Journaling for Mental Health

There are many benefits of journaling for your mental health; it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s a place where you can let all your feelings out, write yourself a letter, or write someone else a letter. When you feel overwhelmed, it’s a healthy way for you to get those feelings out and can be a great way to handle those feelings in between sessions with your therapist. 

Benefits of Journaling

• Manage stress
• Reduce anxiety
• Cope with depression
• It can speed up the healing process
• Regulate your emotions

Why you should journal for mental health

Journaling helps you create a structure for all the chaos in your life, with work, family, children, and every day stresses. It allows you to get to know yourself and your feelings. If you’re new to keeping a journal, try starting with a few pieces of paper before jotting down your thoughts and feelings. If you express yourself better by drawing, do just that. Do whatever feels comfortable and works best for you. If you think this has helped you, look into getting a dedicated journal or sketchbook. On the other hand, if you’re not into writing with pen and paper, you can use some form of digital journaling. 

Make it a habit

The most important aspect of journaling is remaining consistent. This is your time to organize your thoughts and feelings. Pick a time you can dedicate to journaling. It can be first thing in the morning or just before bed. You don’t have to spend much time writing at first – do what feels right. If that’s a few minutes or an hour, as long as you think you got the most out of the time you spent journaling. Some mental health professionals recommend setting a timer for 20 minutes, or you can keep writing if you go past the timer. If you find yourself wondering what to write, you can look up journal prompts to help guide you through the process. 

Tips for effective journaling:

• Don’t judge your experience; many people do this too often before they allow themself to have the experience. 
• Don’t worry about grammar and correctness. Let your thoughts and feelings flow.
• Don’t go in with expectations.

If you’re in therapy, you can go over your journal with your therapist, but however you treat it, it’s up to you. It can be something you keep private or share with friends, family, or anyone you’re comfortable with. 

Journaling is a great way to manage the many things we go through in our lives. It helps keep you in touch with your feelings, express yourself, and work through the things going on in your head. Whether it be sadness, happiness, anger, or coping with mental health disorders – keeping a journal has many benefits for managing mental health. 

At Mountain Vista Psychology, we can help you work through your anxiety and teach you how to overcome it. Our therapists are ready to talk. For a FREE consult, please email us at info@mountainvistapsychology.com or call us at 720-583-9339.