Journaling for Mental Health

Often times, we find ourselves anxious over things that we really don’t have any control over. What we can do is control our own reactions, though. An activity that has a proven track record of getting your thoughts under control is journaling. There are many different ways to go about it; one of those is called Freewriting.

Freewriting is a form of brainstorming in a complete sentence and paragraph format without stopping for a specific period of time. It was developed by Peter Elbow in 1973. This increases the flow of thoughts while reducing the chance that you will censor yourself. This is an activity that can be done no matter where you are at, whether that’s on a trail, in your back yard, or laying in bed. This is vital to mental health as it allows you to get things “off your chest.” It is also a great idea for future planning.

• Write down every idea that comes to mind about your topic, don't judge yourself.

• Don’t worry about grammar and spelling, just let it flow.

• Keep your hands moving, if you find yourself having writer’s block then repeat your topic until you have new thoughts. Such as, “self-reflection, self-reflection, self-reflection…….” Or “I can’t think of anything at the moment and am waiting for ideas.” They will come.

• Dedicating 15-20 minutes a day for this process is a great start.

Do you currently keep a journal? What are your favorite journaling strategies? Where do you enjoy journaling the most?

Keeping a regular journal can even lead into writing your own book, an outline for creating videos or a blog, or even content for a social media project. Business plans often begin inside someone’s journal and then blossom from there.