The Goddess Psyche

Your mind is a powerful thing so keeping it healthy and positive is the key to a happy and abundant life! Journaling is a wonderful way to improve your mental health and overall well-being. In this post, learn about how journaling can improve your mental health plus 25 powerful journaling prompts to improve your mental health!

A little bit about journaling…

If you have never journaled before you may be wondering what that even means, how to do it, and why so many people pick up this habit. Journaling is simply writing down your thoughts, emotions, intentions, and so on without the fear of judgment or punishment. Journaling is a very popular habit because IT WORKS! There is something about getting the words out of your brain and on paper (or on your phone) that is a HUGE relief!! Keeping a journal is meant to be private and for your eyes only so you’re encouraged to release ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!!

Most of the time, the negative thoughts and emotions we have don’t really have any meaning…it’s just the anger and frustration coming out in an unhealthy way because we can’t express our unfiltered thoughts using a healthy outlet. When you are able to unload your unfiltered thoughts you can then release the negativity that is festering within you.

Journaling is also great to release positive emotions, thoughts, and intentions! Sometimes we can not express our full and genuine happiness to others so having an alternative outlet to unload allows for more good things to keep flowing.

To journal, you can simply use a blank notebook and respond to prompts you find online or on Pinterest. You can also purchase a guided journal that has daily prompts for you to respond to. Use whatever you feel comfortable with as the most important thing is to simply be consistent!

Some benefits of journaling…

Journaling is a wonderful way to reduce, manage, and cope with anxiety, depression, and/or stress. It can also help you gain clarity on a problem, fear, and/or concern. Keeping a mood and health journal allows you to track triggers and symptoms. It can also help identify negative habits that need personal improvement as journaling promotes self-reflection.

Types of journaling…

Self-discovery. Using journaling to discover your authentic self is an excellent way to promote self-love and live your best life. To keep this type of journal, challenge yourself with thought-provoking prompts and questions that force you to dig deep within your psyche. Think of it this way, how can you learn more about yourself if you are stuck in the same thought pattern?…that’s right, you can’t! You will be surprised when your beliefs and thoughts are challenged and you will open yourself up to a new way of thinking.

Anxiety relief. Use journaling to reduce and release your anxiety and fears! Respond to prompts that encourage self-reflection so that you are better able to understand where your anxieties are coming from and how to overcome them. Most of the time, our anxiety, depression, and stress come from worrying about what will happen next; the best way to overcome those worries is by understanding that life is meant to be lived in the present. Journaling encourages you to be more mindful about what is happening NOW!

Gratitude. Journaling to express your gratitude is such a great way to promote happiness, abundance, and inner peace. When you write down all the things you’re grateful for and use prompts that encourage this type of thinking, you are able to gain clarity and discover all the wonderful things in your life which attract more to be grateful for!

Free write. Freewriting is simply writing whatever comes to your mind, just write. This type of journal isn’t structured, does not require any prompts, and does not follow an outline. Literally, just write; write down whatever is on your mind and let your thoughts flow…it is okay if you are all over the place!

Journaling for Mental Health

Journaling for mental health is all about releasing anxiety, stress, and depression. Keeping things in is NOT good for your mental health because it manifests into unnecessary anxiety, stress, and depression that wreaks havoc on your overall well-being. When you’re able to release those thoughts and emotions in a healthy way, your mental health improves…your anxiety reduces, things that tend to stress you out don’t have the same control over you, and any depression lingering gets released.

Journaling is a great way to take control over your thoughts, emotions, and intentions because it allows you to unload ANYTHING AND EVRYTHING going on in your head and make some sort of sense of it so you can heal. I know firsthand how difficult it can be to explain what is going on in your head…it’s almost like you don’t even know what is going on in there because your thoughts and emotions are all over the place and you can’t get a grasp on yourself. If you are struggling with your mental health, use these powerful healing prompts to make a positive change and move forward in life.

25 Journaling Prompts for Mental Health

1. What can I learn from what is happening right now?
2. What are the top 3 stressors causing me anxiety and stress?
3. What can I do to have more control over the way I handle things?
4. Do I forgive myself from past mistakes? If not, why?
5. How does my job affect my mental health?
6. If I knew I would not fail, what would I do?
7. What do I wish more people knew about me and why?
8. What is going on in my head in this very moment?
9. What does my perfect day look like?
10. How can I remind myself that I am enough?
11. What is something I would do if I was not afraid of anything?
12. What does my authentic self look like?
13. What is something specific that triggers me? Why is this a trigger?
14. Is my anxiety and/or depression tied to a memory or experience?
15. What are 5 things I am grateful for?
16. What are 3 things I need to forgive myself for?
17. What are 5 personal boundaries I need to set and/or improve on?
18. What do I fear most and why?
19. What is the hardest thing I have had to overcome?
20. If I wrote a letter to my younger self, what would it say?
21. What are 3 things I would love to do that are out of my comfort zone?
22. What is one hobby that I would love to start and why?
23. What are 3 worries that affect my everyday life? How can I put these worries at ease?
24. What is one thing I can do right now to get closer to where I want to be?

3 Things You Should Also Do to Keep a Healthy Mind

Meditate

Meditation is a mental exercise that strengthens your awareness, mindfulness and higher consciousness. Typically, meditation is practiced to help deepen the understanding of life and its transcendent forces. Meditation can also be practiced to reduce stress, relieve anxiety, and improve emotional wellbeing. Regular practice of meditation has been scientifically proven to reduce age-related memory loss, help fight addictions, improve sleep, help control pain, and decrease blood pressure. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MEDITATION!

Yoga

It has been found that consistent yoga practice improves depression and leads to a significant increase in serotonin levels while decreasing levels of monoamine oxidase and cortisol. This means it helps balance the negative chemicals in your brain to bring about happiness and contentment. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOGA!

Talk to Someone

There are times when we need to just talk and unload with someone because we are human and we need a connection to feel heard, cared for, and loved. Try to talk to someone that you trust and/or see a professional. There is absolutely nothing to be embarrased about if you want and need to see a therapist; there are so many ways to get help…you can simply download an app on your phone and get help right away and no one has to know.

Final thoughts

The most important thing to remember when journaling is that NO ONE will look at what you write so just dump everything! Let your thoughts come as they may and don’t judge yourself! Do not be discouraged if at first, your thoughts are on the darker more negative side…remember, you can’t reach the good without experiencing some bad! Those unfiltered thoughts need to be released one way or another before they grow and become something real within you; journaling is the best outlet for this as you can unload without worrying that people will hold it against you.

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