Wellness has become even more of a hot-button topic in recent years, largely thanks to COVID and all the related masking, social distancing, and quarantining requirements that affected a countless number of people around the world. According to the American Psychiatric Association, remote work arrangements have only made things worse, with the majority of remote workers claiming they\u2019ve experienced isolation, loneliness, and blurred lines between their work and personal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although there are plenty of wellness apps available that can enhance a person\u2019s overall wellness through exercises like meditation, yoga, and the like, you don\u2019t need to go \u201chigh tech\u201d to improve your mental health and overall well-being. That\u2019s because journaling for mental health can help people in some significant and lasting ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many reasons to journal, and one of our favorites is recording memories. We’ve designed an Adventure Travel Journal<\/a> that goes beyond simply putting pen to paper. With tempting prompts, travel tips, and other tools, you’ll be able to plan the perfect trip and document your experiences. Grab one for your next journey!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Too often, the mere mention of journaling conjures up images of tweens writing about their feelings of teenage angst, desire for a seemingly unattainable love interest, or observations about everything that\u2019s ironic about their school or classmates. While movies and television shows have portrayed similar scenes for years, journaling is far from an activity that is or should be relegated to young adults working through the oft-complex emotions that accompany growing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As it relates to mental health and even your physical health and behavioral health, journaling is an active, involved, and thoughtful approach to managing and ideally improving your overall well-being. Even if you start journaling for mental health exclusively, the benefits of journaling can positively impact nearly every aspect of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many, journaling is an exercise of self-discovery and increased self-awareness. While journaling typically involves a person writing about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences by hand, many people prefer to maintain a journal online or on their hard drive or smartphone so they can type instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a traditional sense, journaling involves the written word, but writing isn\u2019t the only way to keep a journal or diary. If you\u2019re artistic, you may prefer to express yourself through pictures or sketches. Do you love being in front of the camera or engaging in self-talk? You might want to keep a video or audio journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just like there are several mediums you can use to journal, there are a lot of ways you can go about the exercise. While some journaling practices may be more common or popular than others, you need to remember that there\u2019s no wrong way to journal. If you want to enjoy the benefits of journaling, however, research shows that people must journal regularly for an extended period of time rather than sporadically for a week or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re new to journaling, you might be wondering how you can get started. There isn\u2019t a shortage of advice about journaling, but it all starts with choosing the medium you\u2019ll use. Whether you plan to record your thoughts, emotions, aspirations, and experiences using a bound journal, space stored in the \u201ccloud,\u201d or on random bits of paper you\u2019ll stow in a drawer, you\u2019ve made the right choice as long as you\u2019re happy with the medium and it works for you. You can always switch things up down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve chosen your medium, it\u2019ll be time to put pen to paper in either a literal or figurative sense. Research conducted by Professor Kay Wilhelm and Clinical Psychologist and Certified Hakomi Therapist Karen Baikie, PhD. in the field of expressive writing revealed that people who want to adopt a journaling practice that will yield benefits should find a private, personalized space that has no distractions whenever they\u2019re preparing a journal entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some additional tips from Wilhelm and Baikie:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Established by Clifford Beers back in 1909, Mental Health America is a leading non-profit operating in the U.S. that\u2019s committed to serving people with mental health conditions and promoting the mental health of the populace at large. With such a lofty mission, it\u2019s not surprising that the non-profit has some tips for anyone who\u2019s going to pick up the practice of journaling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For starters, the MHA advises people who are new to journaling to schedule a time that\u2019s dedicated to the exercise every day. You should consider that daily appointment to be just as crucial as all your other time commitments, and you should prioritize it as such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Newbies should start with a short time period that\u2019s reserved for journaling so they don\u2019t feel overwhelmed right from the get-go. The MHA advises people to use a timer and to write through the moment the timer goes off and signals the end of the session at least. If you don\u2019t know what to write while your session is in full swing, it\u2019s okay to write sentences like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mental Health America advises people to write freely without worrying about their grammar or spelling. If mistakes are a pet peeve of yours, you can go back and correct them after your journaling session, but you don\u2019t have to. Remember, your journal is for you and no one else, so there\u2019s no need to treat it like a term paper that\u2019s going to be graded by a scrutinizing teacher who\u2019s armed with a dreaded red pen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Popularized by authors like James Joyce, stream-of-consciousness is a type of narrative that aims to be the equivalent of capturing your thoughts and interior monologue as they relate to your actions. The MHA advises people who are unsure about their feelings to use this form of expression to identify their emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To use stream-of-consciousness, jot down any words or phrases that come to mind. Don\u2019t worry about grammar or making sentences that are complete or even coherent. As you continue to write, a theme will eventually emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Refrain from judging yourself for what you express in your journal. You have the right to feel and think the way you do. By admitting your