If you have ever kept a journal, then you can appreciate what having hundreds of blank pages in front of you feels like. To be able to write freely is, well, freeing. It is okay if you have fallen out of the habit or perhaps never tried it, but a journaling practice can do wonders for you if you struggle with stress, anxiety, or depression. Suppose you feel unsure or intimidated about what to put in those blank pages or why, you have come to the right place.
Journaling helps to improve your mood and mental health symptoms by:
Helping you release your thoughts
A journal is a safe space to release what is going on in your mind, rather than letting those thoughts continually repeat and stay stuck there. By literally writing thoughts onto the paper and out of your mind, you are taking a big step toward letting go of the thoughts that are no longer serving you or holding you back.
Prompt:
Write a letter to a friend who has the same thoughts, feelings, or struggles as you do right now. Let them know all the ways you can relate to them. What would you advise they do? What would you say to make them feel better?
Helping you understand and prioritize your problems or fears
Most of the time, our anxiety comes from things that have not happened yet, or something we do not know. Writing down your thoughts or fears will help you understand them clearly and realize that they are just thoughts passing through, not things that define you.
Prompt:
Set a timer for 3 minutes and write down all the things that make you feel anxious, whether today or in general. Then start another 3-minute journaling session making a list of all the things you can do to make you feel better or less stressed. You do not have to match anything up; just write freely.
Creating a space for gratitude and positive self-talk
Through gratitude, we shift our focus from limiting self-beliefs and the things we don’t have to what we do have. Acknowledging what we are appreciative of promotes positive emotions, self-confidence and even fosters stronger relationships.
Prompt:
At the start of each day, write down three things you are grateful for. At the end of each day, write down three things that have happened that day, which you are thankful for. Be as specific as possible. The importance and benefit of doing this practice again at the end of the day is that if you know you will need to write down three things later, you just might just spend a little more time throughout your day looking for them!
