How to Journal for Mental Wellbeing (A Beginner’s Guide)
Originally posted on Medium, re-shared here with the permission of the author.
More simple than you’d think, and more cathartic than you’d predict.
What is journaling?
Journalling is simply the act of writing down your thoughts and feelings in order to understand them more clearly. Getting them out of your head and onto the page.
How it can help
The research and data on the efficacy of journaling is largely anecdotal, with systematic reviews of research on the subject not drawing any strong conclusions, mainly due to inconsistencies in research methodologies. Even so, this is far from cause to discredit journaling as a powerful adjunct in the maintenance of mental wellbeing. It’s a low-cost, low risk and self-driven practice that can be performed by almost anyone with access to a writing medium — and herein lies a great part of its power.
With just a pen and paper (or the notes app on your phone), journaling allows us to arrange our thoughts into something coherent enough to express through language, whether that's in sentences, paragraphs or bullet points is inconsequential — the most important thing is getting it down.
The power of clarifying our own internal dialogues cannot be overstated. Particularly for those suffering from anxious thinking or intrusive thoughts, creating an exit lane from the constant spiral of thinking is key to returning to a state of balance. Journaling provides just that. By requiring us to focus on one specific train of thought and follow it to its termination, we remain immersed in the thought as we work through understanding exactly what we think and feel.
As humans, we seek out order, that’s where we find safety. Oftentimes, once clarified we actually feel better about situations that previously felt overwhelming. Putting words to paper and then reading them back can offer us a new sense of perspective on the matter at hand.
Getting started
When new to journaling, out of sight usually means out of mind, so it can be helpful to keep your journal somewhere you’ll see it frequently. For example, I keep mine on my bedside table with a pen attached to it. Developing the habit of keeping it in the same place and writing at the same time daily helps to build the journaling muscle as it becomes a part of your daily routine. Protect this time, even if its only 5 minutes each day.
When & how often to do it
Journaling is best done, as mentioned above, at the same time every day in order to cultivate the habit. That could be first thing in the morning or last thing at night to clear out the mind, but preferably both. There are no strict guidelines or best practices here, each of us are different, so find what works best for you.
I would say however, there is something to be said for developing the habit before you need the habit. That is, if your mental wellbeing is taking a hit — as it does for all of us from time to time — having a tool like journaling well-practised and ready to go is helpful. Ideally, you don’t want to be learning how to journal in the midst of a crisis.
What to write
Literally, write whatever you feel. In whatever form it comes out of your pen, for any length of time that feels right. Bullet points, sentences, individual words — it doesn’t really matter. The act of doing it is cathartic regardless. Over time, you’ll find your groove and learn how you like to journal. Don’t limit yourself in any way: it’s for you and only you, and presents a snapshot of where you are in that particular moment in time.
Approaching journaling non-judgmentally is pivotal to the success of the process — when we begin trying to ‘get it right’ we lose the essence of why we began in the first case.
If you’re struggling to get going, consider use of journal prompts like the ones below:
What difficult thoughts or emotions come up most frequently for me?
Which emotions do I find hardest to accept (guilt, anger, disappointment, etc.)? How do you handle these emotions?
What parts of life caused me stress, frustration or sadness today? How did I deal with those feelings?
What are three things that frequently disrupt a good mood and bring me down? What strategies do I have in place to counter these effects?
What emotions am I holding on to?
Why am I doing x?
Why am I feeling this way?
What is causing these feelings?
Have I tried to take my ego out of the situation?
How can I detach my emotions from the behaviour of others?
All things considered, journaling is a more than worthy addition to the mental health toolbox. Its value lies not only in the act itself, but also in the fact that it can be done anywhere and anytime at little to no cost. Once the habit is solidified in place, we open ourselves up to a whole new plane of understanding ourselves. When we understand ourselves better, we can offer more patience and compassion, and work with ourselves rather than trying to fit square pegs in round holes.
