Happy August everyone! I’m still in shock that it’s almost the end of summer season. It happens every year, but I still can’t believe how quickly this summer has gone by.
I won’t lie, these past few months I’ve actually been struggling a bit with my mental health. Now, anyone who really knows me knows that I’ve had my fair share of battles with mental health, and these past few months have been no exception.
One copping mechanism that a lot of people turn to with mental health struggles is journaling. I’ve honestly never been great about sticking to journaling, but I will admit, it actually really helps to get everything out on paper. I actually keep all of my old journals so I’m able to go back and read them. It helps to put things in perspective, and gives me an opportunity to see how I’ve grown and changed. It also lets me see that, what I perceived as a huge deal and catastrophe at the time, is now something that I barely even remember anymore.
Like I said, keeping up a journal can be hard. Sometimes, it just feels like a lot of work and not entertaining enough. So, I wanted to share a few alternative ideas for journaling that don’t really feel like journaling. I’ve actually tried all of these, and really enjoyed them!
- A Gratitude Jar
Out of the three ideas I have listed here, the reason I like this one is because it’s an opportunity to focus on the positive things in life. With a gratitude jar, you basically take just a basic mason jar or something similar, and have a bunch of little slips of paper next to it. Whenever you experience something that you’re grateful for, or anytime you’re feeling happy, write a little blurb about it, and stick it in your jar. Then, at the end of the year, or whenever you’re feeling down, you can go back and read about all of the things you’ve been grateful for and all the happy memories you experienced.
I love the idea of having a gratitude jar for each year. But, you can do it however you’d like! You can separate it by month, by year, or even just until it’s all filled up. You can personalize it by decorating it or getting some fun paper to write on, or it can just be a basic jar with some slips of notebook paper.
I’m a very nostalgic and sentimental person, so this one is right up my alley. However, if this one doesn’t work for you, that’s okay. I still have two more ideas for you!
- A Mood Log
Out of all of these, this one is actually my personal favorite. Plus, I actually have found it very easy to keep up with!
This idea of journaling is for those who like to be artistic, or even if you just like things that are visual rather than written. I’ll insert a picture so it’s a bit easier to understand, but basically, at the beginning of each month, you draw a picture of anything you like that you can draw 28-31 of (one for each day of the month). This could be literally anything: flowers, gemstones, planets, heck, even just basic shapes if you’d like! For mine, I decided to do a house with balloons, since I love the movie Up! Once you draw them, label them for each day of the month. Create a little color key for your moods: happy, sad, angry, anxious, etc. Then, each day of the month, take some time to reflect how you’re feeling that day, and color in that day’s picture with the corresponding color.
I love this idea because it really only takes a couple minutes out of each day to reflect and color in how you’re feeling. It really makes you focus on your feelings, and helps you to visualize them. Plus, I really enjoy the initial process of drawing up my picture for the month.
Even if you’re not good at drawing, that’s okay–you honestly don’t have to be. Like I said, you can honestly draw anything you’d like to, even if it’s super simple. - A Poetry Journal
This one is actually my go to for journaling. Like I said at the beginning, I have tried and enjoyed all of these ideas. But for me, the poetry journal has been the one I’ve stuck to the longest.
I have a writer’s mind, so sometimes when I’m feeling really good, or really low, my mind will start to come up with little phrases or lines that circle around what I’m feeling. I’ll take these little lines and turn them into poems. Now, these are poems that are usually just for me, things to go back and read every now and then. Some are actually pretty good, and others are, to be honest, not my best work. But that’s okay, because they don’t have to be. In the end, it’s just a way for me to get my thoughts out in a creative way–a way that works for me.
I think something that a lot of people forget is that journaling can actually be really helpful with mental health. We hear it a lot, but it actually is really important to take some time out of your day to just focus on yourself, even if it’s just for five minutes. Plus, if you’re like me, you’ll enjoy going back and looking at what you journaled, to really understand how you were feeling at the time.
Hopefully one of these ideas will be something you implement into your daily life if you have found that traditional journaling isn’t for you. But if not, that’s okay!
Do you have a creative way that you journal or self-reflect? I’d love to hear about it, so feel free to share below! ❤
In the life of ash 
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