There’s no time like the present for a mental health check in. The past year has been undeniably challenging for all of us. Knowing that I wanted to share four of the journal prompts I tend to use when my mental health isn’t at its best. Journaling has really helped me to track my own moods and better understand some of my own triggers.
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4 Journal Prompts on Tough Mental Health Days | Set Low Expectations
One thing I’d suggest going into journaling (or picking the hobby back up) is to not have high expectations. You shouldn’t look at it as practice for writing a memoir, expect each day to be profound, or feel like you need to draft out your thoughts. Typically, I journal right before I go to bed and truly use it as a brain dump like experience. I’ll write about what my mind keeps circling back to, things that are worrying me, reflect on my day, highs and lows, etc. Putting this all down on paper helps me to let go of things and go to sleep after I finish writing versus going over the same thing over and over in my head instead of sleeping. You write out the thoughts and then put them down. They’ll be there in the morning for you to come back and read if you need to.
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4 Journal Prompts on Tough Mental Health Days | Do You Need a Prompt?
No! Most days I just write about whatever’s on my mind. Sometimes that may center on one part of my life and sometimes I’m all over the place. Again, I just try to let my brain unwind by getting everything out of my head. (Do you ever worry about losing a thought? For me, this really helps me not worry about that as much.) Its rare that my mind feels blank, but if you feel stuck there’s plenty of journaling prompts to pick from on Pinterest!
4 Journal Prompts on Tough Mental Health Days | What to Journal About on Down Days
When I’m having a day where I feel off, I try to make sure to take time to journal because the practice tends to help me from spiraling into a cloud of sad. I’ll try the usual flow of writing about what I’m noticing about how I feel, note if I’m able to see around the feelings, etc. When I say “see around” the feelings, sometimes I have feelings and know they’re irrational.
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Maybe one of your coworkers didn’t use the emoji they normally do and you find yourself convinced that they’re mad. When I feel like that but also can tell I’m making something bigger than it is, I call it “seeing around” the feelings. If I can see around the feelings, I normally can wake up the next day, rationally think through what I was worried about, and move on. If I can’t, then it might be a good time to make a therapy appointment so I can work through the issue.
4 Journal Prompts on Tough Mental Health Days | Things That are Good
When I find myself in need of a mental health check in, the first prompt I use is “things that are good.” It doesn’t come from a place of toxic positivity but acts more like a gratitude journal. In all of this mess, what things are good? Sometimes these are big and sometimes they are small. I pulled a recent journal entry for an example and I had written down, “I showered.”
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Not a win you’d probably share when your relatives ask how things are going at a family holiday, but for me very truthful. I was having a bad day, I wanted to stay in bed all day because I was anxious, and I made myself get up and shower. Regardless of how big or small these good things are, it’s nice to see good things happening that you did.
4 Journal Prompts on Tough Mental Health Days | Things I Can Look Forward To
In a similar vein, I’ll write about things I can look forward to. Everything in life is easier when you have something you’re excited about, right? Again these can be small and big things! On a recent list, the things I was looking forward to ranged from watching the Bachelor on Monday to hitting a certain dollar amount in my savings.
When I have a bad mental health day, it’s easy for me to spiral into doom and gloom so I like to try and find lights at the end of the tunnel. They can be longer term, like looking forward to not living in a pandemic, but I always try to write down some that are shorter term too.
4 Journal Prompts on Tough Mental Health Days | Things I Can Control
This prompt helps check me. Like anyone else, some of the things I worry about are going to be out of my control. Writing those things out helps, but it also helps if I refocus my attention on things I can control. Typically, these are things in my daily routine like staying focused at work, drinking enough water, or doing my skincare routine. Nothing too groundbreaking here but in a way it serves as a reminder to be consistent about the things that are within my control.
4 Journal Prompts on Tough Mental Health Days | Things I Want to Remember
These serve as affirmations and a way to close out the mental health check. Very zen, but it helps me to recenter my energy and get back into a better headspace. A recent-ish list:
- I won’t be perfect
- Other people’s actions are not my responsibility
- Life is about going at your own pace
- It’s ok to take space from people or places that drain my energy
4 Journal Prompts on Tough Mental Health Days | How Are You Doing?
Hopefully this post was helpful in sharing some of the benefits of journaling. It’s hard to believe that we’re about to pass a year of living remarkably different. How have you been tending to your mental health lately?
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