In this blog post, I’m going to explain the powerful practice of journaling and how it can help you manage your mental health. Over the years, journaling has become an essential tool in my mental wellness toolkit. It has helped me to better understand my anxiety, track my progress and stay grounded. Let’s explore the different types of journaling practice that can support your mental health and how you can incorporate them into your daily routine.
1. Feeling Prompts: Digging Deeper Into Your Emotions
One of the first journaling practices I recommend is using feeling prompts. These are simple questions that can help you explore and reflect on your emotions more deeply. For example, you could ask yourself:
- How do I feel today?
- What made me feel this way?
- How does my body feel?
- What am I thinking about right now?
To start, write down these prompts at the top of a page and then simply let your thoughts flow. Don’t worry about grammar or structure, just write whatever comes to mind. The goal is to get everything out onto paper without judgement. When you’re finished, you can read through your responses and reflect on what’s going on for you. This exercise has been really helpful for me in getting to the bottom of my emotions, especially when I’m struggling.
Journaling about your feelings can also help you identify solutions. For example, if you’re worried about something specific, by writing about it, you may be able to come up with a plan or action that makes you feel more at ease.
2. Track Your Progress: Understanding Your Anxiety
Journaling is also a great way to track your progress and monitor how your anxiety shows up over time. Personally, it helps me to be more aware of my symptoms. When I first started to manage my anxiety, I took note of how my body and mind felt during anxious moments. For me, anxiety often manifests in physical symptoms like a racing heart, sweating, shakiness, nausea and irritability. By keeping a journal, I could track when these symptoms occurred and reflect on how they made me behave differently from my normal self.
The benefit of journaling in this way is that it allows you to recognise patterns in your anxiety. You may notice, for example, that going to the supermarket triggers anxiety. Knowing this, you can prepare in advance using mindfulness or other calming techniques to reduce your symptoms.
Additionally, journaling helps you to identify triggers – specific situations, places, or people that bring on anxiety. By acknowledging these triggers, you can better prepare for them and develop coping strategies.
3. Evaluate the Tools You Use: What Works and What Doesn’t
Another way journaling can support your mental health is by helping you track the tools you use to manage your anxiety. Sometimes, certain strategies may not be as effective as you hoped. For instance, if you suffer from severe panic attacks, breathing exercises might actually make your symptoms worse by leaving you feeling lightheaded or dizzy. Through journaling, you can note what works and what doesn’t, allowing you to change your approach.
If you try a new technique and find it helpful, make a note of it. Similarly, if something makes your symptoms worse, like for me with breathing exercises in the case of a panic attack, you’ll know to avoid it next time. This type of journaling encourages trial and error, helping you refine your anxiety management strategies over time.
4. Gratitude Journaling Practice: Shifting Your Focus to the Positive
While it’s important to reflect on your struggles, it’s equally important to focus on the positive aspects of your life. The gratitude journaling practice is a fantastic way to do this. It encourages you to reflect on the things in your life that you are thankful for, no matter how big or small.
You might struggle on some days to come up with things you’re grateful for, but trust me, once you start writing, it can quickly become easier. You could be grateful for the comfort of a warm bed, the support of your friends and family, or even something as simple as a hot cup of tea. Gratitude journaling helps shift your mindset, reminding you of all the good things in your life, even on difficult days.
5. Brain Dump: Clear Your Mind Before Bed
If you’re like me, your mind might start racing when you lie down to sleep. You may begin overthinking conversations from earlier in the day or worrying about tasks you need to do tomorrow. This mental chatter can make it really difficult to fall asleep.
A great solution to this is a brain dump. Before bed, grab your journal and write down everything on your mind, whether it’s something you need to remember or a worry that’s been keeping you awake. Write it all down, no matter how silly it may seem then close the journal and put it away.
This practice helps clear your mind, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting something important in the middle of the night. You can rest easy knowing that it’s all written down and if necessary, you can revisit it the next day.
6. The Stand Up to Anxiety Journal: A Tool to Support Your Journey
I’ve been journaling for over a decade now, ever since I started working with my counsellor. But over time, I found that no single journal contained all the helpful prompts I needed for managing my anxiety. After publishing my book, Stand Up to Anxiety, many people asked me if there was a journal to go along with it. I realised this was an opportunity to create a journal that complements the book and enhances the tools and strategies shared within it.
The Stand Up to Anxiety Journal is designed to guide you through the process of understanding and managing your anxiety. It includes all the prompts I’ve mentioned today, as well as space for tracking your feelings, progress, and gratitude. I’ve been using this journal myself since it was published, and it has been an invaluable resource.
If you’d like to try the Stand Up to Anxiety Journal, you can find it on Amazon or visit my website for more details. It’s a great way to support your mental health journey and implement the tools discussed in my book.
Final Thoughts
Journaling is a powerful tool for improving your mental health. It allows you to reflect on your feelings, track your progress and even identify what works best for managing your anxiety. Whether you’re doing a brain dump before bed, practicing gratitude or tracking your triggers, journaling can help you gain a deeper understanding of your mental health and make positive changes.
I hope you found these journaling practice ideas helpful. If you haven’t already, consider giving the Stand Up to Anxiety Journal a try. It could be the perfect addition to your journey towards better mental wellness.
