This month from the 10th to 16th of May, it is Mental Health Awareness week. During that week, people are encouraged to improve their mental health, take time for themselves and we’re shown the importance of taking care of our mental health.
Journaling is one of the many ways mental health can be improved. It’s not just for writers or for those who have always kept journals and diaries full of their deepest darkest secrets. It can be for anyone.
Writing thoughts down can really help alleviate stress and pressure that you may feel, so I wanted to share 6 journaling ideas that can help you find peace and tranquility.
Gratitude List:
Everyone at some point in their lives reflects on what means the most to them, on what they’re most thankful for; writing down a couple of things a day that you’re grateful for can help you realise what is actually important in your life, and what trivial things you can live without and might be causing stress. You may be grateful for completing a task at work or simply having a Starbucks coffee – whatever it is, write it down.
Brain Dump:
A brain dump is one of the best journaling ideas you can do. Just like Stacey Solomon (a happiness icon), write down everything you’re thinking, every negative thought, every negative emotion you’re feeling. Write it all down, get all your feelings onto the page, take all the baggage and waste out of your mind, and you’ll feel clearer, lighter and happier.
Social Media Time Tracker:
We live in a world where social media rules our lives. It’s our way of communicating, it’s how we keep in touch; but it’s also how we waste a lot of our time and how we fill our brains with negative thoughts. Hours can go by without us even realising it and we can become attached to social media, which can impact our mental health. Tracking how much time you spend on social media each day can be a real eye-opener and can help you improve your mental health with productivity and more human connection.
Inspiring Quotes:
Procrastination, self-doubt, insecurity. These are all emotions we all deal with, some of us on a daily basis, and they can be detrimental to our mental health. In your journals, create a page of inspiring quotes, ones that motivate you, make you acknowledge your worth and help you realise that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Having a page full of inspiration can help raise you up on days you’re feeling low.
To-Do List:
Our mental health can suffer badly when our brains are too active and over-crowded with tasks we need to do. Sometimes we can lose track of what needs doing, and we can find ourselves in a real muddle. Having a to-do list where you add everything to it, even emptying the dishwasher or eating dinner, can help declutter your mind and help you focus on what is important and essential.
Greatest Qualities:
We’re constantly bombarded with airbrushed photos and pictures of people who are deemed “perfect” and it can make us feel rubbish; it can make us wish we have a different body type, have a certain appearance and have more desirable traits as a person. Whenever faced with insecurity, we follow the yellow brick road to more insecurity, but if you were to list some of your greatest qualities – that you see and feel about yourself, not others – then you will slowly improve your mental health, learn to love yourself and accept that no matter what you look like or how you are, you don’t need to change.
If you’re struggling with mental health, you are not alone.
There are a lot of charities and people out there ready to help you, and the tips I mentioned above are ways you can help yourself too.
Some key mental health charities include:
Anxiety UK – www.anxietyuk.org.uk
Men’s Health Support – www.menshealthforum.org.uk
Mental Health Foundation – www.mentalhealth.org.uk
Mind – www.mind.org.uk
No Panic – www.nopanic.org.uk
Papyrus – www.papyrus-uk.org
Samaritans – www.samaritans.org.uk
Young Minds – www.youngminds.org.uk
Until next time…
Thanks for the great advice! It's amazing how doing something so small or making such a small change can help so much. Social media is definitely something I try to stay away from - this forces you to get creative and gives you more time for other things, like family or hobbies.
Great blog! :D
Fantastic article, really well thought out, extremely useful ideas and links, and overall very caring. Given what the world has experienced over the past year or so, and what is undoubtedly still to come, this will help so many people - especially now. Well done!
Social media certainly has a lot to answer for! This weekend I’m trying not to look at any social media or news apps. 🤞 Another very good blog with so much help and advice 👍
Such good advice! Thank you!