Journalling for Mental Wellbeing

If you’ve ever talked to a health professional about your anxiety, they probably mentioned journalling. That’s because there have been a number of studies that demonstrate how useful regular journalling is for managing stress, anxiety, and depression – and it’s something that anyone can do, which doesn’t cost a lot of money or take up a lot of time.

How you journal depends entirely on your needs and preferences!

Want to focus on the positive? Try gratitude journalling – every day before you go to bed, write down three things that have happened that day for which you are thankful. Sometimes, this can be the big stuff (the war is over! I got married! Brooklyn Nine-Nine was renewed!) and sometimes it’s the little things (I woke up feeling peaceful, I found my lucky pencil, the way my cat stretches and yawns is cute). The idea is that we spend enough time and energy worrying about all the bad stuff (apparently something like 80% of automatic thoughts are negative!) so by investing time in noticing and being thankful for the good stuff, we build up our resilience and regain some control over our reactions.

Not a words person? Try colouring! You can buy colouring-in books and journals, simply print pages off the internet, or create your own drawings – then sit down and focus all your attention on the act of creating art. This is mindfulness in practice: engaging the senses of your body, focusing on the moment, making time. If anxiety is worry about the future or past events, then mindfulness is a solution that brings you to the present, meaning your brain has less ability to give anxiety space.

Can’t stop worrying about a particular incident? Try a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy trick – the thought record. Write down the context of the worry: what happened, where, when, with whom? Describe how you felt, and on a scale of 1-100%, how strong those feelings were. Think about facts that support how you’re thinking about that incident – remember, facts are externally verifiable evidence, NOT judgements or personal interpretations. What things might contradict the thoughts you’re having? How could you think about this incident in a different, more balanced way? Finally, rate your mood again to see whether this exercise helped. You can find a basic Thought Record Template here (PDF).

Do you lie awake at night, thinking about all the things you have to do? That sort of rumination builds anxiety up, making it more and more difficult to get to sleep! One of the best tips for dealing with it is to keep a notebook by your bed, and make lists of the things you’re worrying about. Tell yourself that once it’s written down, it’s dealt with for now. The next day, you can work through the list at your leisure. If you’re a stationery addict, there’s a huge range of day planners available to make this easy and enjoyable.

One new type of planner is the bullet journal. These have been around for several years now, and are terrific for people who are prone to writing to-do lists on every scrap of paper they have, as well as people who like beautiful stationery, arts & crafts. Bullet journalling is exactly what it sounds like – instead of writing diary-style entries, you make bullet point lists and can use symbols, grids, diagrams and all sorts of creative ways to track items. There’s a huge fanbase around bullet journalling, so if you become obsessed, there are plenty of like-minded people to share and create with. Try searching #bulletjournal on Instagram!

Okay, I hear you say, it’s 2018! Who still uses pens and paper?? Well, I have good news – there are more journalling apps for your devices than you could ever imagine. A really simple, mental health focused one is “What’s Up?” – available on both Android and iOS. Along with tools for managing your calm, coping strategies for managing your thoughts, and information on a range of mental health issues, What’s Up also has a diary section to help you log your day, habits, and more. If you’d like to try digital colouring-in, take a look at Colorfy for Android and iPhone. Both of these apps are free, but there are also paid apps with more in-depth options, if you decide that the digital life is for you!

If you’re keen to give journalling a try but don’t know where to begin, try these writing prompts:

  • What made you feel joy today? What made you feel sad? What made you angry? What other emotions did you notice?
  • If you had to write a letter to someone in particular, what would you say to that person?
  • Describe what your anxiety would look like if it was an external object. What does it sound like? Smell like? Taste like? If you touched it, what would it feel like?
  • What advice would you give your past self?
  • What is your favourite memory? How does it make you feel?
  • If you could paint a picture of your dream life, what would that picture look like?
  • Do you have a hero? How would they deal with the life problems that you’re experiencing?
  • If something bad happened today, write about how you’d encourage a friend if they had gone through it instead of you. What would you tell them about themselves? How would you build them up?
  • Make a list of the people you can contact when you’re feeling down.
  • Make a list of things you can do to distract yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
  • What inspired you today? Write down a quote or a story that gives you hope.

Final thought – don’t censor yourself. This is your personal journal – spelling and grammar are not important. How other people will perceive you is not important. Let your emotion flow out onto the page. Promise yourself that for at least this journalling time, you will practice self-compassion and self-kindness. Remember: you are stronger and more capable than you realise.

