5 Forms of Journaling That Improved My Mental Health
I was 31 when I first decided to give journaling an honest try. “30 days,” I thought, and then everything changed.
I never kept a journal growing up. I had, and suppose still have to this day, the handwriting of a child. It’s scrawling, messy, and unbothered by things such as margins. Perhaps to that end, it should come as no surprise that my attention and personality were equally all over the place.
As I got older and that undirected energy turned into anxiety and crippling doubt, I began to struggle with my mental health. It wasn’t until I was already into my thirties that I finally felt so compelled to give journaling a shot.
I’d been in therapy for a couple of years but my time was drawing to a close and, to be honest, I still didn’t feel anywhere near ready to be “on my own” again. Thankfully, I found strength and clarity by turning to myself and simply listening. To channel these discoveries, I partnered meditation with journaling.
Over time, I began to test out different methods of journaling.
5. Stream of thought journaling
This is the most straightforward form of journaling. You just sit down and empty your head of your thoughts and feelings. If you don’t know where to begin, just work through the beats of your day — eventually, you’ll land on something that prompts a deeper examination.
I’ve actually incorporated two forms of journaling into my day, but while my evening journal sessions have experimented with the other forms on this list, my early morning sit-downs serve as a reflection of the previous day, as well as a plan of action for the day ahead.
I find it to be a good way to clear out any “residue” from the previous day before turning my attention to the new day with meaningful attention and valued action.
4. Your best you vs Your worst self
So, full disclosure, this exercise can create a bit of a false dichotomy. That said, it can also help you create some positive habits and take some solid steps toward any goals you may have.
Start by drawing a line down the center of a piece of paper. Title the left column as the worst version of yourself. For me, that would be my worst fears or insecurities — something like, “Selfish, lazy, know-it-all who has a million ideas but never sees anything through.” On the right column, I would put traits that describe the best version of myself — the me I want to be. That would look something like, “Kind, empathetic creative who appreciates and sees value in all ambitions, no matter their result.”
Over the course of the day, I would break down each task, marking it as a check on the column that best applied. At the end of each day, I would then tally up the marks and determine whether or not the “better” me had won out that day, thereby moving me one step closer to my goals.
3. Bullet journaling
This is my most common evening journaling method. Whereas the morning is about mapping out my focuses for the day, this is a review of it, boiled down to solitary sentences.
An example would look something like this:
“Friday, December 3rd
- Woke up at 5:30 to journal and read before work
- Meditated and completed short workout before work
- Completed podcast script and blog post for February issue
- Picked up my daughter early and took her to the park
- Worked on Medium blog post for methods of journaling (oh hey!)
- Read a few chapters of my book
- Called [my friend] to catch up
- Studied for my Media Law & Ethics final”
It’s a basic evaluation that removes the filler and lets you see what you actually accomplished. Here, I have a quick record of journaling, reading, writing, podcast work, and some quality time with my daughter.
It’s not much but it’s a nice, efficient way of putting a bow on the day or “balancing the books,” to borrow a phrase from Epictetus.
To do this, I prefer Notion, but we’ll talk about that nifty planner/organizer another time.
2. To-do lists
This one might seem silly but it’s legitimate all the same. To-do lists are invaluable to my day. When my daughter was born, my life became so much richer and fuller. It also became more hectic and strained for time. The only way to adapt was to harness what I dubbed “precision focus,” deliberate, valued action throughout the day to maximize productivity. Step one of each new day? To-do lists.
What are your focuses of the day? How about the week? In what way are you progressing toward those goals?
You can dress it up however you want, but whether you get the same kind of satisfaction as I do crossing out and checking off completed items, it’s great just to visualize your tasks so you can discern how to approach your day or week.
1. True North
This is, in my opinion, the most valuable form of journaling you can partake in. “True North” is where your values, principles, and purpose meet.
While you can do a “mind dump” through stream of consciousness journaling, “True North” journaling is a deeper examination of your own actions and behaviors.
I have two physical journals I write in each morning. The first is the stream of consciousness journal, in which I review the previous day and then turn my attention to the one ahead. The second is True North, in which I reflect not just on my recent actions or decisions but the motives and thought process behind them.
Did I do something good because it was the “right” thing to do, or was I partially influenced by some sort of benefit I could receive? Have I acted in any way that’s not in keeping with my values recently, even if only slightly? Have I been judgmental or unempathetic towards my fellow man?
These are all things I contemplate and analyze objectively. It’s important not to sugarcoat or BS yourself when performing this form of journaling. It may even help to address yourself separately, using “you” or “your” in place of “I” or “my.”
While stream of consciousness has plenty of value in its own right, I typically find that the reflections that most positively shape my behavior and planning stem from a review of “True North.”
Bonus entry: Food journal
This is a little bit of a different entry but one that bears mentioning all the same. Part of my personal transformation over the past year stems from better managing my diet from day to day. To help facilitate this, I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app and set up a free account. By setting a daily budget and then documenting my meals, I found it was easier to stay on top of things. If you tend to eat a lot of homecooked meals — and good on you if you do, you can even add those recipes to ensure accuracy.
The biggest thing to staying consistent, however, was not completely denying myself the foods I want. Let me clarify.
By budgeting calories, I leave myself some leeway to treat myself from time to time. If a piece of cake is 500 calories and I have the bandwidth for remaining, I allow myself to have that. Not every time, just often enough to stave off temptation and make it easier to stick to the good habits rather than going cold turkey and never indulging in such foods again.
This is made even easier when you can document your calories burned using a pedometer — be it your phone or watch — to create additional flexibility within your budget. It may not sound like much but a few hundred extra calories can go a long way on a given day, especially when you’re just starting out.
Haven’t journaled before? Consider giving it a try. If you are an avid journaler, shake things up a bit with one of these other methods perhaps. And applaud this piece if you liked this post. It really does help.
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