9 Creative Journaling Ideas To Skyrocket Your Mental Health!
Last Updated on 01/02/2023 by Nicky
Creative Journaling Ideas For Mental Health
I bet you think you have a lot of journals, huh?
Well, my journal collection could probably fill the New York Public Library.
And if you’re anything like me then you might be wondering what in the world can I do with all of these journals and notebooks (besides wondering, why the heck did I buy all of these things lol).
Fortunately, there are tons of creative ways you can use your journals and notebooks.
But some of the best ways to use them is to boost your mental health. I have lots of journaling ideas for mental health that I’m going to share with you!
There is something so therapeutic about blank pieces of paper bound together with wire.
And today we are going to talk about 9 creative ways you can tap into the therapeutic power of the journal.
Why Use Journals For Your Mental Sanity
You might be wondering why you should use a daily journal to help you deal with mental health issues like depression or anxiety.
Journaling is usually seen as a form of expressing creativity but they also are used by many people in meditation and self-care.
In fact, being creative is a way to help you with your anxiety and depression. (Source)
Keeping a journal allows you to connect to yourself, your past hurts, and traumas.
And then on a less serious note, you can use a journal to record your memories and to create new ones along the way.
A journal can be used as so much more than a traditional diary which we will discuss shortly.
The important thing to remember is that your journal is unique to you and can even be a big mix of things that bring you joy, help you get to know yourself, and allow you to see how far you have come.
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9 Creative Journaling Ideas To Increase Your Mental Health
1) Keep track of your progress toward a mental health goal
This is one of my favorite journaling ideas for mental health! Why?
Because when it comes to reaching new goals nothing helps quite as much as seeing progress happen right in front of your eyes.
Your journal is a great place to track the progress of your goals over time.
From fitness goals to learning a new language or writing that novel, you have always dreamed of, tracking your progress can be very motivating in all aspects of life.
But did you know that you can actually set mental health goals.
You might be scratching your head like “Huh? What are mental health goals”.
Well, a mental health goal is any goal that you have that, when accomplished, will chip away at any of the mental health challenges you may have.
For instance, let’s say you have social anxiety and you shy away from looking people in the eyes.
So an example of a mental health goal could be as simple as “I will smile and make eye contact 3 times a day”.
And every day that you accomplish this, you can track it in your journal.
See how that works?
You can set so many mental health goals and the small goals you set and actually do will, over time, add up to BIG results!
As an aside, I just looked at some of my writings on the online-therapy.com platform from years ago and I’m amazed at the progress that’s been made in my mental state.
Online-therapy.com is an online counseling platform that I’ve used to write journal entries, fill out mental health worksheets, and have therapy sessions with a psychologist.
Using online-therapy.com has made a HUGE difference in eliminating my depression and reducing my anxiety.
After looking at my journal entries this is what I realized…
Some of the mental health benefits I’ve noticed after using online-therapy.com
-I’m so much more outgoing,
-willing to interact with people I don’t know,
-more confident, and
-willing to follow my dreams.
If I didn’t have my journal entries to look over, I would not have realized just how far I’ve come.
With online-therapy.com, I’m able to keep track of my mental health progress and get feedback from a caring mental health professional about what I’ve accomplished.
If you feel like you would benefit from using these services you can click below to create a free account.
Click below to create a free online-therapy.com account!
Click here to create a free online-therapy.com account!
2) Reduce stress with bullet journaling
This mental health journaling idea is fairly new. Bullet journaling is so cool but it’s a fairly recent phenomenon as it was only created in 2013. But it’s taken off like hot cakes!
If you don’t know what a bullet journal is, I describe it like a journal on steroids.
It’s like a journal, diary, habit tracker, and canvas all in one. Check out the video below for more details.
How you use your journal can be as simple as using it for planning or tracking the goals that will improve your mental state of mind.
There are plenty of creative ways to use it.
The simple routine of prepping your journal each night before bed can calm your mind from the stresses of the day and give you something creative to look forward to every night.
You can create a schedule or track how many hours you’ve spent working on specific projects.
All the stickers, coloring, and writing in your journals can turn you into a productive Vincenta Van Gogh of sorts lol.
