Owning a Self Care Journal: Journaling for Mental Health

Last Updated on July 24, 2024 by Prissila Murillo

Do you often get stressed, anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed? Do you find yourself having a hard time unwinding and relaxing after a long day? If so, you should definitely have a self care journal or consider getting one if you don’t already! Whether you’re a student, full-time employee, or even taking a break from everything, it is so easy to overwork yourself, exhausting your mind and body in the process. 

Why should you own a self care journal?

Of course, the idea of writing down your feelings every day continuously may seem boring, weird, or insignificant, but little by little it will start to change your life. Whether or not you think there is anything wrong with your life, we guarantee everyone has something to gain from owning a self care journal and journaling every day! 

Opening up to people and talking about everything going on in your mind can be hard sometimes – whether it’s because you’re too shy, feel like you have no one to turn to, or simply feel like it would be perceived as complaining, we know the feeling. Luckily, self care journals have your back! Having a self care journal to write in allows you to decompress after a long day, expressing what happened throughout it and how it made you feel – basically lifting a weight off your shoulders. Even better, writing down your thoughts and feelings can be more beneficial than simply speaking them for a variety of reasons. Mainly, you’ll have a physical copy of how you have progressed over time that you can look back at whenever.

Being able to watch yourself heal, grow, or actually understand your emotions is one of the most powerful things that journaling offers!

Not sure where to start? 

Here are some simple, helpful tips to get you into the habit of journaling every day:

• Set aside a designated time to write in a self care journal every day (only has to be a few minutes).
• Write (or draw) whatever comes to mind – there are no requirements! You could draw pictures, write poems, use colors, or write letters – anything goes. 
• Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or structure. This is your mind’s rule-less playground, so just keep scribbling!
• Keep something to write in/on handy at all times (this could be your phone or just a pen and paper).
• Finally, depending on how you feel, share your journal with people you trust or don’t share your journal at all!

The Pros:

Making writing in your self care journal an everyday habit will allow you to identify things like triggers for negative emotions, people or things that cheer you up, activities that make you happy or are unpleasant, and who/what to avoid or seek out more of. Not only can you use your self care journal as a place to reflect and vent but also for motivation and life goals! Whether you do better setting short-term or long-term goals, your self care journal is the perfect place to do so. You can track your progress, any setbacks, any obstacles, and any other achievements along the way!

Another use and purpose for these self care journals, however, could be to treat and document a mental illness. As we mentioned before, if you have anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness, owning a self care journal may prove to be very beneficial. As a form of testing which treatments work for you or not, journaling can provide insight on any progress made and track your symptoms. When using a self care journal to track symptoms, a useful tip is to rate the severity of each symptom somewhere on the page for an easier way to keep track of them. 

Our Favorite (and CHEAP!) Amazon Self Care Journal Finds:

We’ve surfed the web endlessly for the best self care journals – and we’ve found them! Below you can find our favorite guided (and non-guided) self care journals for an unimaginably low price. Enjoy!

1. “A Year of Zen”

If you’re looking for a deeper, more introspective self care journal, this may be the one for you! “A Year of Zen” contains a page for every week of the year and gets you to focus on being present in the moment by reflecting on your current mental and physical state. This journal also comes with a mix of prompts to get you thinking about the future you want along with how to inspire those positive thoughts and life goals! Better yet, it’s under $10!

2. “Let That Sh*t Go”

Looking for a lighter, comedic, and more entertaining way of journaling and looking inwards? This “Let That Sh*t Go” self care journal provides prompts to get you thinking about past opportunities left unseized, prompts about things to look forward to in the future, motivation for tasks to get your life on track, and best of all, pages where you can freely (and explicitly) express yourself until you feel weightless. Not to mention all the jokes, silly drawings, and amazingly low price!

3. “Self-Care: A Day and Night Reflection Journal”

New to journaling? Say no more! The “Self-Care: A Day and Night Reflection Journal” comes with two pages per day (one for the morning and one for the night) for 90 days, and they’re all broken down into easy fill-in sections. Talk about a perfect self-care summer! That with not having to do all the work or pay a high price? Say no more, this journal is an absolute steal!

4. “Erin Condren Petite Planner Self Care Journal”

Do you like journals with more structure, reminders, and even weekly goals? If you answered yes, this “Happiness Blooms From Within” journal is the self care journal for you. While encouraging you to journal normally, this self care journal also gets you to recognize what you want/need along with how to achieve those things weekly.  Another plus? The price!

5. “Recharge: A Day and Night Reflection Journal”

Similar to our third suggestion, this “Recharge: A Day and Night Reflection Journal” also comes with a morning and night reflection page for 90 days. While still keeping mental health as a priority, this self care journal also includes several prompts about physical health in an attempt to connect the two and bring attention to the care of both mind and body. After all, the mind is inside the body, no? Don’t forget to grab this one!

Conclusion

Hopefully by now, we’ve convinced you that there’s nothing to lose from getting a self care journal! Incorporating journaling into your everyday routine can allow you to get to know yourself better. Looking inwards to understand your mind and body never hurt anybody! 

Did you like this blog post? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know which of these self care journals you liked the most or which other ones you think should have been on the list! You can comment below or find us on Instagram @offonfriday to share your thoughts.