Journaling

Journaling is one of the best activities you can do to improve mental health. Depression and anxiety can affect you physically, mentally and emotionally. Journaling can help you to distract your mind from what’s troubling you, identify triggers for depressing and anxiety.

Why You Should Keep a Journal

Some celebrated journal keepers throughout history include Henry David Thoreau, John Steinbeck, Oscar Wilde, Thomas Edison and Marie Curie. Journaling can be a creative outlet, emotional release as well as a space to record important information so that you can refer back to it later.

Mental Health Benefits of Journaling

A regular journaling habit can help you to get your emotions under control. As you become more familiar with the natural ebb and flow of your emotions, it will become much easier for you to become more mindful about what kinds of things are occupying your mind. When you sit down to journal, you’re recording exactly what happened and what your response was. You’ll be able to go back to these moments in the future, allowing you to see patterns of behavior that may be bogging you down.

Journaling can help you learn to problem solve. After you’ve been journaling for awhile, you’ll have amassed lots of information about yourself. Consider if you react to some things differently during different times of the day or time of year. What was the weather like that day? So many external factors play a part in our mental state.

Journaling sharpens cognitive skills. How good is your memory? How much can you remember from your childhood? Having the ability to recall information from your memory helps to enhance cognitive abilities. And the more you do this, the better you’ll be at recalling all that stored information in your mind.

Journaling jumpstarts creativity. After you’ve established a solid journaling habit, creativity will begin to flow more naturally. You’ll become more aware the choices you can make and the paths you can travel to achieve the goals that are important to you.

After you’ve been studying your thought patterns for awhile, you can discover the most likely causes for triggers, and possibly devise ways to lessen the blow. With consistent hard work over time,  you may be able to overcome many of the issues that are taking away your time and effort.

How to Identify and Heal Emotional Triggers

Have you experienced displaced thoughts and vague feelings of anxiety from a triggering event recently? When you’re examining your triggers, it can be very difficult to know exactly when you are experiencing a triggering event. For some people, the symptoms can be very obvious while others could manifest in very different ways. Many of us are so out of touch with ourselves and our feelings that we may not recognize the triggers and effects when they’re happening.

Learning to become self aware. With intentional time and effort, you’ll learn to identify when you’ve had a triggering event and what your response to it was. If you’re seeking professional help, understanding this information can help both of you as you’ll have a better understanding of your behaviors and reactions to triggering events.

Create a tracking chart. Using a calendar or printable can help you to track mood swings and events to see if there are any correlations between the time of month, time of week and so on. Having this information available at a glance will help you to identify triggers and your reactions to them.
day.

Keeping a journal or log. It’s essential to record everything that happened each day, especially something that sticks out in your mind that may have triggered you, whether it be encounters with people, animals, situations, or sounds. Sometimes you may even need to go back and revisit what you’ve recorded after some time has passed. You might be very surprised to find that some things bothered you more than you first thought.

Make sure to write some descriptions of your feelings that came about as you responded to the trigger. It may be helpful to color code these emotions so that you can make a chart and see how your mood changes and how it
relates to triggers.

What to Put in a Self Care Journal

Do you ever find yourself having a hard time getting out of bed, or even wanting to take a shower before work? When you’re dealing with anxiety or deep depression, it can be really difficult to do those simple daily tasks that need to be done to care for yourself. It’s perfectly okay to need to have reminders of these things because we all go through times where certain tasks aren’t at the top of the list of favorite things to do.

Here’s a few ideas on using a journal for self-care. Remember, this journal is for your eyes only. Feel free to write down anything and everything that you need to!

It’s okay to ruminate on your feelings.  How often do you typically sit and think about how you really feel? Many times it takes awhile to really know how you feel about certain things. If you’re like me, you often get delayed reactions to things because you didn’t thoroughly process them! Emotions can be very difficult to
process, and if you’re missing certain bits of information, then you could be in for a shock. You shouldn’t try to do it all in your head, use the journal to know when you got upset. Record who was in the room, and how you felt.

Create a gratitude list. One of the most time tested ways of grounding yourself is to create a daily gratitude list. No matter what’s going on around you, there’s always something to be grateful for! You don’t have to feel like the world has turned its back on you. Writing it down can help you to remember that there are people who care about you.

Be patient with yourself.  Remember that you are a work in progress. You have the right to make good healthy choices about what you want to do. Allow yourself forgiveness for past mistakes. They can teach you about yourself in shocking ways. As you journal and record these different time periods you are slowly building evidence to help you to find out what might be causing you to have intense reactions of different kids. Just be sure to have time to yourself every so often.

Do you have any tips about journaling for mental health? I’d love to hear about them!