Plus, bullet journaling gives one an excuse to buy more journals and pens because I’m sure I don’t already have enough.
You can even buy bullet journaling bundles with the journal, stickers, and pens…it has everything you need to get started!
Check out this bullet journal bundle below: Click here to check out this bullet journal bundle on Amazon
Click to check out this bullet journal bundle on Amazon
3) Start keeping lists in your journal to save your sanity
One of the things that used to really affect my mental health was trying to remember everything and being frustrated when I obviously couldn’t.
It doesn’t make sense but I would say to myself “Oh, I’ll remember” some important task or idea and of course, I wouldn’t.
That’s why writing down lists and checklists in your journal can help you eliminate stress.
Lists are an amazing thing that can help you think, plan, and not rely on your brain to keep track of everything.
From your bucket list to a list of your favorite books, you can use this journaling idea for mental health to really get to know yourself on a deeper level than you ever imagined before.
Here are a few simple list ideas:
- Places I want to go
- My favorite books
- Songs that speak to me
- People that have left a mark on my life
- Things I am proud of myself for
- To-do lists
- People to reach out to
- Mental health goals
- Dreams to turn into reality
And so much more! Want some more creative list ideas for your journal? Click here!
4) Create a dream journal
Dream journals are an immensely helpful tool for achieving greater clarity and creativity.
A dream journal allows you to preserve important storytelling details that often escape your mind.
Using a journal as soon as you wake, while the story is still fresh from our subconscious minds, will ensure you don’t forget important details.
Record your dreams right after waking up, as these vivid memories will escape quickly.
I usually forget my dreams almost immediately unless I write them down.
5) Create a prayer journal to reduce anxiety
Writing my prayers has been one of the best ideas I’ve ever had when it comes to fighting my anxiety.
Whenever I am anxious about something, I know I can just write down my fears and doubts in prayer form.
You can do this using a physical or digital journal.
I tend to use Evernote or Trello for my digital prayer journal but I also have a printable prayer journal as well.
One thing I encourage you to do is to date your prayers.
There are so many prayer entries in my journal that I will look back on and laugh.
Why?
Because the thing I was so nervous about either worked out or never even came to pass in the first place.
A prayer journal is a great reminder of God’s love and faithfulness to us when we are in times of crisis.
Related: Click here to learn why you should create a prayer journal!
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6) Write positive affirmations to kill negative thinking
Writing positive affirmations in your journal like I talk about in this post is an amazing technique for reducing anxiety.
Filling a journal full of affirmations that remind you that you are valuable, loved, and worthy can go a long way to helping give yourself a mental boost.
One technique is to write about a situation that is bothering you.
Then write an affirmation to go with it to help yourself over the hurdle.
7) Write down positive scriptures
This is similar to writing positive affirmations except far more powerful because they come from your Creator Himself.
Writing scriptures will encourage and remind you of God’s love.
In 1 Peter 5:7, it says “Throw all your anxiety onto him, because he cares about you”.
Ya’ll, my heart just fluttered thinking about God caring about all of the things that I get so freaked out about.
Are you worried about your job?
Throw that worry onto Him.
Are you nervous about your child going to kindergarten?
Cast that fear onto Him.
Whatever it is, you can write that fear down as a symbol that you are leaving that worry with the Lord and letting Him take care of it!
Check out more anxiety-fighting Bible verses here!
8) Work on your own gratitude journal.
Writing down what you are thankful for is an awesome and effective way to change your mental state on a rough day.
This is also known as counting your blessings in written form.
When you are having a hard time finding joy on a particular day, look back at your gratitude journal to see all the things you have to be thankful for.
Make this a daily habit to truly change your life. Just try it for 5 minutes a day and see if it makes a difference in your life!
If you aren’t sure what to write about, try this gratitude journal.
9) Doodle your cares away
Remember how carefree you were as a child (hopefully)?
I used to doodle on my homework, doodle at church.
I didn’t worry about the drawing being perfect or coloring inside of the lines.
I was just creative. Then we grew up to be boring, straight-laced adults, right?
Wrong!
You can still doodle.
I command you to doodle 🙂
Why?
Because doodling can be a creative way to relax and calm stress. (Source)
Use your journal as a place to mindlessly doodle to help you relax on a rough day.
