Journaling is a powerful tool for maintaining your mental health, especially when combined with psychotherapy. Our clinicians recommend it because it can help you develop self-awareness, improve your relationship with yourself and relieve stress, among other mental and physical health benefits. It also requires very few resources and doesn’t come with any significant risks. 

There’s clinical evidence that certain types of journaling help improve mental health outcomes. A meta-analysis showed that journaling resulted in a 5% reduction in symptoms compared with control groups. The benefits were even greater for people with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), who saw a 9% decrease and a 6% decrease, respectively.

In this article, we’ll outline seven reasons our therapists recommend journaling for emotional well-being. 

Reasons therapists recommend journaling for emotional well-being

The two main types of journaling that have been studied for therapeutic use are expressive writing and gratitude journaling. In expressive writing, you simply write about your deepest thoughts and feelings in short sessions. In gratitude journaling, you keep track of things you value in your life. Both can help improve your mental health if you practice consistently. Writing about traumatic experiences and negative emotions can be beneficial, with a few conditions. It helps if you keep your writing sessions to about 20 minutes, and if you still feel upset after writing, you may need to try other forms of self-care. If you’re feeling distressed while journaling, consider talking with a licensed clinician.

Our therapists recommend journaling for the following reasons:

• Emotional processing and regulation 

How often do you really stop and recognize how you’re feeling so you can take steps to manage your emotions? It can take some time to slow down and listen inward long enough to identify how you’re feeling. Journaling is a great tool for working through complex or mixed emotions and building a mindful awareness of the present moment. When you’re feeling frustrated, overwhelmed or conflicted, try setting a timer for 10 minutes and freewriting about the situation. 

• Thought pattern recognition 

Cognitive distortions are patterns of negative thinking that may be biased or unrealistic. Some examples are all-or-nothing thinking or discounting the positive. Journaling can help you recognize these patterns and change them. 

• Stress reduction and problem-solving

Journaling provides an outlet for worries and overwhelming thoughts. It can help clarify issues, and sometimes it can even lead to effective solutions. In clinical trials, expressive writing has helped people reduce stress related to specific experiences and life situations. It fosters acceptance, problem-solving and personal empowerment.

• Mood tracking 

Mood tracking is a way to uncover patterns in your emotional states over time. Going back to reread old journal entries can help you appreciate your growth. You can also use a bullet journal format to jot down a word or two about how you’re feeling every day to gain insight.

• Self-compassion development 

It takes practice to turn negative self-talk into kindness and self-compassion. Putting your thoughts and feelings into a visual format can help you gain some distance from them. Reading your journal entries might reveal more about how you’re treating yourself. Or you might challenge yourself to write as if you’re talking to a friend. 

• Goal clarification and motivation 

Feeling unsure of what you want to do with your life? Journaling can help you take a step back from daily distractions to identify your values and life goals. When you make it a regular practice, you can track your progress and stay motivated. 

• Trauma processing support 

Journaling offers a safe space to explore difficult experiences. Writing is used in therapeutic modalities for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as narrative therapy and written exposure therapy. Even if you’re not doing it in a structured way, you can achieve some benefit from writing and rewriting your story. It’s important to approach it with intention, set clear boundaries, and care for yourself. 

Start a journaling practice for your emotional well-being

Journaling creates a safe space for emotional processing, allowing you to transform overwhelming feelings into manageable insights. Consistency is helpful. However, the most important thing to remember is that there’s no such thing as “failure” when it comes to journaling. If you miss a day or even a whole week, you’ll still benefit from starting again. 

Get started by finding a notebook or a journal to dedicate to your practice and a pen you like to write with. You might use some journaling prompts to get inspired, or you might dive right in and start freewriting. There are no wrong answers. 

At Lightfully, our licensed clinicians guide our clients through treatments to help them navigate distressing thoughts and feelings and learn how to engage with their internal experiences in a way that supports their well-being. They also help clients create sustainable self-care practices using tools like journaling. We ensure that each person gets exactly the treatments they need using a framework called Precision Care Model (PCM).

If you’re ever in need of intensive mental health care, we can help. Contact us or reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team and let’s talk about your options.