strongly enough for how wonderful journalling can be for your life and mental well-being! Please, give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!
The HONEST benefits of Journalling
There has been actual research done into journalling for mental health, with positive results!
Now, it’s important to note that journalling itself is not a recognised treatment for mental health disorders, it will not magically fix everything you are struggling with. But, it can help you manage symptoms, take back control of your thoughts and calm your anxious mind.
Benefits of regular journalling include:
- Improved focus – by getting all those thoughts out onto paper (or screen) you allow yourself to solve problems and calm the mental chatter, which in turn enables you to focus on other, more productive and helpful things.
- Set and ACHIEVE your goals – making plans and committing yourself to your words can be a powerful tool to success and living your dream life!
- Identifying triggers and how they manifest so you can better deal with them in the future
- Overcome fears and thought barriers that are getting in your way!
- Improved self-confidence and belief in yourself!
- Turning that negative inner monologue into a positive and helpful friend
- Working through trauma and being able to accept and heal from your past
- Keeping life organised so you can be the best you!
I could go on, like I said, I LOVE journaling! It’s my number #1 top tip piece of advice if you’re looking to level up your life and change your mindset! There are no downsides!
Where To Start
Ok, if writing’s not your thing, don’t panic, it doesn’t need to be for this to work.
The key to success here is to make it a habit, and the way to do that is to do it daily! It doesn’t have to take a long time. Just taking 10 minutes in the morning or the evening to write a few things down can be a great place to start!
Wake up and make a note of what your intentions are today, what do you want to achieve, do you have any plans or commitments? What are you looking forward to? What acts of self-care are you planning today? Is there anything you are worried about? How can you manage this?
In the evening, think about how you felt today, what mood have you been in? Has anything significant happened today? What did you manage to get done today? (celebrate the little wins as much as the big ones!), Did anything trigger you? (what was it and how did you cope with it?), what are you thankful for today?
The more you have these quick check-ins with yourself the more they will become a natural habit and you will find yourself WANTING to journal, as you start to see the positive impact this can have.
Don’t overcomplicate it, just let loose and have fun with it. Sure you can write long poetic pages if you want to, but you can also draw little doodles and illustrations, brainstorm clouds and mind maps, bullet notes or diagrams… anything you want, this is YOUR space, fill it however you want to! Express yourself and enjoy it!
Journaling Prompts
Try some of these journalling prompts if you struggling with ideas on what to write:
- What are your biggest achievements and things you are most proud of?
- Where do you want to be in 5 years? – set 3 goals of things you want to make happen and how you are going to make this a reality.
- Write a list of your coping strategies – are these benefitting you and if not, what can you do instead?
- What is troubling you right now? – write a letter as if to a friend going through the same things – what advice would you give them? – reread it and take the advice!
- List 5 things are you grateful for today (I highly recommend gratitude writting EVERY DAY!)
- What do you love about yourself?
- Are there any people in your life right now that are bringing you down? How can you set boundaries and manage this relationship? Remember – it’s okay to cut toxic people off.
- What are the 3 biggest lessons you have learnt in life?
- Write a letter to yourself forgiving yourself for a past mistake
- Write a letter to your younger self – what advice would you give them?
- What are you going do to tomorrow to make it a good day?
- What motivates you or makes you happy? – make a plan to do more of whatever it is.
- What does happiness mean to you? – how can you manifest this in your life?
- Write a letter to someone who hurt you – focus on how they made you feel and all the things you want to say to them.
- Write about a time that you overcame a challenge. Focus on how well you did and how this made you feel. Use this as evidence that you can do hard things the next time your brain is telling you you can’t.
- List your strengths and things you are good at.
Journalling Top Tips
Here are my top tips to get the most out of journaling:
Do it daily
Make it a habit by giving yourself time every day to do it.
Start slow, take 10-15 minutes in the morning/evening to do a quick check-in or bullet journal about how you’re feeling or your goals etc.
Work up to longer sessions (20-30mins) as you become more comfortable with this process.
If you are having a particularly difficult time or are struggling with a certain issue you can give yourself more time to work through this where needed.
Make it enjoyable
Make yourself your favourite drink in your favourite mug.
Set yourself up in a calming and comfortable place to make this the ultimate act of self-care.
Use stationary that you love, coloured pens, highlighters, or anything you like to make it your own – I’m a big fan of stationary (nerd alert) so this really helps me get into it!
Write freely
Remember, this is YOUR safe space. You are writting for yourself, no one else!
Don’t worry about spelling or grammar or mistakes or any of that. Just let it flow!
As you write, don’t be worried about what others may think if they read it or how you might come across to someone else, don’t filter yourself, let it all out and you will reap the benefits!
Guided Journals
Finally, I just want to touch on the magic of guided journals!
If you have specific things you want to journal for, such as managing anxiety, building self-confidence or developing healthy relationships and you don’t know where to start, guided journals are AMAZING!
Some of my favourites are:
They have digital and paper journals available and cover a HUGE variety of topics!
3 amazing journals are available – confidence, self-love and Anxiety, as well as helpful worksheets (digital and hard copies).
Super cute and useful journals on goal-setting, self-love and wellness.
**None of these links are sponsored – they are just products that I have found helpful and wanted to share you with**
So, what are you waiting for, start today and you will see the amazing benefits of journalling for mental health!
I’d love to hear what you think in the comments and on the socials. Don’t be shy – reach out and let me know what else you want to see and how I can help you.
