Our world is so busy most of the time, that it's easy to lose touch — even with yourself. That's why we love mindful journaling to help you be more present and get back in touch with the most important person in your life — YOU! It's an excellent way to boost your mental health and well-being, and it's super easy to do.
Mindful journaling is an emotion-focused practice of writing that allows you to reflect on the positive and negative aspects of your life. While traditional journaling invites you to explore your feelings and process events, mindful journaling encourages you to be especially aware of your current state of being, both physically and mentally.
How to Start Journaling for Mindfulness
Ready to improve your well-being through mindful journaling? Here's how to do it. Grab whatever you want to use for a journal, along with some fun pens or anything else you'd like to include in your journal — like stickers.
Explore Your Emotions
To start mindful journaling, allow yourself to dive into your emotions. Maybe there was a recent event that was stressful or upsetting that you would like to reflect on. Perhaps there are relationship issues that you need to resolve. Maybe you've been preparing for a life change and need to sort through the emotions that may occur.
Allow yourself to experience whatever feelings arise and write them down in your journal. It may feel unproductive to write down upsetting thoughts about past events, but the practice has a purpose. As long as you are honest and express your genuine feelings, you're on the right track.
Avoid Judgement
When you start your mindful journaling practice, allow yourself to write about whatever thoughts and feelings arise without judgment. Your emotions have value whether you feel that they are "right" or "wrong." Simply allow yourself to feel them and acknowledge that they're there.
Mindful Journaling Prompts
This downloadable PDF offers all sorts of writing prompts to help get you started on your mindful journaling. Any time you feel at a loss for what to write, you can turn to one of these.
You'll probably find yourself staring at a blank page when you first begin. That's normal. But remember, you can write about anything in a mindfulness journal.
- A current stressor
- Difficult memories
- Gratitude
- Positive memories
- Physical sensations
- Recurring thoughts
Related: 75 Self-Care Journal Prompts to Nourish Your Spirit
Schedule Your Practice
People are more likely to experience the benefits of mindfulness journaling if they practice it consistently. Set realistic writing goals and try keep your writing practice regular. Try different ways to make your practice more consistent.
- Allow yourself to write in bullet points if you can't dedicate a significant amount of time on a given day.
- Encourage friends/family to start a mindful journaling practice to find more support and keep each other accountable.
- Include your mindfulness practice in your morning or evening routines. For instance, keep your journal by your morning coffee cup or on your nightstand next to your bed.
- Start small with the amount of time you dedicate to the practice and gradually increase it over time.
Benefits of a Mindful Journal
Mindfulness, expressive writing, and mindful journaling have been shown to provide mental and physical health benefits.
Mental Health Benefits
In people experiencing anxiety, research suggests that mindful journaling may:
- Decrease overall mental distress
- Decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Improve self-perceived quality of life
- Increase self-perceived resilience
- Increase well-being
- Reduce stress
Physical Benefits
The same research that demonstrated the potential health benefits of mindfulness journaling also suggested some physical health benefits, including:
- Better interpersonal relationships
- Decreased blood pressure
- Decreased inflammation
- Faster wound healing
- Fewer physical symptoms of illness
- Increased self-care behaviors
Medical Benefits
Several studies have also found that mindful journaling may relieve symptoms for those experiencing chronic illness. These medical benefits include:
- Improving disease severity and cognition in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Improving psychological health of patients with fibromyalgia
- Improving sleep, pain, and general physical and psychological health of patients with cancer
- Reducing doctor visits and lower diastolic blood pressure for patients recovering from a heart attack
- Reducing physical symptoms for arthritic conditions, asthma, and lupus
A Beneficial Habit
Forgive yourself if your practice veers off track for a while. Simply pick up your journal when you're ready and start anew. Remember that your mindful journaling practice is a great way to reduce stress and improve both your mental and physical health. It can seem daunting to pick up a new habit and incorporate it into your schedule, but with a journal, pen, and time, you will be on your way to living a healthier and happier life.
