Journaling for Mental Health: Tips and Prompts
Why should i journal?
Journaling can be about emotional and cognitive purging, self-expression, creation, and so much more.
Benefits of journaling include:
Reduction in stress and burnout;
Having a space to express your feelings;
Processing trauma and/or negative life experiences;
Making more reasonable decisions;
Increasing your self-awareness.
If you’re hesitant to begin journaling, or not sure where to start, you can begin by:
Getting out something to write or type on;
Selecting a time of day to write;
Setting a timer for 5 minutes;
Answering a journaling prompt or coming up with your own;
Writing freely.
Journaling is not one-size-fits-all. There’s no wrong way to journal. As long as you have a place to write and an open mind to express yourself, you’re doing it right! If you start with a prompt and your writing takes you elsewhere, that’s great too!
Helpful Journaling Prompts
Day Recap
Today, I did …
Increasing Self-Awareness
I am feeling …
I am thinking about …
My body sensations right now are …
Increasing Pleasant Emotions
I am grateful for …
Something i did today that i am proud of …
Grounding
Grounding is a practice to help reorient yourself with the ‘here-and-now’ present moment when you might be lost in thoughts or emotions. Grounding is also a way to self-soothe and connect to yourself when you’re feeling emotionally charged or overwhelmed. For this grounding exercise, list as many things as you can for the following prompts. Give yourself one minute of writing time for each one!
I see …
I hear …
I can feel … (physically or emotionally - it’s up to you how you interpret this!)
I sense …
I taste …
I am noticing in my body …
Connecting to Self
Begin by listing as many things as you can for the following prompts. Give yourself approx. one minute for each prompt.
I see …
I hear …
I feel … (physically or emotionally - it’s up to you how you interpret this!)
I love …
I am thinking about …
I am noticing in my body …
I remember when …
To expand this practice further, choose one or two of the items on your list, and give yourself 5-10 minutes to expand your writing with the following:
In this moment I … (Example: “In this moment I feel heavy and down..etc.”)
Letter to Self
When feeling emotionally charged or dysregulated, talking to yourself the way you would talk to a friend can be adaptive (Bruehlman-Senecal et al, 2015, 2016). When writing about yourself in your journal, it can be helpful to use third-person language to accomplish a “talking to a friend” or “distanced” effect. For example, your entry might read: “Hey, [your name], how are you feeling? How can I support you?” or reflecting on a previous experience could look like “In that moment, [your name] was feeling scared. She was all by herself”. Another way to “distance” can be through time by connecting to our future and past selves. Writing letters to your future or past self can help soften overwhelming emotions. Read our next prompt for more on writing to your future self.
Letter to Future Self
In this exercise, write a letter to your future self. This version of your future self could be you in a few weeks, a few months, several years, etc. Any age will do - even if it is just a general “future you”. Put aside at least 10 minutes to write this letter. If possible, try to read it out loud when you’re done to solidify it. Read it to yourself or to someone else (if you don’t have someone to read it to, rereading it to yourself can be just as helpful).
Some ideas to write about in your letter can be (but are not limited to):
What you’re up to right now
What you’re currently struggling with and feeling
Ask the Future You for guidance, help, advice, or support
Ask what Future You is doing. What's Future You up to?
You can begin the letter with “Dear future me …”
Take on the perspective of your future self. Have the Future You write a letter back to the current version of yourself today.
What advice would Future You give you? What do they want you to know? Where are they now?
Anything that you want to share or talk about! Be as creative and as open as you can.
Other Journaling Prompts
I really wish others knew this about me …
One of the things I am proudest of is …
I forgive myself for …
Describe your perfect day. Write about ALL the details this day would have.
I am the happiest when I …
What’s something you’re grateful that you have today that you didn’t have a year ago? Write about it and how it makes you feel.
Have you experienced a loss? How did this make you feel?
