5 Tips on Keeping a Mental Health Journal

Introduction

As part of a mental health program, a therapist may suggest you keep a mental health journal. If you are not participating in a treatment program, keeping this specific type of journal can also be helpful for your journey. This type of writing is intended to help you track your overall health status, your moods and any physical changes that have potential to impact your mental well-being. In a diary, you jot down every little thing. A mental health journal is more specific. Some therapists ask that you write only when you are upset. Others may direct you to record particular events or to jot a note at specific times of the day. Follow professional instructions, and if you are keeping your own journal outside of a care program, several tips can support effective journaling.

History

Keeping a mental health journal has been a part of several types of therapy since the early days of psychoanalysis. Several famous psychiatrists have made journaling an integral part of their recommended treatment programs. In more recent times, the practice of keeping a mental health journal has been particularly useful in drug and alcohol treatment programs. Both inpatient treatment centers and outpatient programs promote the use of journaling as part of the therapeutic approach. Traditional 12-step programs may specify journaling about each step of the program with special emphasis on key steps. Alternative treatment programs tend to have a broader spectrum of suggested journaling topics such as health, diet, friends, family and living condition discussions.

Features

1. Your mental health journal is a private book. It is not intended to be shared with anyone other than your therapist or healthcare provider. It is important to guard the privacy of the book so that you feel totally free to write your honest thoughts and experiences.

2. It's best to do your writing in a private location away from potentially prying eyes. The quiet location will also help you concentrate on your writing without unnecessary distractions. When you are done, place your journal in a location where it will be safe from tampering. If you live with other people, you may wish to place the journal in a drawer or closet that is solely yours and not shared space.

3. Experiment with different styles in your mental health journal. Try writing bullet-point lists of feelings in one sitting. In another writing session, practice writing in narrative form as if you were telling a story. You may also wish to play with writing in poetic style or to simply draw pictures to express your emotions.

4. Set aside a specific time in your schedule to write in your mental health journal. It's easy to put off writing until later, but that can end up leaving large time gaps in what you record. For the journal to be consistently helpful, schedule a time each day or several times a week to do your writing.

5. If you become upset or agitated by what you are writing, contact an understanding friend, parent or other safe and caring person right away. When you are keeping a mental health journal as part of a therapy program, make sure you have a way to contact your therapist or another professional as soon as necessary.

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