Can you believe we’re almost at June? Life has changed on a dime for many of us. If you had travel plans for this summer, they’ve probably changed. I truly hope we can all get out to enjoy some nature and sunshine. Here’s some June journaling prompts for self discovery to get you dreaming and planning

June Journaling Prompts for Self Discovery

1. List your goals and plans for June.2. June 2nd is ‘National Leave the Office Early’ Day. Can you plan something fun to do and work a half day today?
3. What are some new ways you can practice self care in June? What are some things you would love to do for yourself?
4. What are you grateful for right now?
5. Do you prefer the beach, the mountains or the lake?
6. What do you like to do when the weather is hot?
7. Pay it forward – plan a beach cleanup day. How can you make it fun and educational for your kids?
8. It’s ‘World Oceans Day’ – do you remember your first time seeing the ocean? What are your favorite memories?
9. What is your favorite thing about the beach?
10. Do you remember the first thing you wanted to be when you grew up?
11. Make life beautiful today, how can you celebrate life?
12. What are some summer vacations you have planned for this year?
13. What is your idea of the dream summer vacation?
14. What is your most memorable summer vacation so far?
15. It is halfway through June – how are you doing on your goals so far?
16. List 10 things you want to get done before the month is over.
17. It’s ‘Eat Your Vegetables Day’ – eat something healthy today and write about your favorite healthy foods.
18. What are you most excited about this summer?
19. What are some summer activities you have planned for the kids?
20. It’s the First Day of Summer! How do you plan to celebrate?
21. Today is Father’s Day in the US and UK – write down some fond memories of your dad or father figure.
22. How has your vision for your life changed in the last 10 years?
23. What are some daily habits that are getting you closer to your goals?
24. List 3 accomplishments you have had this month.
25. List 3 things you want to improve.
26. Write down 5 positive things about you and your life.
27. Look 5 years ahead – what is ONE thing you hope you’re doing?
28. Picture your dream house in your head, then describe it.
29. What is something you are looking forward to in July?

30. How did your June go?
31. June is ‘Entrepreneurs Do it Yourself Marketing Month’. If are an entrepreneur, what are some ways you can “do it yourself?”
32. When you were a kid, what was a business you wanted to start?
33. Name some dream businesses that you might want to start.
34. How could you be more productive in your business?
35. If you work for yourself in any capacity, what is your favorite part?
36. June is also ‘Men’s Health Month’. What are some ways you (or a man in your life) could improve their health?
37. What does it mean to you to be healthy?
38. How are you teaching the children in your life to be healthier?
39. How has your vision of health changed in recent years?
40. How often do you and your family members get regular exercise?
41. Celebrate ‘National Camping Month’ by writing down your favorite camping story.
42. It is also ‘Great Outdoors Month’ – what do you look forward to doing outdoors every year?
43. List your favorite things about camping.
44. Do you have good or bad childhood memories about camping?
45. List some other fun outdoor activities.
46. June is also ‘Rebuild Your Life Month’ – what does that mean to you?
47. Write about your life (love, finances, etc) in 5 years.
48. Write about your life in 10 years.
49. What are 3 things you can do this month to help rebuild your life?
50. If you could redo anything from your life so far, what would it be?

Your daily morning routine is probably the most important part of your day because it helps to set the tone for and helps you to organize your thoughts and todo list.  One popular daily habit that has helped many people improve their morning routines is morning pages. Also known as stream of consciousness writing,  morning pages are a form of daily journaling that you do right after you wake up.

Morning pages became popular through the work of Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way.

“We should write because it is human nature to write. Writing claims our world. It makes it directly and specifically our own. We should write because humans are spiritual beings and writing is a powerful form of prayer and meditation, connecting us both to our own insights and to a higher and deeper level of inner guidance.

We should write because writing brings clarity and passion to the act of living. Writing is sensual, experiential, grounding. We should write because writing is good for the soul. We should write because writing yields us a body of work, a felt path through the world we live in.

We should write, above all, because we are writers, whether we call ourselves that or not.”
― Julia Cameron, The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation Into the Writing Life

Although daily journaling in general is good for you, morning pages are especially beneficial, and there’s a reason so many successful people swear by a daily writing routine.

What Are Morning Pages?

Morning pages are simple enough to implement, and there are three basic requirements you should keep in mind.

• You must do your morning pages immediately upon waking up (though some might want to wait until after coffee and yoga!)
• You should write until you’ve completed three pages in your notebook, which is about 750 words.
• Morning pages must be handwritten.

This is your journal, for your eyes only. Write about whatever comes to your mind. You might find that initially you’re struggling with random thoughts or observations but if you keep at it, you’ll come up with some real gems later on. Just stay patient and committed, it will happen for you

Many people devote about a half hour to writing their morning pages though it may go faster for you.

Do you have to follow the above requirements exactly? While morning pages can be whatever you want them to be, there are some reasons for these A requirements.

It’s best to do your morning pages right away when you wake up because when it’s that early,  your mind will be still be waking up and you’ll be able to write down more honest thoughts from the inner depths of your mind.

It does take about three pages to produce in-depth writing. Otherwise, you’ll only be scratching the surface with your journaling.

While handwriting is best for morning pages (many feel that putting pen or pencil to paper creates a stronger connection), computers and apps do have their place. As far as the requirement about handwriting your morning pages, there are a few reasons for this. Many people feel that the act of putting pen or pencil to paper results in a stronger connection between what themselves and what they’re writing. And if you’re writing on a computer, it’s easy to get sidetracked with notifications and social media. If typing is your preference, check out a site like 750words to help you stay consistent with your morning pages routine.

Finally, remember that morning pages are meant to be private.This makes it easier to write authentically because you’re not concerned about what people might think about you’ve written.

