If you have ever had a medical professional ask you how many times you have felt a certain way in the last two weeks, you may have found yourself struggling to come up with an accurate number. Was it really every day that I felt depressed, or does it just feel like it was every day because of how sad I have been feeling? One of the ways to avoid this problem is to journal.
At Highland Hospital Behavioral Health in Charleston, West Virginia, we recognize that journaling is a practice with many potential mental health benefits.
Tracking Your Symptoms
There are many different reasons why people journal, but if one of your goals is to provide better information for your doctors, then it is a good idea to track the following:
- Your overall mood
- Symptoms you are experiencing
- Events that may have contributed to those symptoms
- Activity
- Med changes
- Sleep
- Coping skills you used
- Food and water intake
- If you menstruate, you may find it helpful to note when you start and end your period
Keeping a consistent record of these things may help your medical providers to identify patterns and make them more effective in helping you manage your mental health.
Other Reasons for Journaling
Sometimes, people journal for reasons besides sharing the information with their providers. For example:
- Helping their mind to break negative thought loops
- Increasing their own awareness of patterns they experience
- Regulating emotions
- Finding the right words to talk about their experiences
- Improving physical health
Ways to Journal
Some people prefer a notebook and pen, while others like to use apps on their phones. A third way some people choose to journal is to draw, rather than using words, to express their feelings. What is more important than the method you choose is that you have an option that feels comfortable to you and that you will be consistent about using. Keep it simple. Don’t feel like you need to write for long stretches of time. Setting aside 5-10 minutes per day is generally sufficient.
Formatting Your Journal
Don’t worry about sentence structure or grammar. This is for you, not your English teacher. You can set up your journal in any way you like. Some options include:
- Stream of consciousness: Just write down whatever comes to mind, without trying to guide them or structure them in a certain way
- A list: Pick a topic and write down everything that comes to mind. This can include your feelings, choices, losses, enjoyable experiences, triggers, and coping skills.
- Gratitude-based: What you are feeling grateful for today
- Affirmations: Positive statements about yourself
- Intentions: Things you hope to achieve
- Prayers/blessings: Things you wish to see happen in the lives of yourself and people you know
- Daily inventory: Reflections on the day, including what went well, what did not, and what progress you made on goals
Overcoming Writer’s Block
If you encounter a day when you don’t know what to write about, you can always look online for “journal writing prompts,” or your therapist may have suggestions for things you can write about.
Some journals come with writing prompts inside, such as:
- Describe your perfect day.
- What made you feel happy recently?
- What do you like best about yourself?
- How did you overcome a big hardship in your life?
- What do you wish others knew about you?
Journal Privacy
Concern about privacy is one reason that some people choose to utilize journaling apps. The ability of the app and/or the electronic device that is used to write can help a person feel more confident that their private thoughts and feelings will stay private.
If you have a loved one who is utilizing journaling to support their mental health, it is important to respect their privacy. Just as it would not be appropriate to eavesdrop on their therapy session, it is a violation of their trust to access their journal without their permission. A person in mental health recovery cannot feel safe journaling if they are worried that their privacy could be invaded.
At Highland Hospital Behavioral Health, we value our patients as important members of their own treatment team. We believe that giving them the tools they need to better understand and manage their mental health is an important part of their recovery journey.
