Journaling for Mental Health

Hello all,

We launched a number of new Circles last night, including one for Mental Health Conditions. All of us who use Open Diary already know how beneficial keeping a journal on OD can be for our mental health. For those of us who suffer from anxiety, depression, personality disorders, or other mental health challenges, journaling can be a great way to see your true self and clarify how you are feeling.

In addition, journaling has been proven as a great way to reduce stress and resolve differences you may be having with other people in your life. There’s lots of information online about the health benefits of journaling – we like the information that PsychCentral provides here:

The Health Benefits of Journaling by Maud Purcell, LCSW, CEAP

The benefits of journaling have been proven in a number of scientific studies and papers. Many people in the scientific community have come to the conclusion that regular journaling can offer significant improvements in your everyday outlook, including this work from the University of Rochester Medical Center:

Journaling for Mental Health

You also don’t have to over-complicate how you journal – one of the best things about keeping a diary is that it can help you sort through the simple challenges in your life so you can focus more on the big things that really need your attention. Journaling for mindfulness is a great way to bring clarity to your life. There’s some great information on the benefits of journaling from NWR of Albany here:

Benefits of Journaling & Our Mental Health

We are glad for everybody that is here at Open Diary, and we hope that you are finding some of these benefits as a result of your journaling! If you aren’t a member of Open Diary already, it’s a great place to keep a journal and realize some of these benefits and also meet some other people in our supportive community.

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