S

Mental Health Benefits of Morning Pages

Morning pages are a great way to get into a daily habit of journaling. While there are many kinds of journaling, journaling first thing in morning is often great for stream of consciousness, bullet journaling, and planning out your day with greater clarity. Here’s a few more benefits of morning pages to consider:

Journaling is Cheaper Than Therapy

Since you’re the only one who sees your morning pages, this is the perfect opportunity for you to privately write about your thoughts and feelings. Many of us are so busy that our thoughts and feelings get buried. Taking a few minutes to focus on how you feel and what’s really bothering you can make all the difference in your outlook.  Journaling can also make a difference in your relationships. It can help you to better understand where your partner is coming from and show you how you can communicate better in the future.

Journaling can also help you to break down something that stressed you out the previous day, you may discover why it bothered you and what steps you can take to solve the problem.

Complete Freedom of Expression

Your morning pages are your own private world, and you can write and do whatever you want with them. While writing down your thoughts and feelings is one of the most common choices, you can also use your morning pages to create your vision and goals for the next few weeks and months, or take a more long-term view of what you want to accomplish in life. You can even use your morning pages to write your own short stories.

Journaling Stimulates Creativity

Many of us lose touch with our creative side as adults. It’s still there, we just have to put in the work to develop that creativity. To get your creative juices flowing again, the two most important factors are devoting time to it and having the right setup. Morning pages can help you become a more creative person. This is because instead of waiting for inspiration to strike you, morning pages require you to make a daily commitment to put in the work.

The other consideration is your setup. When you’re typing your ideas into a computer program, there’s may be a disconnect between you and what you’re creating, and you can quickly edit anything you don’t like before you’ve even thought it through. Using a pen and paper is a completely different process.  The ideas flow much better this way, especially when you’re just waking up.

Finally, stimulating creativity isn’t just for artists. If you’re an entrepreneur, your morning pages could be where you come up with great new business ideas. If you’re a busy mom, setting aside some intentional time for morning pages can help the day go smoother.

Morning Pages Can Help to Clear Your Head

Morning pages are great therapy for reducing anxiety and helping you be in the present moment. They allow you to clear all those nagging little thoughts and stressors from your mind so that they aren’t weighing you down the rest of the day. Many of us know how overwhelming it is to have an ongoing monkey mind as we attempt to focus on what needs to  be accomplished on a given day. By putting those thoughts to paper in the morning, you set yourself up for a more focused and productive day.

Morning Pages Help You Value Your Time More

Even though you’re setting apart 30 minutes to write morning pages into your room, it will pay off throughout the day as you make better use of your time.  You’ll know what your priorities are and be less apt to get distracted. And you’ll have a conscious desire to make the most of each and every moment.

Once you see how much those 30 minutes of morning writing can improve your life, you’ll want to use the rest of your time just as wisely. That means less procrastination and killing time on mindless tasks. You’ll move through life far more efficiently.

Simple Ideas for Your Morning Pages

Even though there are some recommendations on how you approach your morning pages, there really is no right or wrong way to do them. This is your personal mental playground. However, if you’re unsure how to start writing your morning pages, here are some ideas that could help.

Write What’s On Your Mind

This is probably the popular choice for morning pages, as it’s great for clearing your head and ridding yourself of stress. You’re get to be your own therapist here by analyzing how you’re feeling about a situation and why you’re feeling that way. The important thing to remember here is to keep asking yourself “why” as you write about how you feel. The first paragraph or two may just skim the surface, but as you continue to write you’ll make more progress as you break down your thoughts further.

For example, one morning you wake up feeling worried. As you write, you can pinpoint exactly what’s causing that worry and how you’re going to handle it. If you hadn’t done your morning pages, you may have spent your whole day stressed out.

Create a Plan of Attack for the Day

Your morning pages are the perfect place to write what you’re going to do that day, from the most mundane tasks to your big picture goals. By writing all these in the morning, you’re less likely to forget anything that you wanted to get to. One idea is to visualize everything as you go, and remember to keep positive mindset about it.

For example, instead of just writing that you have to get some cooking today, write down all the wonderful meals that you’re going to create and how much time this will save you in the kitchen over the next few days. Many times it takes is belief that things will go well, and positive results will follow.

Morning Pages for Brainstorming

If you’re trying to get those dormant creative juices flowing, you can use your morning pages to brainstorm new ideas. You may find that ideas just flow as you’re writing about other things. You could be writing about a recent annoyance, which then gives you an idea for a new way to deal with it.

You might also find it helpful to dedicate entire mornings of journaling to brainstorming, though. Your morning pages give you a place to work through ideas, even ideas that may seem silly at first. Remember that not every idea is going to be brilliant, but you should still give them all a chance.

Combining Different Ideas in Your Journal

As you decide how you’re going to approach your morning pages, consider combining different journal ideas and giving them each a portion of your writing. For example, you might spend your first page and a half on getting your thoughts down and clearing your head, and then use the next page and a half on what you’re going to do that day or week.

Or, you can just jump in and see where your writing takes you. It’s fine to start your morning pages talking about how tired you are and how much you’d rather be sleeping. The stream-of-consciousness approach tends to work very well for morning pages, and you may be surprised with what you come up with.

How to Make Morning Pages a Lasting Habit

To be successful with writing morning pages, you need to turn it into a daily habit. Start by carving out 30 minutes in your morning routine, even if that means waking up earlier. If you fly by the seat of your pants, the odds are that start skipping them because you don’t have the time.

