It is constantly circulating around the social media “self-care” universe that journalism is beneficial for your mental health, which starts to sound cliche after a while, if we are being candid. In reality, most of us do not have the time to sit down every day and dig deep with some kind of tear-jerking emotional reflection – which honestly was the perception that I had of journaling for quite some time. In reality, journaling is simply the act of being present of your own thoughts for a moment, which can look different for everyone, and does not have to be a performative act – it is simply what you choose to make of it, as long as the goal is mindfulness in some capacity.
Journaling has many benefits and should be personalized to each individual, free of the pressure to fill every page with perfectly articulated, thought provoking self analyses. It can be as simple as a quick reflection of your day, a brief excerpt of something that’s been on your mind, even something that was annoying you that day. In my experience, it is much more freeing to be able to learn how to be comfortable with your own thoughts and learning how to put them on paper, regardless of what the content may be. There is also something sacred having it for yourself, a place where whatever is on your mind can be released in private, never having to be shared with anyone else if you don’t want it to. I would encourage you to try it for yourself, and if you’re not sure where to start, below I have listed 5 prompts to help you get started.
- List 3 of your current favorite songs and how they make you feel. This can be any of your current favs or even your all time never-skips, and explain a bit about what it is about the song that draws you in. Is there a feeling or memory attached to it? Does it remind you of something? Maybe someone?
- A list of things you love about yourself that other people may not know or notice. An important aspect of journaling is not only being able to reflect on your experiences, but also yourself.
- Words you wish someone told you when you were younger. This one can be a bit emotional, yet definitely good for self-reflection and healing those parts of yourself, when it is just you and your paper. Another good version of this would be writing a letter to your younger self!
- What is something you are avoiding and why? Journaling is a good time to be completely honest with yourself and possibly come to terms with things you may not be willing to share elsewhere. This prompt can also be good for goal setting, and maybe a good time to come up with a game plan of how you can conquer something you’ve been avoiding.
- Something you wish you could say out loud. This can be anything – it stays with you and your journal. It can be to a person, or even just a general thought that you have kept inside for whatever reason. This prompt is also a good way to get comfortable breaking the barrier of being uncomfortable being truly honest in your journaling.
Remember, journaling doesn’t have to be extravagant or pretty. It can be two sentences of how your day went, a list of current favorites, a scrapbooking page, etc. Try taking 5 minutes to yourself before bed and jotting down some thoughts, using one of these prompts, or get creative and come up with one of your own. There are ample resources online that also provide great prompts and tips. Happy writing!