negative thoughts and owning them, you can work through them and make them as healthy as possible. That transition can\u2019t happen, however, until you recognize your negative thoughts without policing or feeling guilty about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tracking your moods can help journaling be more effective at improving your daily life and addressing mental health issues like anxiety or depression. The MHA suggests that you create a numerical scale to rate your mood daily, with the number one being mild and the number five being severe. Possible moods include happy, sad, overwhelmed, frustrated, and pissed off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reviewing your journal entries is important for anyone who wants to get the most out of journaling, according to the MHA. If you\u2019re dealing with a stressful event, you might want to review your entries immediately after you script them or later the same day. People who want to improve their mental health over the long haul are advised to review their entries every three or four months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever you review your entries, the MHA recommends paying attention to your mood record as much as you focus on your words or images. By zeroing in on your mood from day to day, you may recognize things that trigger a low mood and the ones that elevate your spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the name of the organization, it\u2019s not shocking that the Center for Journal Therapy has some recommendations for people who want to do some journal writing. The center uses the acronym WRITE! to help people remember the following suggestions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering the purpose of journaling for mental health, it\u2019s easy to understand why there are so many types of journaling. While you may start off with one kind of journaling, you\u2019re not sentencing yourself to a lifetime of preparing journal entries the same way. One type of journaling may work today, but another sort may suit your purposes better down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may find that you\u2019ll try several types of journaling before you settle on the one you prefer right now, and there\u2019s nothing wrong with that! Regardless of the kind of journal you keep, making thoughtful entries on a regular basis still has the potential to pay off big time in some significant and possibly life-changing ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being genuinely grateful for even the little things in life is a time-tested \u201ctool\u201d for achieving all sorts of goals and improving the quality of a person\u2019s life. While it\u2019s possible to cultivate gratitude in other ways, writing about the gratitude you feel is a highly effective way to make the benefits of being grateful a collective reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping a gratitude journal can yield impressive results, which can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Research shows that maintaining a gratitude journal with frequent entries can also reduce the symptoms of depression. The key to keeping those symptoms at bay is to continue writing in your journal as the positive effects of keeping a gratitude journal as they relate to depression may wane if you stop your journaling practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you choose this sort of journal, your goal should be to write down at least three things you\u2019re grateful for every day and explain why you appreciate them so much. You don\u2019t have to win the lottery to be grateful for a given occurrence. Although you might be grateful for something big like earning a promotion at work, you may find that you\u2019re equally appreciative of that warm cup of coffee you got at the local gas station this morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing about the things you truly appreciate will gradually shift your concentration away from your negative emotions and thoughts and onto the positive aspects of your life. Over time, that shift will allow you to build resilience that will help you soar through trying times that would have negatively influenced your mood, attitude, or behavior on previous occasions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whereas other kinds of journals allow people to freestyle their entries, a guided journal is different in this respect. A guided journal is pre-filled with themes and specific questions that are intended to increase your self-awareness and motivate you to examine certain aspects of your life, mental state, physical health, and day-to-day routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using a guided journal is a great way for people who are new to the exercise to start journaling. When you\u2019re new to journaling, it can be overwhelming to stare at the blank pages you\u2019re supposed to fill with your innermost secrets and private thoughts. Since it\u2019s pre-filled with journal prompts, a guided journal removes any pressure or stress you might feel about the practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some additional benefits that might accompany your use of a guided journal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oprah Daily describes a bullet journal as a \u201cnext-level diary for not only writing but also drawing.\u201d This kind of journal can be difficult to use at first, but once you get the hang of it, the journal can pay you back many times over. A bullet journal is a notebook that includes sections for you to list your to-dos, maintain a monthly or weekly calendar, jot down your thoughts, make note of your goals, and keep track of your physical and mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using this kind of journal can yield some meaningful benefits, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bullet journal is so successful for many people because it has tools built right into its pages. As far as self-care and mental health are concerned, this type of journal often has positive quotes you can rewrite to help elevate your mood and outlook. One quote that\u2019s popular reads, \u201cYou have to know in your heart that no one can outshine you. If you don\u2019t believe in yourself, why should anyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Users may also discover lists of things they can do to help them feel better in their journals, such as stretch, take a shower, or listen to new music. You might come across The Stop Method as well. That method instructs people to do the following things when they\u2019re upset or in distress:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although entries in a travel journal may not ultimately be as cathartic as entries in other types of journals, this type of diary can still help improve your physical and mental health. Travel journaling isn\u2019t \u201cjust\u201d about keeping a record of the things you eat and the places you visit in a foreign location. The exercise is