Make daily  commitment to writing your morning pages for 30 days in a row. It will probably take time to see the results of this new morning routine. You’re selling yourself short if you stop after five days because you haven’t noticed a difference. When you set 30 days as your first goal, it gives you enough time to see the results in action and make morning pages a habit.

Morning pages are a time tested way to reduce stress, boost creativity and problem solve any situation.  All it takes is a notebook, a pen or pencil, and about 30 minutes of your time to make yourself happier and healthier.

When you start journaling for self discovery, you begin to find some incredible built in health benefits.These benefits might take a little while to become apparent, so be patient and don’t rush the process.  Just remember not to force yourself to feel or experience something you think you should be experiencing.  It’s okay to let come naturally.

One of my favorite benefits of journaling is the ability to truly become a happier and more peaceful person.  By starting an intentional journaling practice you’ll find clarity, vision for the future and so much more.

The first thing to remember is that journaling is not meant to be perfect. Don’t pressure yourself. You don’t have to do it in a particular way. You aren’t showing your journal to anyone (unless you want to), so you can write anything and everything you want without worrying about any  repercussions.
Your journal is your private sanctuary, your safe haven, the one place you can go to where you can express all your inner thoughts and hopes and fears without worrying about judgment or ridicule.

Journaling can provide so much power for your life, allowing you to become a much more peaceful person, and ultimately, a happier person and content person as you go through life’s ups and downs..

Gratitude Journaling

Gratitude is an amazing benefit you get by journaling. Sometimes it can seem a little counter-intuitive, but when you are more thankful for what is in your life, it brings in even more happiness and more things to be grateful for.

Never underestimate the power of gratitude! No matter where your life is now, there is always something to be grateful for. Here are some examples to get you going. Remember, what you’re grateful for is going to be unique for you.

* You have steady employment whether it is your dream job or not.
* Your personal/family life is going well.
* You got up today.
* Your illness is improving.
* You have amazing friends in your life.
* You accomplished something today.
* You are working hard on your goals.
* You have all the basic comforts people need.
* You had help with a big problem you were experiencing.
* Your faith is helping to bring you peace in a dark time.

99 Journal Prompts for Self Discovery

1. What is the one thing you are most grateful for in your life right now?
2. Name 5 things you are grateful for this week.
3. Who is someone you can’t imagine your life without?
4. What is a way you can show more gratitude every day?
5. Do you feel that you appreciate the good in your life often enough?
6. What is something that made you smile today?
7. Write down one memory that this month provokes.
8. What ideas inspire you?
9. What one thing/fear would you like to conquer this month?
10. Who are you most grateful for this year?
11. What one thing has happened to your family & how did you cope or celebrate?
12. What color do you think about most around this time of year?
13. Take your journal outside today and just doodle or sketch instead of writing!
14. How do you exercise with your child or younger relative?
15. Have you met your health goals this year?
16. What business plans can you put into place this month?
17. What local foods are in season now? How can you incorporate them into your meals this week?
18. Describe the weather outside today.
19. What is the one thing you love about where you live?
20. Focus on one healthy goal for this week.
21. What do you love about your life?
22. Name someone that you appreciate right now?
23. If you had one wish, what would you wish for?
24. What creative projects are you currently working on?
25. If you could change places with someone else this month, who would it be?
26. Describe some ways you can add more walking into your routine.
27. List 10 goals you would like to complete this month
28. Name 5 things you are grateful for this month.
29. Talk about an obstacle you overcame this year
30. Get outside and enjoy the sunshine, then journal your experience.
31. What is a good way to relax and unwind this month?
32. What is your favorite flower or plant?
33. Visit a friend or family member you haven’t seen in a while. Describe that day here.
34. Do you have personal challenges to overcome this month?
35. Reflect on your self-care practice. What is one new thing you can do for yourself this month?
36. List 3 things you haven’t done in a while, and try to do them this month.
37. List 10 things you love about yourself.
38. Check in with your health: Are there any improvements that need to be done?
39. How are you feeling this month?
40. How is your mental health right now?
41. What is one creative thing you can do this month?
42. Are you honest with yourself?
43. Describe your day in bullet points.
44. Talk about what you will be doing this weekend
45. Are you happy with your current friendships and/or relationships?
46. Do you feel happy with your life right now?
47. What are 3 things you can do this week to help improve your life?
48. What’s your biggest concern
49. Are you more of a positive or negative person?
50. What do you think are the best qualities in your family and friends?
51. How can you be a better friend?
52. What do you believe are some strengths of yours?
53. Do you think you value yourself enough?
54. How can you develop a more positive mindset?
55. What is something you are struggling with?
56. Describe the times when your mind went to negative thoughts today.
57. Is there one specific thing you are trying to work on?
58. Do you believe you are a good person?
59. What was the best part of your day?
60. What is your current morning routine, and how can you improve it?
61. Do you feel happy today?
62. What are your main personal goals?
63. Where would you like to be a year from now?
64. Do you have a five year goal?
65. Do you have a ten year goal?
66. Who or what do you aspire to be?
67. What is your goal for next week?
68. What are some things you would like to accomplish this year?
69. Do you have a bucket list?
70. Are you where you thought you would be at this point in your life?
71. Who is someone that inspires you?
72. What is a movie you can watch that always makes you laugh?
73. Do you have a favorite book that you like to reread?
74. What are your favorite playlists?
75. Is there a skill you would like to learn?
76. What hobbies would you like to learn how to do?
77. If you could be great at one musical instrument, what would it be?
78. If you could start your life over, would you?
79. What is one thing about your life you would willingly change?
80. What is something that was difficult, but you would never change?
81. What is a mistake today that you believe you learned from?
82. Name something you are proud of today.
83. What is something you can do to be physically healthier?
84. Do you feel like you made healthy choices today?
85. Do you have any fitness goals? List them here.
86. How can you schedule in more time for your health and wellness?
87. Is anything causing you stress today?
88. Eliminate one bad habit, then see how you feel in a week.
89. Keep track of your mental health signs and symptoms for one month.
90. Who is your best friend now?
91. Do you remember who your best friend in elementary school was?
92. Who is someone you used to be friends with, but aren’t any longer? Why did you grow apart?
93. Who is someone from your childhood you would like to find again
94. If you could talk to one person right now, who would it be
95. What is your family life like right now?
96. Do you have a significant other? Talk about them.
97. Talk about a memory between you and a sibling.
98. Write a letter to a family member who has passed, who you would love to catch up with.
99. Do you have any family pets? Write what you love about them!
100. Are there other pets you would love to get?

