Millions of people struggle with mental health disorders every year. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 22.8% of adults in the US (57.8 million people) experienced a mental illness in the past year,¹ and 5.5% of the population, or 14.1 million people, experienced a serious mental illness.

Although mental health treatment is an integral part of the recovery process for many, not everyone is ready to seek help from a specialized facility. You can incorporate some things into your daily life that might help you manage some of your symptoms.

Mental health journaling is one such practice. You may have kept a journal or a diary when you were younger, recording your secret thoughts and stashing them away for no one to find. While it might have been something you left in your childhood, writing in a journal as an adult has many benefits. What are some of the ways that journaling can help your mental health?

Benefits of Mental Health Journaling

Mental health disorders provoke some profound emotions and internal conflict that can be difficult to manage. Finding healthy outlets to process these feelings and reactions is essential to managing your mental health. Mental health journaling is one tool you can use to express yourself and work through troubling emotions.

Studies show that some of the benefits of writing in a journal include more manageable anxiety, reduced stress, and an improved ability to cope with depression.² Journaling provides a neutral space to prioritize your problems, concerns, and fears. It also offers a way to track your day-to-day life, enabling you to identify triggering people, places, or experiences and develop better ways to handle these situations.

How to Start a Journal

If you want to make use of mental health journaling, the following tips are a good place to start:

• Make time to write every day. You don’t have to write pages and pages, but carve out a few minutes to get some thoughts down on paper and build the habit.
• Pick a notebook and pen you enjoy writing with. The more enjoyable the experience, the more likely you will stick with it.
• Your journal is your own. Don’t force yourself to write, draw, or document in any particular way because it feels like you “should”; do what you want to with your space.
• Keep your journal private if you want to. Knowing you have a space no one else can read will enable you to express yourself more freely.

Other Useful Practices for Mental Health

While mental health journaling is a valuable practice for managing mental health, it’s not the solution for a mental health disorder. Trying to journal your way out of mental illness is not the best approach. Journaling is a helpful tool when incorporated as part of a comprehensive mental health treatment program.

If you’re struggling with mental illness, seeking help from a specialized mental health treatment facility like LifeSkills Florida is the best option. You can find a program that best suits your needs depending on your struggles. If you want to learn more about the services, submit an online contact form, and an admissions specialist will contact you.

References

1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2021.
2. University of Rochester Medical Center. (2023). Journaling for Mental Health.