Journaling for Mental Wellbeing

Journaling is a simple, ancient practice of the act of recording thoughts, feelings, experiences and reflections. Traditionally, this would be through written prose, though journaling takes many forms – songwriting, story telling, poetry, digital media . It can be a deeply personal and healing practice, allowing us to explore our internal and external world in a safe space that’s just for ourselves. 

There are numerous advantages journaling can offer our wellbeing. By recording our unfiltered thoughts, we are giving our true selves the space to be heard. We may process stress, worries or situations more clearly as we write methodically and work through thought patterns and resolutions. We can become more self-aware through reflection, exploration and emotion – in turn becoming more empathetic to others as we deepen our understanding of ourselves. 

Journaling is a mindful practice, encouraging us to dedicate time to be in the moment, check in with your feelings, gather your thoughts, and release them. It is, in some ways, a meditation and can be incorporated into your daily activity whichever way suits you – there is no one way to correctly store your thoughts. Some people may use a pen and notebook, others may use an app on their phone, some might voicenote themselves or take photographs. 

Our ReWild Yourself Champion for April 2024, Tatiana Lopez, learned the magic of journaling when she spent time living in the Amazon with an indigenous tribe of people called the Sapara. They are deeply connected to the forest and record their dreams as a way of listening to the spirits of the forest, interpreting them each morning to find guidance and connection. During her time there, Tatiana learned to journal and this has become a part of her daily rituals….

“After a while, it (journaling) became a habit, and habits become rituals, and rituals become a part of your spiritual practice.”

~ Tatiana Lopez, Anthropologist & ReWild Yourself Champion

Here are 7 journal prompts you may wish to use to begin. We recommend finding a spot where you won’t be interrupted, such as outdoors in Nature or at home by the fire, your commute to work or a cafe is also a good space to be mindful – choose whatever suits you and your schedule.

~ Close your eyes. Check in with your muscles and your bones. What do you feel? Is anything tense, does anything hurt, are you tired, or happy?

~ What’s one thing that made you smile today, or yesterday? Why was that, how can we invite more of that happy energy in?

~ Hold someone in your mind who needs love, patience or support right now. How can we be there for them? What’s something small that might mean a lot to them?

~ What season is it right now? What do you love about this season? What are you looking forward to most about the next seasonal change, and what does this bring?

~ Look inwards to yourself and your actions lately. What’s something you’re most proud of? What might we want to improve upon? How might we achieve this?

~ Have you read, heard or watched anything lately that taught you a lesson? Perhaps a podcast, a TV show, an article, a play. Or perhaps you’re feeling disconnected from creativity – so what would you want to explore and how can we make this happen?

~ Write down your 3 goals for the next year. Write each goal a paragraph of what, why, how, when, where. Mountains become hills when we see them up close. 

Written by Catherine Carragher