Cultivating the habit of writing in a journal every day or even a few times each week is a satisfying way to pass the time and helps you manage emotions and stress too. It can work for everyone from young children who are just learning how to express themselves in the written word as it is for teens, college students, working adults, and  senior citizens. If you’re looking for some creative and meaningful family time, just grab a notebook and start. Read on for easy family writing journal ideas to inspire you!

Journaling for Kids

Journal writing in early elementary school typically pertains to things kids have learned or already know. Some ideas might include favorite animals, holiday memories, “What did you learn today?”, and an emphasis on drawing with accompanying words make sense. As kids grow older, they become more interested in learning to write to explore their feelings.

– What will life be like in five years?
– What animal would I like to be for one day?
– Why is my best friend the best? How can I be a great best friend too?

Journaling for Teens

Many teens like to write secret diary confessions and thoughts about personal experiences, but teens can also begin thinking about the bigger picture and the world around them. What do they think about the current pandemic situation, what’s going on in politics or global climate change? How would they rewrite an experience they had to make it better? Prompts that focus on positive views of their individual nature are great.

– What is your prized possession? Would you ever give it away and why?
– Could you have handled the last argument you got into better? How?
– Write about you from your best friend’s perspective.

Journaling for Young Adults

People who are just starting out in the world may have lots of stress and need to figure things out. Journaling at the end of the day can help find different viewpoints about things that went on in class or at work. Write about things learned in relationships with others and yourself. Consider lists of compliments you pay yourself, define success, or write down questions you need to know the answers to.

– What does it mean to be a good neighbor?
– List 5 ways something others (or you!) consider a waste of time can benefit you.
– What is your biggest stressor and how can you minimize it?

Journaling for Midlife

Don’t make your journal about your kids. Take this time to discover or re-discover yourself. Create a bucket list, reminisce about  past adventures or events, and fully explore emotions tied to certain things in your life.

– What is the biggest contribution you have made to the world? Your family?
– What new technology do you love? Hate?
– If you could get advice from one person on Earth, who, and what would you ask
about?

Journaling for Seniors

Looking back can be bittersweet and journaling about the people you have met, places you have seen, and things you have done can be an adventure all its own. Make an effort to look forward when writing in your journal as well. Do you have a plan or is it
time to fly free? What did you always want to tell a family member or friend?

– Write a letter to yourself at major life stages or events.
– Describe the place you have been where you felt most at home.
– What secrets are you keeping about yourself that people may be surprised to know?
– Make a plan for next week, month, and year.

Journal writing for all ages gives an outlet for creativity, self-examination, and a great way to deal with and reduce stress. Parents can start their children off young and encourage and model ongoing journaling through the years.

Go ahead and get started with these journal prompts or any thoughts and feelings that might enter your mind when you pick up a pen or fire up the computer in the morning.

>

If you’re feeling cooped up in the house right now, journaling to cope with social distancing is a great way reduce stress and anxiety about the pandemic. Journaling is a great way to self reflect about everything that’s going on in the world right now and your response to it all. For one thing, you’re probably home more than you ever were before and have time on your hands. This is a wonderful time to begin a new journaling habit!

Being in isolation or alone for long periods of time can be really tough on your mental health. You might not even realize the toll that it’s taking. Even people who were already home much of the time and are introverts are still struggling with stress because of the disruptions to routine. Journaling will help you to identify panic, anxiety and worry and can really help to boost your mental health during this tough time.

Easy Tips for Starting a New Journal

It’s very easy to get started with journaling. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Simply grab a notebook, journal, or a piece of paper and a pen. That’s all you need. It can sometimes be hard to start your first page, so here are a few ways to get started the very first time you write in a journal:

Dear Diary. Pretend you’re a teen again. Write in your journal as if you are writing in a diary. Write about how your day is going, vent or what you did all day.

Use Journaling Prompts. These can help you to jumpstart the creative process. You can easily find journaling prompts on Pinterest, or check out some of my journaling prompts here.

Set a Timer. This is going to require you to do more stream of consciousness journaling, which is when you write about whatever comes to your mind. There are no designated topics – you just write with the flow of your thoughts until the timer goes off.