more about describing how those experiences made you feel, the way they engaged your senses, and how they changed your perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your final impression of a destination rests heavily on your experiences and your emotional and physical reactions to them. Sometimes, a location may make such a powerful impression on you that writing about it simply isn\u2019t enough. In instances like that, you can augment your journal entries with pictures, hand-drawn sketches, and mementos from your trip, such as ticket stubs, receipts, or electronic key cards with branded imagery from the hotels where you stayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s Roam has app-led scavenger hunts<\/a> in more than 400 cities<\/a> scattered throughout the world. During a given city hunt, you may visit cultural epicenters, evolving hotspots, and all points and places in between. And you can document your fun- and adventure-filled experience in a travel journal from Let\u2019s Roam. Pick the city<\/a> you want to explore now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n City scavenger hunts<\/a> aren\u2019t the only activities we\u2019ve organized for you to enjoy and document in your travel journal. Let\u2019s Roam has also organized bar crawls<\/a>, art walks, and ghost hunts<\/a> in hundreds of cities all over the globe. (If you\u2019re going on a bar crawl and plan to take full advantage of the beverages, you may want to bring your journal with you so you can document your experiences as they occur and before that last martini wipes your memory clean!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a travel journal is known to help reduce anxiety, particularly for people who use their journals to keep track of important information, such as addresses and phone numbers. Travel journaling is also a wonderful way to preserve memories you can revisit when you\u2019re feeling blue or just nostalgic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you don\u2019t travel often or visit exotic locations, travel journaling can still be a healthy and helpful practice. You can document the camping experience you share with a loved one at a local park or in your backyard, for instance. Think of the memories that will come flooding back when you pick up your journal twenty years from now and read the scary story your then eight-year-old child shared around the campfire two decades earlier during a backyard camping excursion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we\u2019ve taken a look at the specific benefits certain kinds of journals can produce, it\u2019s time to look at the way journaling, in general, can positively impact a few mental illnesses. The disclaimer here is that the benefits we\u2019ll point out are all possible benefits, not definite or guaranteed outcomes. As we mentioned earlier, the benefits journaling can yield tend to last as long as you keep up with your journal entries. If you stop journaling, the benefits you once enjoyed may lessen or disappear over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Studies show that journaling can be an effective complementary tool used in conjunction with others to manage the symptoms of severe depression. The exercise can also be used as a complementary or stand-alone tool to manage cases of mild depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For people with depression, expressive writing can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychologist Barbara Markway claims that the best way to learn about your thought processes is to write them down. By doing so, you can identify patterns that are problematic and cause anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you suffer from anxiety, journaling can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n People who suffer from stress can quickly get pushed into the realms of anxiety and depression if their stress goes unchecked for too long. You can prevent that from happening by, you guessed it, journaling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For people who experience stress daily, journaling has the proven potential to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While journaling is highly effective at combatting stress in general, it\u2019s also a smart practice for people grappling with specific sources of stress. Journalizing can help combat localized or periodic stress, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you\u2019re overcoming an eating disorder, the death of a loved one, or an addiction of some sort, journaling can help in some remarkable ways. As you recover, journaling may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Journaling is fantastic for mental health<\/a> because it can help you clear your mind. During the moments you\u2019re engaged in the exercise, it gives you something to exclusively focus on.<\/p> <\/div> Journaling is often advised for mental health<\/a>. The practice is therapeutic because it enables people to self-reflect and sort through the events and problems that they\u2019re having difficulty with.<\/p> <\/div> Some of the positive mental effects of journaling<\/a> include decreased stress and anxiety, improved coping skills, reduction in obsessive thoughts, increased confidence, and a greater sense of self.<\/p> <\/div> Keeping a travel journal<\/a> doesn’t have to be therapeutic. It can be, but often, travel journaling<\/a> is used simply to record memories, including favorite sights, sounds, smells, and other experiences.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Journaling for mental health can impact people in some significant and lasting ways. Discover how to do it and how it can help you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":9212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[279],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\n\n\nWhat Is Journaling?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Journal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Advice from Baikie and Wilhelm<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tips from Mental Health America<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Suggestions from the Center for Journal Therapy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Types of Journaling<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gratitude Journal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Guided Journal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bullet Journal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Travel Journal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Journal Writing Can Positively Influence Certain Kinds of Mental Illness<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Depression<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Anxiety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Stress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Recovery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFrequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n