Start a Journaling Practice

Quick Win

Writing about your experiences can help you manage stress and increase self-awareness.

Try This Today

• Get ready. Find a notebook around the house or buy a journal. Keep it and a pen in a handy spot, like your bedside table.
• Free write. Set aside five minutes to write about what’s on your mind, whether that’s an interpersonal conflict, something you’re looking forward to, worries or concerns, or goals and dreams. If you’re stuck, consider a prompt such as the following:
  • What was the best part of your week? What was the worst part?
  • Describe a time when you felt courageous.
  • Using all your senses, describe how you’re feeling right now.
  • Describe your first memory from childhood.
• Don’t edit yourself. Journaling isn’t about having perfect grammar or writing for an audience. If five minutes pass and you’re still engaged and writing, keep writing.
• Make it part of your routine. Experiment and find a time that works for you: first thing in the morning? bedtime? midafternoon, as a respite from your busy day?

Why

Decades’ worth of research suggests that writing in a journal can be a useful tool for improving emotional well-being. Both expressive writing— in which you journal about your deepest thoughts and feelings — and gratitude journaling may be helpful additions to conventional treatments for symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD, according to a review of 20 randomized controlled trials reported in Family Medicine and Community Health in 2022.