Other Ideas to Write in Your Journal

Writing in a daily journal may feeling kind of overwhelming. How do you decide what to write about every single day? Some journal writers may enjoy writing whatever comes to mind, but sometimes that leads to writer’s block and wasted hours of thinking about what to write. Here’s some more ideas for what to write in your journal.

Inspirational Quotes and Reflections

Inspirational quotes are great to use for journal prompts and there are hundreds to choose from for free on Google!  Find a quote that inspires
you to do something more in your life and put it down along with reflection on how it applies to your life. Any quote can work for this exercise, whether it’s a line from a book or movie or even a funny joke or anecdote.

Answer Your Own Questions

There are a few ways to find questions to answer in your journal. Keep notes of questioning thoughts as they come across your mind, then write them down or type into your notepad. You can also visit sites dedicated to asking questions and find one that appeals to you and write about it in your journal.

Personal Life Goals

If you run out of things to write in your journal, you could also talk about your goals. What do you think life will look like after the pandemic? What goals would you like to set? You don’t have to put all your goals down in one entry, but instead dedicate an entry to one specific goal. Talk about the goal, what you can do to achieve it and how to get there.

Notes on Current Events

Read a new story or two and write down your thoughts about it. Any significant event is worthy of discussion and analysis. You could also pick famous events from past history, like the beginning or ending of a war, or the death of a famous figure. Write about what’s going on in your town. Write about your personal response to it all.  T

Journal to Overcome Challenges

Everyone faces a variety of challenges every single day. Any time you encounter a struggle during your day, write about it in your journal. What happened that made it a challenge? How did you feel when you had to face it? Did you overcome the challenge? How did you overcome it? Some challenges can’t be overcome in a day and then you might want to write about possible solutions to the challenge in the days or weeks ahead.

Write Down Your Dreams and Memories

Everyone has dreams and memories that come up during the day. Write about a memory that came to you during the day. Try to recall more of the memory and how it made you feel. If you had an interesting dream the night before, write it down and then look up possible meanings in a dream dictionary. Think about the dream and if it’s relevant to your life.

Write About Food

If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s often very helpful to keep a food journal of what you ate during the day. You’ll be able to identify stress triggers that can lead to an eating binge. And if you’re not trying to lose weight, it can be fun to talk about new recipes you’ve tried and food you ate during the day.

Like everybody else, our family has been pretty much locked down for several weeks for the sake of several family members who are high risk.  Journaling is one of the best investments that you can make for your mental health during this unprecedented time. So go ahead, find an unused notebook or journal you have around the house and get writing with these fun April journal prompts!

April Journal Prompts

1. It’s April Fool’s Day! Do you participate in any fun pranks?
2. The first week of April is Library Week – It’s a great time to visit your local library and enjoy a few hours of quiet time. What is your favorite thing about the library?
3. What goals do you have for April?
4. It is also National Walking Week – write about your favorite places to walk in your area.
5. What is your favorite form of exercise?
6. What are some things you have been doing lately to stay healthy?
7. Celebrate ‘No Housework Day’ with a day off from cleaning and chores. What can you do instead?
8. It’s time to catch up on your Resolutions for the year. How have they been going?
9. For Garden Week – write about what you love about gardening.
10. What are your favorite gardens to visit?
11. Do you have something you always love planting?
12. Today is Easter – how do you plan to celebrate it?
13. Write about some of your memories of Easters past.
14. Are you ready for tax day tomorrow?
15. Celebrate World Art Day by writing about your favorite form of art.
16. What do you love about Spring?
17. What is something you look forward to every Spring?
18. Name something you can do for yourself this Spring?
19. It’s a great day to organize your files – write a list of what needs to be organized today.
20. What are some other areas of your life that need to be organized?
21. Do something for your business today and write about it.
22. It’s Earth Day! What are some ways you can celebrate?
23. It’s ‘Take Your Daughter to Work’ Day. Have you ever participated? Why or why not?
24. For Arbor Day, write a story about planting trees.
25. What are 3 things you want to get done before April is over?
26. What are some plans you have for next month?
27. Express your gratitude today for everything good that happened this month.
28. What are 10 things that inspire you?
29. What goals did you get done this month?
30. It’s time for the end of month review – How did April go?

Bonus April Journal Prompts

1. April is ‘National Garden Month’. Write a short story about gardening.
2. What are your favorite flowers?
3. List your favorite plants.
4. Do you prefer indoor or outdoor plants?
5. What is something you like to plant every year?
6. It’s ‘Stress Awareness Month’ – what is your stress level like today?
7. How do you personally deal with stress?
8. What are 3 other healthy ways you can handle your own stress?
9. How do you help your kids with stress?
10. What do you feel is the root cause of your stress?
11. For ‘National Pet Month’ talk about the pets you have.
12. Do you remember any pets from your childhood?
13. What is an animal you wish you could adopt?
14. If you could make any wild animal a pet, what would it be?
15. What are some of your favorite things about having pets?
16. Celebrate ‘National Humor Month’ by writing down some of your favorite jokes.
17. List your favorite funny shows.
18. List your favorite funny movies.
19. Who is a comedian you would love to see live?
20. Who or what always makes you laugh?

