How to Start Journaling to Support Your Mental Health
If you’ve been around for a little while, you know that the practice of journaling has actually changed my life.
I started journaling for my mental health (as in not just “dear diary” style journaling, lol) back in 2016 and it has done wonders for my mindset and overall well-being. So before we dive into how it truly affects your mental health, let me give you the definition of what mental health is.
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make decisions.
So, what is Journaling?
Now when you think of journaling what comes to mind? Staring at a blank page? Writing your crushes in your diary in the 6th grade? Well friend, I am here to change that.
Journaling is simply writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. It is both a tool and a practice.
It’s a tool because it helps you modify features of a surrounding environment (your mindset).
And it is a practice because your journey of journaling is always growing and evolving - the work is never done.
Journaling equips you to name your emotions and desires by creating space in your mind by decluttering and organizing your thoughts so you can process them in a healthy way. It positions you to gain control of your emotions and improve your mental health by helping you: manage anxiety, reduce stress, and cope with depression.
Journaling helps control your symptoms and improve your mood by:
⋒ Helping your prioritize problems, fears, and concerns
⋒ Tracking symptoms to recognize triggers
⋒ Providing an opportunity for positive self talk
Okay so now that we went through what journaling is and what it will bring us, let’s talk about the how.
How to Journal
So here is the golden rule to journaling: It has got to be a judgement-free zone. You have to allow yourself the time and space to freely process.
Here’s a breakdown of the different types of journaling:
Note: these 3 types of journaling are not mutually exclusive.
If you ever get stuck when journaling, I like to use the WHY/HOW Onion.
Think of how an onion has lots of layers. As you peel back one layer, you expose the next. This works the same way, but with your thoughts. You take it layer by layer or thought by thought. It keeps you from feeling overwhelmed by having to write all of your thoughts at once and gives you kind of like a set of stairs to climb, step by step.
SO HOW DO YOU DO IT?
01. Write out the first thought that comes to mind in relation to what you’re wanting to work through.
02. Ask yourself: Why? Or how? (depending on which one makes sense in context). Write that response.
03. Repeat. Keep asking yourself why/how until you get to the root of something.
Here’s an example:
I feel overwhelmed. Why?
I’ve overextended my time and I’ve crammed too much on my plate. Why?
Because I’m scared that if I don’t do everything right now, I’ll miss my chance to succeed. Why?
My definition of success is based on how quickly I am doing something in comparison to someone else in the same field as me.
How to Continue Your Journaling Practice
So how do you find consistency in your journaling practice? Well babe, I have a treat for you. If you found this blog post helpful I promise you that you will LOVE the Peacefully Productive Journal™!
It includes:
⋒ A quarterly check-in that helps you reflect on the last quarter and prepare for the upcoming one
⋒ Monthly prep and reflection pages so you can make some serious progress on your goals without sacrificing your mental health and relationships
⋒ Guided morning and evening pages to assess how you’re feeling, practice gratitude, and keep your mindset in tip-top shape
⋒ A free-write page for each day so you can brain dump or write what’s on your heart 👇🏼
⋒ You get access to a library full of journal prompts (over 75) to get your juices flowing if you need it
Whether you’re a digital or paper gal we have both options!
I am so excited for you to start your journaling practice and want to leave you with this,
And hey, if you want to make extra sure that the Peacefully Productive Journal™ is a good fit for you, I’ve got some good news...you can actually download a sample of the 3 daily pages to take for a test run!
