Journaling for Self-Care

As people work more on themselves, focusing on self-improvement and personal 
development, two common topics come up often: self-care and journaling. So, why not 
combine them?

Journaling is actually a very popular and effective way to practice self-care. It is 
inexpensive, easy to do, and only takes a few minutes a day.


What is Self-Care?

Before we get started on why journaling is a useful way to practice self-care, let’s 
discuss what self-care actually is. Unlike what many people assume when they first 
hear of it, self-care is not just about pampering yourself (though that can be included) 
and is definitely not a selfish act. 

It is simply a way to be intentional in activities you choose to do for YOU and you alone. 
It does not include responsibilities that you need to do, chores, or exercise for fitness. 
Instead, it encompasses those things you do by choice, for yourself, to improve your 
overall health and wellbeing.


Why is Self-Care Important?

Why bother with self-care? Because everyone spends so much time working, reaching 
their goals, working on their physical health, and taking care of other people, that they 
rarely spend enough time focusing on themselves.

It might seem like you do plenty for yourself, but these are often activities you feel like 
you have to include. Self-care is not just those daily routines that are so habitual you 
don’t even think about them, like brushing your teeth or commuting to work. Instead, 
they are optional activities you do because they help you feel better, inside and out.


Journaling is Just One Option

There are many ways to practice self-care, from yoga in the morning to meditating at 
night. The list is practically endless. Journaling is just one form of self-care, but one that 
we highly recommend. 

Keep reading to learn more about how you can use your journal as one way to practice 
self-care on a daily basis.



1. Why Journal for Self-Care?

Journaling is a universal practice that is extremely easy to do and get started with, but it 
can also be a little intimidating in the beginning. The good news is that it only takes a 
few days to get used to the practice, and not much longer than that to understand the 
many ways it can benefit you.

Here are some of the top reasons why journaling is so amazing for your self-care 
practice.


There is Little Commitment and Cost Involved

Journals are already pretty inexpensive, but you can also get a more affordable 
notebook and use any writing utensil you happen to have at home. There is no reason 
you need to buy an expensive leather bound journal just to use for your daily self-care 
practice. 

In order to journal for self-care, all you really need is something to write on and 
something to write with. You might find that over time, you want to invest in different 
types of pens or a fancier journal as it motivates you to use it every day, but when you 
are first starting out, don’t worry about this. 

Another great reason for journaling for self-care is that there is no commitment involved. 
Even if you decide that journaling for self-care purposes isn’t really for you, you can still 
use the notebook or journal for other things. It isn’t going to be wasted money!


You Can Do it Anywhere

Journaling is so easy to do, and can be done absolutely anywhere. As long as your 
journal fits in your purse or your car, you’re good to go.

In fact, it might be a good idea to bring your journal and pens with you when you are 
leaving for the day, so that if you get time at work or while sitting in the school pickup 
line waiting for your kids, you can pull it out and jot a few things down. 

There may be moments when during your normal daily routine, you lose track of time 
and don’t get to your journaling, so this is why it is good to have it on the go.







It Helps Your Mental and Emotional Health

Naturally, one of the best benefits of journaling itself is that it helps to nurture your 
emotional and mental health. This is a big reason why many people turn to journaling. 
Whether you struggle with chronic stress, anxiety or depression, or just want to improve 
your emotional health in general, journaling is a great way to do that.

This can even determine the type of journaling you choose to do for self-care, and what 
you decide to write about.


Track Your Self-Care in a Bullet Journal

Another option for using a journal for self-care is to use your bullet journal. With this 
method, you won’t write your thoughts or ideas like a regular journal, but instead use it 
to record and track the days when you practice your other self-care activities.



2. Fitting Journaling Into Your Routine

A common question is how to fit self-care activities into your daily routine, including 
journaling. Since you know it is easy to get started and doesn’t require more than a few 
minutes a day, you can imagine how many ways there are to actually fit it into your 
lifestyle. But here are a few ways to fit it into your morning, nighttime, or mid-day 
routine.


Morning Routine

A great way to start journaling is by adding it to your morning routine. You can use 
morning pages where you just write about whatever is on your mind first thing in the 
morning, freeing up your mind for other things as you go about the rest of your day.

In addition to morning pages, gratitude journaling and just regular daily journaling can 
also be done in the morning. Remember that your morning routine can be as long or as 
short as you prefer, and can be switched up each day.

This might mean tomorrow you decide to do 5 minutes of morning pages, followed by 
your morning shower and getting dressed, while the next day you might do a longer 
journal session and feel like yoga afterward.

The more flexible you are with your self-care routines, the more likely you are to stick 
with it.


Nighttime Routine

Maybe you don’t have time in the morning or aren’t interested in morning pages, so you 
would prefer writing in your journal at night. This works amazingly well! In fact, the end 
of your day is better for certain types of journaling, like self-reflection, gratitude, and 
daily journaling.