Need some more journaling inspiration?  Check out some of my previous journaling posts!

How to Start a Worry Journal

How to Start Journaling for Stress Relief

A Beginner’s Guide to Simple Bullet Journals 

How a Bullet Journal Helps Mental Health 

5 Easy Ways to Practice Gratitude Every Day

Finding Peace During Hard Times

 

Here’s a list of fun March journal prompts to help you stay consistent with your journaling practice.  In Florida, March is a beautiful time of year and I like to try to get outside as much as I can to visit some of our beautiful natural parks before the long hot summer hits.

March Journal Prompts

1. What is on your March bucket list?
2. What are your business goals for the month.
3. What does happiness mean to you
4. What are you excited about this month?
5. Are you happy with where you are in your career?
6. How do you go about meal planning.
7. What method do you use for your to-do lists?
8. What are some ways to relax when you’re stressed?
9. What is your favorite comfort food?
10. What are your favorite self-care activities for the month?
11. Spring is coming up soon – what are you excited about?
12. It’s Plant a Flower Day – what are your favorites?
13. Do you track your goals quarterly?
14. Describe how you deal with your difficult emotions.
15. What are 3 things you want to accomplish this month.
16. What do you feel is holding you back lately.
17. March 17^th is St. Patrick’s Day – do you celebrate this holiday?
18. How do you feel your social life is going lately?
19. What do you wish you could say to someone?
20. On the First Day of Spring – what do you like to do to celebrate?
21. What do you think makes you a good person?
22. What do you want people to remember about you?
23. What do you hope your kids say about you?
24. When it comes to productivity, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
25. What is your dream business?
26. What will get you closer to your dream business?
27. What is something you are grateful for
28. How do you prefer to express your creativity?
29. It’s close to the end of the first quarter – are you on track?
30. The 30^th is ‘Take a Walk in the Park’ day. Where can you go walking?
31. Describe how the end of your first quarter is going.

Bonus March Journal Prompts

1. What are some healthy meals you love making for your family?
2. Find some new healthy lunch ideas for your kids.
3. March is Family Nutrition Month – how can you improve your family’s nutrition?
4. Do you grow any vegetables or herbs at home?
5. List 5 ways to add more vegetables and/or fruits to your family meals.
6. How has nutrition changed from when you were a kid.
7. How important is nutrition to you?
8. In what ways do you find a healthy balance in your life?
9. What do you want your kids to learn about nutrition?
10. What do you feel are the pros and cons of focusing on proper nutrition.
11. What is your favorite craft to do alone.
12. What craft do you love to do with your kids.
13. What is your first memory of making crafts?
14. Do you enjoy homemade birthday or holiday gifts?
15. Spend the day working on your favorite creative project, then journal about it.
16. Make a craft for St. Patrick’s Day.
17. What are some crafts your kids enjoy doing?
18. How do you feel about wine and paint events
19. Sketch how you feel right now in your journal.
20. Draw a picture of what March looks like to you.

 

 

Worries are an unfortunate fact of life. Whether it’s your everyday life or bigger worries such as health and financial woes, it seems like there’s always something to worry about. However, you don’t have to let your worries get the best of you and become overwhelming. Start a worry journal and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the benefits to your overall health and wellbeing.

What is a Worry Journal?

A worry journal is a private place where you can write down all of your worries. When used correctly, a worry journal can help to get the negative thoughts out of your head. When you worry too much, it can often lead to more anxiety, stress and depression. If we keep them bottled up, it can lead to a range of mental and physical issues.

How to Write Your Worries Down

The first step is to begin writing down all the worries you have at the moment. You’ll notice that as you write each thing down that’s worrying you, it will help to release the power that it has over you. This step in the process only takes a few minutes.

The next step is to begin to evaluate your worries. Ask yourself some questions to determine why you have these worries, and what you think could happen. Once you have defined your worries, you can go to work on reducing them. Here’s some questions that you can ask yourself in your journal:

• Is there any evidence to support my worries?How
• What is the worst thing that could happen?
• Could I look at the situation in a different way?
• What evidence do I have that could argue against the worry?

What Should I Journal Before Bed?

If your goal is to sleep better, experts suggestion writing in your journal about three hours before you go to bed. This will give you plenty of time to both list your worries and then analyze them. It can takes some time to process everything and you may not feel better right away. But after a few hours, your brain will feel more relaxed and it will be easier to get to sleep.

The Mental Health Benefits of Keeping a Worry Journal

When you have a lot on your mind, it can become very overwhelming. Writing it down is the best way to release them from your mind. Many times we’re not aware that we are bottling things up and over time, the things that we’ve been holding in start to come out in unhealthy ways.

Here’s some health benefits you may experience by writing in a worry journal before bed.

• You’ll sleep better.
• Journaling is a positive outlet that can help with weight struggles.
• Reduce anxiety
• Improved immune system
• Boosting happiness levels

And once you’ve written down your worries and analyzed them, create a gratitude list. Gratitude can help to increase happiness levels and thinking about what you’re grateful for is a great way to fall asleep.

Journaling Tips for Beginners

Have a dedicated space. Set aside a small space with your journal, pens and whatever helps you to feel focused and relaxed. Ideally, this should be away from the noise going on in the rest of the house!

