Journaling, in its many forms, is a popular way to support your mental health. My therapist has spent years trying to convince me to journal on a regular basis. I’ve tried multiple strategies, but struggle to keep up a journaling habit. While journaling can help your mental health, those same mental health struggles can make it difficult to write.
One of the biggest problems I’ve had with journaling is that it can actually produce greater distress and exacerbate my mental illnesses. People promote getting your thoughts out on paper, but when I try to do this, I often spiral deeper into those thoughts. Journaling can increase my intrusive and obsessive thoughts related to OCD in particular.
I’ve found a few strategies that help me journal without increasing my distress. The first is to practice grounding while journaling. Grounding means centering yourself in the present moment. It helps calm your nervous system and bring you out of your own head. The way I do this while journaling is to write down what I observe in my surroundings or in my body. I alternate between writing down my thoughts and my physical environment. This strategy makes sure that I don’t get carried away with intrusive thoughts.
Another strategy I use is to write in a pocket-sized “junk notebook.” I use a very small composition notebook, which is helpful because I don’t feel intimidated by either a fancy notebook that I don’t want to “ruin” or very large blank pages. One of the mistakes I’ve made when it comes to journaling is to keep a different notebook for everything I want to write. I had a bullet journal for planning, a notebook for creative writing, one for personal journaling, etc. This meant that I never had the right notebook when I needed it and never finished a notebook. The “junk notebook” system helps with this. I write down anything and everything in my notebook. It has to-do lists, reminders, ideas, and my personal thoughts. I can also carry the notebook with me everywhere because of its size.
I write in a similar way using the notes app on my phone, where I just jot down whatever I need to. While I like to write by hand, but writing on the phone is very useful. If I’m having too much pain to write, I can usually type instead. I use my phone the same way as my pocket notebook. I put any type of notes or journaling I need to and then just sort the notes into folders. This is great for making lists or short entries.
The most recent journaling strategy I’ve started is actually the one that has helped me create a steady journaling habit. I wanted to brainstorm about my blog while I was driving my car, but obviously I couldn’t write anything down. Especially with the brain fog I experience, I knew I wouldn’t remember my ideas without some type of documentation. I decided to use the voice memo app on my phone to record audio of myself talking so I could think out loud and still have something to reference later. I just keep the audio, but you can also use voice to text software. It’s a great strategy if you’re on the go, but also useful if you have difficulty writing, typing, reading, or looking at a screen. I find it useful when I have light-sensitive headaches.
Recording an audio diary was a new experience for me. I like to think out loud in general, so that part felt only a little awkward. I was afraid it would be unbearable to listen to a recording of myself. It’s always so strange to hear my own voice, but I think it felt okay because I had just made the recording for myself and no one else had to hear it. I’ve only listened back to a few entries, but I’ve made over thirty recordings. I’ve found it to be the easiest journaling strategy to keep up with because I can just press a button and record.
I hope this helps you try some new journaling techniques! Journaling is harder than people make it out to be, but experimentation can help you find the method that works for you.