Recommended Products

Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal by Lori Deschene

Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal by Lori Deschene

Self Care Journal by Rachelle Abrellar

Me, Myself and I: A Bullet Journal Notebook with Dot Grid Pages – Perfect for To-Do Lists, Dotted Journaling, Diary, and More

Knock Knock’s I’m So Freaking Freaked Out Journal

How to Be Happy (Or at Least Less Sad): A Creative Workbook by Lee Crutchley

How can I help?

Do you have a family member, friend or colleague who is experiencing chronic distress? Do you want to help them, but not know how? Here’s some suggestions to start with.

two people sitting in camp chairs under a tree watching the sunset

  • Show interest in their wellbeing. “How are you doing today, mate? I know things have been rough for you recently.”
  • Ask them, in a supportive and positive way, how you can help. “I’d love to help you out! Is there something in particular I can do?”
  • Let them know why you like them. “I was just reading this book about brave and amazing women, and it reminded me of you!”
  • Spend time with them. “I want to come over to your place and marathon some Netflix!”
  • Give them a reason to leave the house. “Let’s go and have a BBQ at the beach for dinner.”
  • If they open up to you, reassure them that they made the right choice. “Thank you for sharing, hun. I know it couldn’t have been easy, but I’m so glad you did.”
  • Encourage them to get help from professionals. “Have you talked to your GP about this? I’m happy to come with you for support.”
  • Help them identify and deal with sources of distress. “Does seeing pics of your Dad everywhere make you worse? Well, how about we take some down temporarily and put up some pics of your puppy instead.”
  • Make them laugh. Text them jokes. Email them funny cat videos. Recommend comedy movies, or watch with them.
  • Do your research. There are websites, group, books and a wealth of resources out there that will help you to understand what they’re going through!

Remember, if you’re providing regular and ongoing support for a loved one in distress, you need to take care of yourself too.

  • Set boundaries. Be clear about what you can and can’t do.
  • Be honest. Speak from a place of compassion, and you’ll speak truly.
  • Seek support. Everyone needs a hand!
  • Take regular breaks. You need “me time” as well.
  • Look after your body! Eat, sleep and exercise regularly.

For more info, check out these links:

Silly season stress

Feeling stressed and not sure what to do about it? Try some of these anxiety-relieving tips!

Feeling stressed

  • Slow, deep breathing from the diaphragm. Inhale for a count of four, hold for seven, exhale for 8.
  • Muscle relaxation. Lie down with your arms by your side, and slowly work your way from feet to head by tensing and relaxing each muscle group: feet, legs, belly, hands, arms, neck & shoulders, face.
  • Mindfulness. Pick up a piece of fruit and look closely at it. How would you describe it to someone? What does it smell like? Bite into it slowly. What sound does it make? What is the texture like? Eat it slowly. What does it taste like?
  • Exercise. Go for a walk or a swim. Try yoga. Play a sport you enjoy.
  • Socialise. Ring or text a friend. Post something to social media. Commit a random act of kindness for someone. Volunteer.
  • Modify your senses. Literally smell the roses, or try some essential oils like lavender, bergamot, lemon, frankincense, sandalwood. Pop some gum or mints into your mouth. Find something nice to look at (no screens!). Pat an animal, or stroke some luxurious fabric, or pop some bubble wrap. Put on some music – check out “Weightless” by Marconi Union on Youtube.
  • Massage. If you can’t pay for one, bribe a family member to do it, or give yourself a foot massage with some peppermint lotion.
  • Bath. Have a warm bath with some Epsom salts for a magnesium boost, or lavender oil, or throw some chamomile tea bags in there!
  • Colouring in. A mindfulness technique that uses your focus and creativity to release worries.
  • Sunlight. Get outside! Vitamin D only stays active in the blood for 24 hours, so you may need a boost.
  • Water. Get hydrated! Also, a recent study found people who lived near water were more likely to feel happy with their life, so a trip to the beach/lake/river might be in the cards.
  • Gratitude. Keep a diary of things that you’re thankful for, things that make life worthwhile. It helps put the stress in perspective.
  • Diet. Skip the fried food, booze, dairy, sugar & caffeine. Instead, up your intake of oily fish like sardines or tuna, eggs, poultry, oats, soy, tofu, beans, leafy greens, peaches, blueberries, bananas, and citrus.
  • Take supplements. Ask your doc or pharmacist about Vitamin D, Magnesium, Folate, Omega-3, L-Theanine, or B Vitamins.
  • Practice your spirituality. Take the time to reconnect, however that looks for you.
  • Crystals. Wear a howlite, amber or rose quartz bracelet, and stroke the stones to remind yourself to relax.
  • Get organised. Commit those worries to paper by creating a to do list. Write a list of goals – for the week, year, decade. Brainstorm solutions to problems by writing down every idea you can think of. If need be, burn the paper afterwards!

Click here for a printable version of this list to hang on your fridge or wall as a daily reminder!