Try morning pages. While we’ve been discussing journaling before bed, morning pages can also help you set the tone for the day. This is how morning pages work:

• You must do your morning pages immediately upon waking up.
• You write until you’ve completed three pages in your notebook, which is about 750 words.
• Morning pages must be handwritten.

You can write about whatever comes to mind. For the first half-page or page, you  may find that you’re filling the page with random thoughts, but if you stick with it,  you’ll likely end up with some gems in the rest of your writing. It’s all about being patient and committed to the process.

Keep it simple. While’s it’s important to analyze your worries, it’s also important to take care not to go into a lot of depth with them. Spend just a few minutes writing about each worry that you have.

Write about your day. This can help with stress because you’re not bottling things up. It’s a great way to free up all of the tension, anger and frustration that you might be experiencing.

List your fears and concerns. If you can, try to organize them into chronological order. Focus on the worries that are affecting you right now. Many times our worries are focused on the future. Just think about what’s troubling you today.

Create to do lists. If you worry about having too much to do, creating a to-do list can really help. Every night write down the main three things you want to accomplish the next day.

Begin with your most pressing worry. It’s always a good idea to start with the most pressing worry. As you focus on your most pressing worry, it will help you to better deal with the smaller ones. Not only that, you’ll experience relief faster if you start with your most pressing concerns.

Don’t judge yourself. One thing that you may struggle with is judging yourself harshly. You’re not weak. Your worry journal is a safe place to vent your worries and concerns. If you censor yourself, you won’t get the full benefits of the journal.

Identify ways to look at your worries differently. For every fear or worry that you’ve written down, try to identify at least one way that you could could view the situation differently. If you tend to fear the worst, try thinking about something positive that could happen from the situation.

Bring a journal everywhere with you. It doesn’t have to be your worry journal, but having a smaller journal will allow you to write in your journal as things come up, like when you’re having problems at work or are nervous about an upcoming appointment.

The majority of the time, you’ll find many of the things you worry about often resolve themselves in time. They may not be as bad as we perceive them to be. By questioning and analyzing your worries, you’ll be taking away their power and seeing for them for what they really are, rather than what they could be.

These are some of the best ways to journal in order to take your power back from worries. By facing your worries head on and gaining a better understanding of them, it can really help to reduce the worry and help you live a more intentional and less stressful life.

If you follow the method above, you’ll be surprised by how much better you feel. A worry journal is a very simple, yet very effective tool for reducing anxiety and preventing excessive worry.

Did you set a resolution to start journaling this year but have fallen behind already? No worries, I’ve created some February Journal Prompts for you to begin anew. New Year’s Resolutions might seem a little silly, but they really are a great way to narrow down your focus to one or two main goals. They are not meant to be something miraculous and life changing (though they can be), but to take advantage of the new year with a fresh start. I personally like to refer to them as “intentions.” And best of all when you create intentions, you can start over any time of the year.

Maybe you want to lose weight this year, give up soda, start doing yoga, or stop a bad habit like overeating. When it comes to creating your New Year’s Resolutions, using a journal is one of the best tools at your disposal. It not only helps you decide on the resolutions, but helps to track your progress along the way.

What Do You Want to Accomplish This Year?

Begin by writing down everything you would like to accomplish this year. This might end up being a long list, which is totally fine. You are just starting with any idea you have in your head before you make your final decisions. Think of big things and small things, even if you don’t know that they will end up being a resolution. Consider your bad habits, something you want to implement, a goal you want to achieve, healthier lifestyle habits, a change in your routine, a place you want to visit, or a problem you want to solve.

What Did You Struggle With Last Year?

To add to your list of possibilities, write down anything you feel like you lacked or fell behind in the previous year. This can help you figure out where you want your focus to be, such as if you struggled with your finances this past year, you might want to look for a new job opportunity or work on your business more.

Write Your Thoughts

Go through and highlight or make a check next to anything that really speaks to you or you believe would make a positive impact in your life. Consider something you can do for the entire year, and doing that will help to make you happy or healthier, or just change your life in a positive way.

February Journal Prompts for 2020

1. What is on your February bucket list?
2. Do you have plans for Superbowl Sunday?
3. What are your February goals?
4. List 3 things you can change this month to reach your goals?
5. What are some fun things you want to do this month?
6. What makes you feel joy?
7. It’s Send a Card to a Friend Day – who would you love to send a card to?
8. What are you doing this month for self-care?
9. Are you still on track with your resolutions?
10. What part of your goals have changed?
11. What is something about your personal life you want to improve?
12. If you were granted one wish, what would you ask for?
13. What is your favorite Valentine’s Day date of the past?
14. How did you meet your significant other?
15. If you could spend a weekend doing anything, what would it be?
16. Add 5 more things to your bucket list.
17. What is a random act of kindness you can do today?
18. How has your mindset been lately?
19. How can you improve your mindset?
20. Are you an athletic person?
21. What is something you can do today to help improve your life?
22. If you were an animal, what would you be?
23. If you could go on any cruise, where would you go?
24. Imagine you could immediately go anywhere in the world – where would you want to go?
25. If you could sit on a bench with anyone, who would it be?
26. Write a letter to your pet – what would you say?
27. What is an embarrassing memory from your school years?
28. What is a good memory from your school years?
29. This year is a leap year – do you have any memories from previous leap days?
30. What are you grateful for this month?

Grab the Journal Printable!