Journal writing, or journaling, involves writing your thoughts and emotions down. It brings amazing benefits for your mental health and well-being and is a great way to deal with anxious thoughts because it brings awareness to the present.
Five journaling techniques
With the right journaling exercises, you can find more clarity and calm in your daily life. Here are five journaling techniques to get you started.
One of the best ways to get your anxious thoughts out of your head and onto paper is to just write. The rules of freewriting are quite simple: set a time limit for yourself (from 10 to 30 minutes) and start writing. Even if there is nothing on your mind, don’t push yourself too hard: ideas come when you are relaxed. Write quickly and don’t worry about grammar and punctuation rules. This exercise allows you to organise your racing thoughts and can provide a sense of relief and clarity.
Journal prompts is a form of journaling that is done in a response to a question that you ask yourself. Using journal prompts is helpful if you have a busy mind, because it gives you just one thing to focus on. Here are some journal prompts to get your started:
Bullet journaling focuses on helping you get things done. For example, write out a list of things you need to do. Then, rewrite the list in order of priority – time, importance, etc. A bullet journal for stress relief works by freeing up your mental space, creating a system that you trust to help you get things done, and makes life feel a lot more manageable.
In this journaling exercise, you write a letter to someone that you’ll never send. You can write an unfiltered letter to yourself, to a friend, a relative, or even someone in your past, and tell them how you actually feel towards them and why. You can then keep this letter with your journal, put it somewhere private, or simply tear it.
Get your happy hormones flowing by writing a gratitude list. Gratitude journaling involves taking a couple of minutes every day to make a list of everything that you’re grateful for. This helps you to focus less on your worries and anxieties, and more on the many simple blessings you take for granted every day, which is a quick way to improve your mental health by giving you a positive outlook on life.
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