When I was told that I should start journaling, I felt like an eight-year-old kid again, talking about random events throughout my day.
I didn’t understand why my therapists really wanted me to start writing in a notebook, or why so many mental health professionals kept harping on “writing things down“.
Finally, one therapist told me: it’s not about writing about your day & it’s not about writing about things you want to do. It’s about writing what you’re feeling in the moment & your thoughts.
The end of 2024 was rough, and 2025 was the worst year I think I’ve ever had in my life. Which is really saying something, but I digress. Journaling really helped me. Even though I was in a dark place & felt like I couldn’t really open up to people about what I was going through, I could at least get it out of my head and onto paper & that’s the point.
When you’re struggling with life, struggling with not wanting to be here, or struggling with thoughts you just can’t seem to wrap your head around, sometimes the best thing to do is just write them out.
For me, one day it clicked that that’s what I needed to do. I just grabbed a pen & let a stream of consciousness hit the notebook. Pages of thoughts flowing out of my brain helped me calm down. As I was writing, I was able to make little side notes, lists & more.
Often, when I was having a rough moment, I’d bust out my journal & just write, not even what was going on, but what was on my mind at the time. For me, journaling isn’t about documenting what is going on in my life; it’s more of a “let’s just get this out before my brain explodes” situation.
Now I have multiple journals! I have a little mini-journal I carry around with me for when I need to expel thoughts from my brain. I’ll often get annoyed or overstimulated when I’m out, doodling or explaining those feelings in the notebook really helps.
I also have a journal full of just random ideas that come to my head! I just open to a random page and brain-dump the ideas, thoughts, and doodles. It’s one of my favorite journals because it’s full of random thoughts on things I want to do: inventions, app ideas, stickers I want to make, blogs I want to write, etc. It’s just fun to throw it all down, and sometimes I like to go back and make addendums with little dates on them.
Then, I have my regular old journal that is full of random thoughts & more brain dumps. There are so many scribbles in there, because sometimes that’s what my brain is feeling at the time and I just need to scribble it out!
Journaling doesn’t have to be a log of your life; it just has to be a notebook full of whatever you want to put in it. It helps you get your thoughts out of your head so you can process them as you write.
Journaling is a great tool, especially if you don’t have others you can talk to. I don’t have many people I can relate to, so I will often write it out & then go back and re-read it to say, “ok, let’s think about this“. Sometimes I’ll even outline parts I want to talk to my therapist about.
The notebook I bought back in 2024 is one I absolutely love. It’s a 304 SUIN College Ruled Notebook; it lays flat & has a nice title area with day-of-the-week and date options. I purchased mine for $11, but it’s now $45… I’d recommend one like this, just not for that price!
In the end, I recommend buying a notebook you feel comfortable with & pens you really enjoy to get the ball rolling. Also, don’t forget stickers to decorate! That’s one of my favorite parts, decorating in between writing.
Journal those thoughts out!
Links
- 988 Lifeline
- Journaling as a Pathway to Easing Anxiety — Inside Psychotherapy
- How a Brain Dump Can Help You Relieve Stress
- SUIN Hardcover Journal
- Sapling & Sons — Perfect place to buy journaling pens