If you are more serious about art you can still use doodling by using your journal as a safe place to create things that hold personal meaning to you.
You can turn your doodles into a whole art book if you want!
The key is to not censor yourself even if it feels wrong or like a waste of time.
Travel back in time and be a “kid” again!
Even if you don’t feel like you’re the best at drawing, a journal is a perfect place to practice all of your skills.
You could even practice lettering, calligraphy, etc.
This calligraphy pen set is beautiful!
Click here to check out this calligraphy set on Amazon!
Bonus Journaling Idea: Mental Health Journaling Prompts
I suppose no journal would be complete if it didn’t have a prompt or two, right? The beauty of journaling prompts is that they spark inspiration.
Journaling prompts guide your thinking but still give you the space to come up with your own answers.
I have tons of journaling prompts that you can use in your own journal that I would love to share with you. See them below!
10 Bold Spiritual Journaling Prompts That Will Change How You View Your Life & The World!
50 Revealing Journaling Prompts To Help You Eliminate Stress & Anxiety!
30 Journaling Prompts For Self-Reflection To Help You Make Wiser Decisions!
50 Eye-Opening Journal Prompts For Self-Growth To Push You Out Of Your Comfort Zone!
25+ Toxic Relationships Journal Prompts For The Woman Who Is Struggling To Leave!
Journaling Ideas For Mental Health For The Win!
The possibilities with journaling truly are endless! I urge you to tap into your creativity.
Don’t hold back.
Don’t be a perfectionist.
Perfection is overrated and impossible anyway.
Just get that journal, throw it open and see what you create!
Eventually, you’ll find that keeping a journal is great fun and it has lots of mental health benefits.
Leave a comment below and let me know the most creative ways you use your journals.
Who knows, you may inspire me or someone else! 🙂
Free Journaling For Mental Health Bundle!
We all know how important it is to set aside time for relaxation & self-care. Our mental health depends on it!
So if you’re looking for a relaxing escape from the anxieties & stresses of the crazy world we live in then enter your email to access our Renew Your Mind Mental Health Journaling Bundle!
What’s Included In The Renew Your Mind Mental Health Journaling Bundle:
- The Creative Rest Christian Coloring Book: These 5 beautiful coloring pages are accompanied by words of faith and inspiration designed to help you focus on the positive, relax your mind, and dwell on positive Christian affirmations.
- Joy Comes In The Mourning Grief Journal: If you’ve lost a loved one, then journaling is a tool you can use to begin to heal from your loss in a positive and healthy way. Comes with creative journal prompts to help you explore your grief.
- The Stress-Less Anti-Anxiety Journal: This journal has a Count Your Blessings, Quiet Time With God, & Today I’m Feeling… pages as well as a Self-Care To-Do List & A Mini Day & Week Planner.
- 15% Discount code to use on any product in the HAYC store!
Plus I add to this bundle all the time!
Just enter your email address below and the Renew Your Mind Bundle link will be sent to your inbox!
More HAYC Posts About Mental & Emotional Health
25+ Beautiful Adult Coloring Pages Christian Women Can Use To Boost Their Mental Health
Overcoming A Spirit Of Fear: 31 Life-Changing Scriptures To Battle Anxiety
13 Most Powerful Bible Verses For The Girl Struggling With Anxiety Attacks
9 Creative Ways To Jazz Up Your Boring Journals & Boost Your Mental Health!
20+ Creative Lists To Write In A Journal When You’re Bored Or Anxious
Medical Disclaimer: While Healthy As You Can strives to provide the most accurate information, anything you read on this site is purely for informational or entertainment purposes and should NOT be considered medical advice or as a replacement for a doctor’s care, diagnosis, appointment, advice, etc. I am not a medical professional at all. Any information, tips, or ideas that you try as a result of reading this blog is tried at your, the reader’s, own risk.
Mental Health Disclaimer: While I care deeply about your mental health, please know that I am NOT a licensed medical professional, therapist, counselor, social worker, or mental health professional. Any advice here is not to be taken as medical advice or a diagnosis. IF you need to talk to a licensed mental health professional you can use online-therapy.com (affiliate link) or call a mental health hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
