Just like talking to a therapist or a friend, writing your feelings down can alleviate the weight on your shoulders. For me, once I’ve written my feelings down, it’s like I’ve separated myself from these stressful thoughts and emotions. Finally, if you’re choosing a self-care journal for mental health purposes, Dr. McElroy says it’s a good idea to avoid additional stress by purchasing an item that suits your budget. She explains that some people may feel pressure to buy an expensive journal. While this is fine for anyone who won’t experience stress from spending a few extra dollars on a higher-end journal, there’s no harm in keeping it simple and opting for an option that’s less expensive. Write a letter to yourself, reflecting on your current emotions and how you're coping with them. Be kind and compassionate to yourself as you write. Your journal is a safe space where you can work to understand your thoughts and feelings about things. Things That Are Soothing The next step to freeing is processing. As I’ve mentioned earlier, journaling helps me to step away from my thoughts and feelings and see them as something that happened or is happening to me rather than as something that’s a part of me.

If you’re not sure how to begin, think of an event that has affected you recently and describe your feelings about it. Whether it’s positive, negative, or even neutral, just write your heart out. It doesn’t have to be creative, poetic, and even grammatically correct or structured. Perhaps, you can have a cup of coffee, listen to a calming playlist, and write next to a window. Whichever way you do it, make sure that it’s a ritual that’s as enjoyable as it is cathartic for you. 2.Release your feelings And, that's all! I hope you really enjoy journaling with these prompts. You deserve to care for yourself. I wish you a wonderful time with your thoughts and inner self. Take care! Engaging in self-care is a process involving being aware of self, acquiring knowledge and taking responsibility for meeting needs at whatever level they are presented. The performance of self-care behaviours can be influenced both positively and negatively by the attitudes of others. Throughout life, the purpose for performing self-care differs and individuals face challenges that interfere with their ability to master these self-care behaviours. Individuals who are able to find symbolic meaning in the disease/disability or reframe the implications positively are more capable of adapting and maintaining their focus on caring for themselves. Studies revealed that individuals may abandon self-care when overwhelmed by symptoms or disability and/or when they feel that they are not supported. Feeling replenished and well-rested, as you would usually feel after doing some self-care, will also help you to be more creative and to work on your personal development.The ultimate goal is for you to feel happier in your daily life, to create a positive mindset, and to build yourself up so that you can be the best version of yourself no matter what difficult situation comes your way. Reflective of the diverse wealth of literature, the concept of self-care can be implemented in a variety of settings, including nursing and nursing theory, medicine, psychology, business, and lifestyle. Throughout these disciplines, a myriad of interpretations of the concept is delineated from the rich variety of perspectives; consequently, the information is fragmented. Despite this array of information, Dictionary.com [ 54] and the American Heritage Science Dictionary [ 55] define self-care as the care of oneself without medical or other professional consultation, assistance, or oversight. The WHO compounded this definition: including the individual, family, and community, who in turn, promotes, prevents, maintains health, and copes with illness and disability [ 56]. In addition, the WHO identified fundamental principles of self-care, which include autonomy, self-efficacy, empowerment, community involvement, and community empowerment [ 57].

Journaling is a fun and relaxing activity for self-care. Writing is not only a great way to deal with stress, life confusion, and other problems but is also a fabulous inspiration tool. You have so much beautiful creativity inside you! How to create a self-care journal The soul part is related to spiritual fulfillment and relationships. Any activity that can improve your emotional, social and spiritual care fit in this part.

Aside from allotting time for it, you can also make your journal routine much more relaxing to add to its self-care quality.

Journaling is like therapy to me. And therapy helps better when you don’t take it only in the most desperate times. When you are taking it step by step, in the good days and the bad days, knowing that it’s not just for disaster management but for a good life overall.

More self-care journal ideas

Facing your front' is the mantra that emboides this—and it's the mantra behind actor Ncuti Gatwa, star of the Netflix show "Sex Education." Journaling is one of the best tools that can help with this. Personally, writing my thoughts and feelings down is like finding a friend in me.

When you write a journal, make sure that it allows you to discover what you’re capable of and how you can manage your situation. For me, I ask myself questions that help me find a solution. Then think of the things you do that help you to relax and write them down, it can be anything from learning new things to meditating. For instance I only really disconnect when I am away from any electronic. So I normally recharge by reading my book, meal prepping, having a bath or talking to friends.When have you experienced a significant loss or change in your life? What did you learn, and how can you use that knowledge to move forward? In this study, college students were investigated on how they use personal writing to reduce stress and anxiety, and it has been concluded that journaling is the go-to writing medium when processing emotional hardships. Reflect on a relationship in your life that is important to you. What do you value about that relationship, and how can you nurture it? When I write, I allow myself to pour out even the ugly things that I’m feeling that, sometimes, I’m even afraid to admit to myself. Being true to where I’m currently at emotionally and mentally is key to successful journaling.