Mental Health Benefits Of Journalling And How To Start

I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember. I’m on medication to tackle it and now have some cognitive tools I can use to help manage it but it does seem that this is something I will always live with.

I’m not alone. In fact, according to research by leading mental health charity Mental Health UK, one in five adults feel anxious most or all of the time. 60% of their respondents also said that they had experienced anxiety that interfered with their daily life in the two weeks prior.

As well as making the most of treatment options available, I have always looked for outlets to help manage it. I’ve found that cross-stitch can make a real difference, as can an evening with my sewing machine and yoga can really bring me back down to Earth during an anxiety spiral.

Journalling had been recommended to me by therapists and friends in the past, but I just couldn’t seem to get into it. Even as a writer, that blank white page was overwhelming to look at, and the thought of just writing my thoughts was a little much to deal with.

One evening, though, I decided to give it a try. I had something on my mind that I didn’t want to discuss with the people close to me but I had been ruminating for so long that I knew I needed to do something. I started writing in a fancy new notebook I got for Christmas.

Then I kept writing. I was getting the relief of talking about what was on my mind without having to handle the weight of conversation which, in my anxious state, would have been a little too much to bear.

Now, I do it every day. Sometimes I write as little as half a page and still feel like I have taken the weight of the day off my shoulders. Sometimes I know I want to write but don’t have anything to say which is when I’ll search for journalling prompts online. I am exorcising demons one page at a time.

I always thought that I’d need fancy notebooks, pens, highlighters, the works but it turns out that actually for me, pen and paper is enough. My journals aren’t aesthetically pleasing but they are rescuing my mental health.

Speaking to TODAY, Dr. Carla Manly, a clinical psychologist based in Sonoma County, California said: “Journaling also improves mental health and allows for stress relief, because it can provide a safe space to unload your pent-up thoughts and feelings,

“In general, whether it’s after a therapy session or just after a long day, it is a safe space just to put everything out there and close it up.”

Addtionally, a 2018 study involving 70 adults with elevated anxiety found that online journaling for 12 weeks significantly reduced their mental distress.

I really recommend getting started.