Journaling for your Mental Health
Just before we get started, if you're looking for journaling ideas and you'd prefer a video, DoodleLou has you covered here...
...and for those who'd prefer to read, keep reading this guest post from Helen Colebrook of Journal with Purpose...
Journaling has been proven to have really positive effects on our mental health. Your journal can be a safe place to let out all your emotions, plan for your future and take some quiet time to reflect. In this post I will be sharing some of my favourite journaling pages, that over time have really helped to bring me into a more positive mindset.
If you are the sort of person who spends time worrying about things you didn’t manage to get done, or feeling that you’re not doing enough, these pages could really help you. I would recommend spending a few minutes every evening writing down things you can be proud of yourself for. These don’t need to be big things. Regardless of how life is for you right now, I always believe you can find something positive to acknowledge in yourself.
Maybe you made healthy food choices, got outside, took time to rest, started a new project or learned a new skill. Once you have been doing this exercise for a while it can really help to build your self-esteem as you more readily notice the good things you do every day.
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance” – Eckhart Tolle
Another of my favourite journal pages to complete each month is a list of things that I’m grateful for. It helps me to notice the good things around me, rather than spending time focusing on areas where perhaps I feel I am lacking. It helps to lift my mood and stay on the lookout for more positive things which I can add to my pages.
I also find that when I focus on feeling grateful, it really helps me to keep other problems in perspective.
Journaling is a great way to let out all those thoughts and emotions that might be swirling around in your head. There is so much “noise” around us with the news, social media and being constantly contactable on our phones, that our own voice can get a little lost amongst it all.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and struggling to concentrate, I can really recommend taking some time to write down everything which comes into your mind. It doesn’t matter whether it makes sense, the aim of this is to make you feel a little lighter. I regularly use my journal to unburden my mind which helps me to see things with more clarity.
Another way in which I love to use my journal is by writing positive messages to myself. I often start this with a favourite quote or song lyrics that really speak to me. I then use my pages to focus on strength and positive thoughts which I can come back to read time and time again.
My final journal page idea is taking time to celebrate who you are. I drew around my hands, painted the background and then filled up my hands with all the little things that make me who I am. I think it’s really important to stay connected with yourself and remember all those parts of you that can be neglected. You could document the things that are important to you in life, your favourite hobbies, songs, books and any of the other things that make you unique. If you feel that parts of you have been chipped away at, this exercise can really help you to remember and focus on the things that are important to you.
I really hope you’ve enjoyed seeing these pages from inside my journal and that they inspire you to get documenting in your own too, Helen.