Keep a Daily Journal

Writing in a journal daily and reflecting on what you are thankful for can benefit your mental health and overall well-being.

Benefits of Journaling and Gratitude Reflection

• Reduces stress and anxiety: Journaling about your thoughts and feelings can help you manage and reduce stress, as well as decrease the frequency of intrusive, depressive thoughts.

• Improves self-awareness: Writing down your thoughts and feelings helps you better understand your needs and emotions, leading to greater self-awareness and personal growth.

• Enhances emotional well-being: Expressing gratitude in your journal can increase happiness, optimism, and life satisfaction.

• Boosts memory and cognitive function: Writing can enhance the brain’s intake, processing, and retention of information, as well as promote attentive focus and long-term memory.

• Strengthens relationships: Writing letters of gratitude to others can deepen connections and foster positive relationships.

• Promotes better sleep: Journaling can help you process the day’s events and clear your mind, improving sleep quality.

My Journal Journey

I started unofficially keeping a journal back in 2012. I did it more as an annual reflection of what I was trying to accomplish, what I was thankful for, what challenged me, my fears and worries, and my successes and dreams. I did this until 2017, and then in 2018, when I was dealing with a lot of work-related stress and anxiety, I switched to something I called a thought journal.

The thought journal asked some prompting questions that would help me create journal content.

• Describe what was happening when you began to feel this way. Or, what’s going on? What are you thankful about today? What do you want to reflect on?

• What are you thinking about? (e.g. ice cream)

• What were you thinking about what you were thinking about? (e.g., I want ice cream but shouldn’t be eating it because I’m fat and disgusting, and no one loves it because I am, so why bother? I’ll eat some and show them!)

• What was the actual emotion you were feeling? Anxiety is not an emotion; it’s an experience of several emotions, like fear or being out of control. This is also true of depression. You might feel sad, worthless, hopeless, nothing at all…, or numb.

• What did you do? What action was generated as a result of your thinking and feeling this way?

• What happened before this started, and what was the event you wrote about in number 1?

I really did not like the rigid structure of the thought journal, but its focused approach helped me deal with some of the specific stress I was experiencing.

Tips for Starting and Maintaining a Journaling Habit

The two main challenges of maintaining a daily journal are 1) the discipline of sitting down and writing each day and 2) figuring out something to write about instead of just staring at a computer screen or a notepad. Writer’s block is a thing when you are writing in a journal.

• Choose a journaling method: Decide if you prefer a physical notebook or an online journal, and find a format that works for you.

• Set a routine: Establish a regular time to journal, whether it’s in the morning, evening, or during a break in your day.

• Start small: Begin with just a few minutes of journaling per day and gradually increase the time as it becomes a habit.

• Use prompts: Use journal prompts to help guide your writing and reflection, especially when you are unsure what to write about.

• Be consistent: Make journaling a daily habit to reap the most benefits.

• Be honest: Write openly and honestly about your thoughts and feelings without judgment or self-censorship.

• Review your entries: Periodically look back at your journal entries to track your progress and recognize patterns or areas of growth.

Incorporating daily journaling and gratitude reflection into your routine can have a lasting positive impact on your mental health and overall quality of life. Understanding the benefits and following the tips for starting and maintaining a journaling habit can create a powerful tool for personal growth and self-improvement.