
Journalling is more than just part of a trendy "cosy-girl" aesthetic. It’s a powerful tool that mental health professionals often recommend. Journalling is used to encourage self-reflection, help individuals understand their emotions, and even enhance therapy outcomes.
Whether you’re navigating challenges in depression therapy or ironing out relationship issues through a couples counselling programme, writing about your thoughts and experiences can provide significant mental health benefits. But how exactly does it help, and is there a right way to do it? Below, we explore the benefits of journalling and how you can start incorporating it into your self-care routine.
1. Journalling helps you slow down
In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, particularly if you're dealing with stress, anxiety, or depression. It’s no wonder that journalling is the perfect antidote. All you have to do is sit down, slow down, and be alone with yourself. By putting a pause on everything else and focusing on yourself, journalling allows you to relief stress and anxiety amidst the hustle and bustle of your life.
2. Journalling organises your thoughts
When emotions are running high or you're faced with a complex situation, it can be hard to make sense of your feelings. Penning down your thoughts is a good way to put labels to what you are feeling, categorise the different issues that are affecting you, and gain greater awareness of your own situation and responses. This also makes it easier to discuss your thoughts and feelings with your therapist when you next meet them.
3. Journalling shifts your perspective
It’s easy to get caught up in your emotions, but journalling can offer a new way of looking at things. When you read your entries like a story, you can step back and see your situation more objectively. This shift in perspective can be incredibly helpful, particularly in therapy. Your counsellor might provide prompts or guide you through this reflection process. For example, they may help you notice repeated words or themes in your journal, revealing your attitudes towards specific events.
4. Journalling tracks your progress
Not many of us are blessed with superhuman memory, so keeping a record of the most significant events can be really useful at times you want to look back and see how far you have come. Even if progress doesn’t always feel linear, reviewing old entries can highlight important shifts in your behaviour or thinking. This is particularly useful in tracking your triggers and responses such as in cases of depression, anxiety, anger, or grief.
How to start journalling
Starting is easy – but maintaining the habit is hard (we speak from experience)! We recommend setting a time and place for your journalling practice to make it a part of your routine. If journalling sounds daunting, start by removing all the barriers: there are no rules you need to follow unless you want to. If you’re struggling with what to write, try using one of the following prompts:
What am I feeling right now?
What am I grateful for today?
What is my biggest worry at the moment?
What is my biggest fear?
What am I hoping for right now?
With much scholarly and anecdotal support for the benefits of journalling, it is definitely worth incorporating this practice into your self-care routine. If you want to explore how journalling can be a valuable companion to your mental health journey, we also welcome you to ask our therapists at our cosy counselling centre in Upper Thomson.