Discover 6 various ways to journal that will help support your mental health and fuel your creativity

Journaling is one of the oldest and most accessible forms of self-help, and lately, it has been rediscovered and has become a hot new topic in the sphere of mental health support. First, we’ll learn about three journaling methods that act as mental health support tools and three that will help you tap into your imagination and nurture your creative potential. (Find the tips on how to start implementing each technique into your daily routine below.)

1. Affirmations

Affirmations are positive statements about yourself that are aimed at achieving a certain reality, goal, or attitude. Repeated over and over again the affirmations may penetrate the subconscious beliefs about yourself, helping reshape your view of yourself and the world. Affirmations are believed to penetrate your subconsciousness and rewire your ways of thinking to support your goals if practiced consistently. Additionally, affirmations are meant to boost your confidence and create a feeling of empowerment which can boost motivation and action toward your aims.

How to start:

• Identify your goals and areas of potential growth. Write a couple of positive, self-affirming, “I …” statements.
• Make them personal and specific, but clear and straight to the point.
• Repeat consistently, say them out loud for better results, and adjust over time to make sure your affirmations are up-to-date with your plans.

2. Gratitude

Numerous studies have shown that people who feel more gratitude for things in their lives tend to be happier, have a more active social life, and even better sleep. Feeling more grateful, even for little things in your life, can help you feel more content overall. This is why it is important to practice gratitude every day and notice beautiful things and kind people around you.

How to start:

• Begin by setting a time for daily journaling.
• Come up with three things that brought you joy and appreciation each day and write them down

3. Freewriting/Morning pages

Both freewriting and morning pages are all about getting rid of limits and barriers in your thinking process by writing non-stop for a set amount of time which forces one to really get into their stream of consciousness and allows for the suppressed thoughts to resurface. By giving yourself the freedom to write about anything without editing yourself, and contemplating the correct grammar or punctuation, you bypass your inner critic and learn to let your thoughts flow freely without judgment. The difference between the two techniques is that in freewriting one is not limited to the amount of pages they have to write or a time when they should do it, while the morning pages method requires filling three pages with text first thing in the morning. The concept of Morning pages has been introduced in Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way” as one of the tools to become more creative and clear your head right before starting your day.

How to start:

• For freewriting, set a timer and write non-stop for the period of time you set. Review when you’re finished, repeat whenever you feel like another session again.
• For morning pages, write three full pages every day you wake up. Expect to run out of words and get stuck, but don’t let it stop you. Write whatever comes to mind, even if it may seem silly, unrelated, or simply incoherent.
• Do not reread your morning pages, keep them away from your critical and editing mind, and make it a safe space to be yourself without judgment.

Now, let’s dive into the journaling methods that will help you get in touch with your creative side, reflect on the world around you help you nurture ideas.

4. Art journal

Art journaling is a process of expressing your thoughts and feelings in the form of writing combined with drawings, collages, and other artistic techniques and materials. This method is more about enjoying the process rather than achieving a specific outcome. The experimentation with the means of conveying your emotions is scientifically proven to leave you feeling relaxed and more self-aware as the practice of art journaling is one of the most commonly used in art therapy.

How to start:

• Choose your materials, then choose a notebook you’ll be using.
• Set a simple prompt or reflect on an experience and begin creating in a form that seems the most authentic for you.
• Repeat regularly or when feeling inspired, create alone or invite your friends to join — there is no wrong way to keep an art journal!

5. Reading Journal

A reading journal might just be the missing puzzle in your reading experience helping to better remember the contents of the literature you read, however, it has a lot more to offer. Apart from simply keeping a log of everything you’ve read, the reading journal is a perfect place to write about how this or that text made you feel, analyze it, and write out memorable quotes as to personalize your experience with a book.

How to start:

• To begin, choose a journal and identify the purpose of your reading diary. Then, select the criteria or the format that you will apply to each book to reflect on it. After you’ve decided on the structure, start reading a book and begin your first entry.
• Write down your thoughts and reactions, add the excerpts that caught your attention, or even subject the book to the literary analysis, making note of the literary techniques the author used to achieve a certain result.
• Finally, don’t restrict yourself in your self-expression. Some people like to add drawings, collages, or doodles next to their reviews.

6. Travel Journal

The final journaling technique on the list is a travel journal it is one of the less conventional ways to journal, but it is definitely worth giving a try because it promises to record the precious moments spent on your trips in an artistic way that you’ll want to revisit every now and then. Travel journaling includes but is not limited to recording your memories, writing descriptions of the things you saw, collecting keepsakes in the form of tickets, bills from cafes, and other small memorabilia.

How to start:

• Just like in a previous method, you’ll want to find a notebook and a format for your entries that suits you best.
• Take the journal with you on your next trip and document things as they happen. Add visual elements to enhance your story.
• Reflect on your trip once it’s over and reread when feeling nostalgic and ready to relieve the memories from one of your journeys.

At first sight, journaling in general might seem like an attempt to keep track of things, to have a record. However, when we think about journaling as a self-help practice it becomes all about the process. The process of gaining your voice and becoming free from internal judgment, the process of expressing yourself through writing, and the process of learning how to be more present, grateful, and self-aware. Choose one method from above that suits your objections and dive into your inner world, reconnecting with yourself through a journal.