Journaling can be a simple tool for supporting emotional well-being. Whether you’re in mental health treatment or simply looking for healthier ways to cope with stress, writing things down can offer clarity and perspective.
Rogers Behavioral Health’s Krystle vanDeursen, MA, LMHC, therapist at Rogers in Seattle, shares tips for getting started—no fancy notebook required—if you’re not sure where to begin.
What are the mental health benefits of journaling?
Research and clinical practice suggest that journaling offers several benefits:
- Improves emotional awareness and management: Writing helps people identify, name, and process emotions they might otherwise push away. This can reduce emotional overwhelm and help us better understand our emotions.
- Reduces stress and anxiety: Putting thoughts on paper can externalize worries, helping the brain “declutter.” This can help your physical body feel less stressed and make problems feel more manageable.
- Supports balanced thinking: By describing situations, exploring interpretations, and reflecting on outcomes, journaling helps shift rigid thinking patterns and promotes balanced perspective.
- Builds insight into patterns: Journaling can highlight triggers, habits, and recurring themes.
- Encourages mindfulness and presence: Regular writing slows the moment down and increases awareness of thoughts, sensations, and experiences.
What are best practices for journaling?
While there’s no single “right” way to journal, a few practices can make it more effective:
- Write regularly, not perfectly. Consistency helps, but even occasional journaling can be beneficial.
- Focus on honesty, not grammar. The journal is for personal use, not publication.
- Be specific. Describe what happened, how you felt, and what thoughts or sensations were present.
- Don’t judge what you write. The goal is expression and reflection, not critique.
- Use structure when helpful. Prompts or templates can support people who feel overwhelmed by a blank page or who might otherwise “worry on paper.”
Do I have to journal every day for it to boost my mental health?
Not at all. Journaling is helpful even when done occasionally. More important than frequency is that the process feels supportive rather than pressured.
What are some simple steps I can take to start journaling if it intimidates me?
Getting started can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re unsure of what to write. These steps can make it easier:
- Start small. Even three minutes or a couple of sentences count.
- Choose a simple format. A notebook, notes app, or voice-to-text tool all work.
- Use prompts to guide your writing.
- Set a low-pressure environment. Try a quiet space with no expectation of quality or length.
What are some prompts to help me get started when I don’t know what to write about?
Here are some prompts to consider:
- “What emotions am I noticing right now?”
- “What is one thing that felt difficult today?”
- “What gave me a sense of relief or comfort today?”
- “What’s something I wish I could say out loud?”
- “What am I proud of, even if it seems small?”
- “What are five things I am grateful for today?”
Structured prompts can be especially helpful for people working through anxiety, depression, trauma, or major life transitions.
Is journaling part of mental health treatment? If so, how is it incorporated?
Journaling is often incorporated into therapy and behavioral health treatment, though its role varies depending on the type of treatment.
Journaling is commonly part of:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Individuals may complete thought records, track automatic thoughts, or document alternative perspectives.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Diary cards help track emotions, urges, skills used, and progress.
- Trauma-focused work: Journaling can help process emotions between sessions, track triggers, and build grounding skills (though therapists tailor this carefully).
- Mindfulness-based therapies: Noticing thoughts and sensations in writing strengthens non-judgmental awareness.
Therapists may suggest journaling when it enhances treatment goals, but it’s always personalized and never one-size-fits-all.
Rogers offers mental health treatment
At Rogers, we see you and meet you where you are on your mental health journey. We’ve been providing effective and compassionate care for more than a century,
Call 833-308-5887 for a free, confidential screening.
