Three Types of Journaling that can Benefit Your Mental Health
This semester, many of us are facing unique mental health challenges. Even if we are not in quarantine or complete isolation, we are more isolated than normal. In this time, maintaining our mental health is as important as ever, and is perhaps more difficult. One of the practices that I have found helpful over the years has been journaling.
Before I talk about the three types of journaling I have found most beneficial to me, I want to first offer a disclaimer. I am not a mental health expert. These ideas are based entirely on my personal experience, and as such are very subjective.
Another thing I want to say before we go on; I would strongly suggest always including the date with your journal entry. Why? Because it gives you context when you look back through your journal. It can be interesting to look back and see what and who you were writing about five years ago. These types of journaling lend themselves to different formatting, but they all have a place for the day and maybe even the time.
1 – Vent or Thought Journal
Sometimes the best way to process a problem is to talk about it. Yet, there are times (especially right now, mid-pandemic) that you have no one to talk to. This type of journaling is perfect for that situation. You simply write down your thoughts and feelings. Whether it is 3 a.m. and you just need to get something troublesome off your chest or you just had the worst day ever at work, a vent journal helps you express those thoughts and let go if need be.
I tend not to write minor inconveniences, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. That is the great thing about this type of journaling; it’s about you and what you need to express. One thing I have found crucial is not to hold back or filter my thoughts. I just let my thoughts flow and do the evaluating later.
2 – Gratefulness Journal
A gratefulness or gratitude journal can be something as simple as writing down three one-word things you are grateful for everyday. Just the act of reflecting on the good that happened in the day can be helpful. When I have a bad day, I get stuck on the frustrating and crazy things that happened, forgetting the good things. Remembering the encouraging words that my professor said to me or the fun my boyfriend and I had playing video games changes my outlook on the day. I will wake up with those moments on my mind, not the negative parts of my day.
For gratefulness journals I would suggest setting a number of things to write down. Figure out a number or amount of the page you want to fill up everyday. That way, you are setting an expectation for yourself to find enough things to be grateful about to fill up your section for the day. You won’t always have enough, but more often than not you might find more.
3 – One Word or Themed Journal
Based on the ideas described in the book, “One Word That Will Change Your Life” by Dan Britton and Jimmy Page, I pick a word each year. It is a word that represents an area I want to grow in that year. For 2019 my word was “courage.” I decided to make posters with quotes about courage to put up in my dorm room. I also started my one word journal. In this journal, I take my word for the year and write down quotes and Bible verses that relate to it.
If you don’t have a word for your year, you could use this type of journaling with any theme — whether related to your New Year’s resolution, your theme for the year, or just random themes. For me, I wrote down those quotes, and then I documented my fears (the opposite of courage). It helped me keep my goal in mind by having it written down along with encouragement.
In Summary
Journaling can be beneficial to your mental health. If nothing else, it is a good way to express your feelings and work through your feelings. Journaling is a personal thing, so the structure and the type of content in your journal(s) will be custom to you.
I found this article about the benefits of journaling interesting and informative. If you are interested in the scientifically proven benefits of journaling, I would suggest looking for articles in scientific journals or asking a health professional ;).
Bonus Journaling Ideas
Another type of journal I have is a poem journal. It’s one of the ones that has verses and/or quotes at the bottom of each page. I like to take inspiration from these and use it to jump-start my creativity. It is a fun creative exercise and can sometimes lead to actual poems. Fun fact: My poem Dreams was first written in this journal.
A dream journal is always interesting. Most of us don’t remember our dreams, and if we do they disappear quickly. If you write them down in a journal, the dream won’t vanish.
I also keep a prayer journal. Similar to a gratitude journal, in my prayer journal I write down both recurring and new prayers, along with praises. It’s cool to see how many prayers turn into praises and see what I was praying for a year ago!