This is when you have already have gone through your day, dealt with stresses and 
emotions, and are tired and ready to relax. Take a few minutes to yourself to sit down 
and write how your day went. Maybe you write what you are grateful for, or you want to 
vent about something that didn’t quite go as planned. 

Getting these thoughts out on paper before sleep can prevent you from stressing about 
them all night long.


Mid-Day Routine

If you have more free time in the middle of the day, such as during your lunch break, 
this might work better for you. The good news is you can bring your journal with you 
anywhere you go, allowing you to write in it at any time, and still get that self-care into 
your day.

You do not have to stick to rigid rules with your daily routines, so feel free to journal for 
self-care during any time of day when it is most convenient for you.



3. Types of Journaling for Self-Care

The great thing about writing in a journal is that there are so many ways to do that. 
There are no rules or guidelines here; you just have to write! Though there are definitely 
some methods of journaling that provide different benefits than others.

Let’s go over a few basic ways to journal that are particularly useful when it comes to 
your self-care routine.


Clear Your Mind 

Stream of consciousness style journaling is when you just clear your mind of all your 
thoughts by writing them down on paper, often referred to as a brain dump. 

There are so many times when people become overwhelmed by all the thoughts in their 
head. What has happened, what caused stress, what you need to remember to do, 
tasks you keep forgetting about, things weighing heavily on your mind.

Thoughts and feeling are constantly going around in your head, but when you just keep 
them there and don’t try to write them down, they can eat away at you, and just keep 
building up. 

Letting them go is what the brain dump is going to do for you. Write everything out in 
your journal, no matter what it is and don’t worry about it making sense. Allow yourself 
to jump from one topic to another, as often as you need to until you feel like you have let 
it all go.

This is the beauty of the stream of consciousness style of journaling.


Daily Journaling to Explore Your Emotions

A very common way to write in a journal is with daily journaling. This is when you write 
down what is on your mind, but really focusing on how you are feeling and what your 
emotions are like right now. 

Think of this like a diary. Maybe you wrote in a diary in your pre-teen or teen years, 
where you loved to write about anything you were feeling or going through. 

Many people do the same thing with their daily journal, going through the events of the 
day, contemplating their choices, making plans for tomorrow. It can be as casual or as 
serious as you want it to be.


Journal for Self-Discovery

A lot of people like to use their journal for self-discovery and personal growth. This is 
when you are doing it more for personal development purposes. It is often a 
combination of other forms of journaling, but you really try to find more clarity into your 
life. 

This might look like making plans and setting goals for some people, while others are 
really using it to have a cathartic experience and discover why they make the decisions 
they do, and how to improve their life moving forward.









Express Gratitude

This is a simple form of journaling, and also one of the most effective for your mental 
health and your sense of fulfillment in your life. With a gratitude journal, you will write 
down what you are grateful for each and every day. This alone can be your self-care 
practice, and it will help you in so many ways.

Gratitude journaling is nothing more than writing down what and who you are grateful 
for on a daily basis. Pick around 5-10 things to write down, including big and small 
things. Something as small as a cup of coffee every morning can be something you are 
grateful for, but don’t forget to include the big things as well.

You can have just a gratitude journal dedicated to this one purpose, or write down your 
gratitude in your daily journal before other forms of journaling.



4. Journal Tips for Beginners

Still not quite sure how to get started? Here are some useful tips for beginners, even for 
someone who has never put pen to paper in a journal before.


Use Pen and Paper

Speaking of pen and paper, this is where we recommend you start if you are journaling 
for self-care purposes. While you can also keep a digital journal by writing in a 
document on your computer, this isn’t the best way to start. You might be distracted by 
other things on your computer, and you just don’t get the same effects from it.


Set a Timer or Page Number Goal

To avoid getting overwhelmed with journaling, pick a goal of how much or how long to 
write. For example, you might start with just 1-2 pages filled out a day, or maybe you 
write for 5 minutes. 

Having a goal keeps you from losing focus or just staring aimlessly at the pages. It also 
gives you a place to stop, so you don’t feel like you are writing for hours. 







Use Journal Prompts

If you have trouble just getting started or not knowing what to write about, journal 
prompts can help! These provide writing prompts with specific topics, often in the form 
of questions that you answer in your journal.


Choose the Top 3

One of our favorite journaling tricks is to do the Top 3 Method. This involves just 
choosing the top 3 of anything you can think of, and writing them down. 

Here are a few ideas:

Your top 3 memories.
Your top 3 regrets.
Your favorite 3 moments from today.
3 Things you are grateful for today.
3 Things you want to talk about in your journal.

We have found that three things is the perfect number for just about anything. 

Journaling for self-care is a wonderful practice that can help you discover more about 
your life, find clarity, work on personal growth, and improve your mental health. 







