How to Start Journalling: A Beginner’s Guide + 5 Daily Prompts
I’m often recommending journalling to my clients, and often met with the response - “Okay, but where do I even start?”.
The beauty of journalling is that there are no rules. However, I understand that it can be helpful to have a guide or a “launching pad” to make it much easier.
What’s the point of journalling?
We know that psychological stress impacts our general wellbeing, sleep, appetite, and mood, with clear links to worsening physical health (Lopresti, 2025).
Journaling is one of many proven techniques that improve social and psychological wellbeing by allowing us to:
Slow down and be present
Engage in deep self-reflection
Improve emotion regulation
Gain insight into our thought processes (Yosep et al., 2025).
One study even found that participants who wrote about stressful or emotional events for just 15–20 minutes on a few occasions did significantly better physically and psychologically than those who wrote about neutral topics (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2018).
In essence, it’s really great for our mental health.
How does journalling work?
Researchers Baikie and Wilhelm (2018), suggested that journaling can help us by:
Confronting Emotions: It supports us in facing feelings we might otherwise suppress.
Cognitive Processing: It helps us reorganise and make sense of messy thoughts.
Exposure: Repeatedly writing about fears can reduce their power over us—a key component in treating anxiety and trauma.
I’m feeling overwhelmed,
where do I start?
Let me remind you: there is no perfect way to journal! I encourage a “good enough” approach. It doesn’t need to be full sentences or even a notebook. It can be a few lines, a list, or even just one word a day.
To get started:
Create Your Environment: Choose a space that fits your needs—whether that's low-stimulation (dim lights, quiet) or high-stimulation (music, bright light).
Choose Your Tools: Pen and paper have been shown to be more effective for learning and processing than digital typing (Ihara et al., 2021), but digital is always better than nothing!
Pick a Style, for example:
Morning Pages: A stream-of-consciousness "brain dump" first thing in the morning (see Julia Cameron - The Artist’s Way)
Gratitude Journaling: Focusing specifically on positive events (Fekete & Deichert, 2022).
Tips for habit formation
If you find yourself forgetting to journal, try these "habit hacks":
Visibility: Keep your journal on your pillow or next to the kettle.
Habit Stacking: Attach journaling to an existing habit, like your morning coffee.
Reminders: Set a recurring phone alarm for a realistic time of day.
5 prompts for daily journalling to improve your mental health
How am I feeling right now? What emotions are coming up for me?
Tip: An emotion wheel can be helpful here if finding the words feels hard!What’s something that has been on my mind recently? Is there anything that has been worrying me?
Today I am grateful for …
What was my highlight today?
What’s one thing I can do to make tomorrow easier?
Want to talk more about your mental health?
Journaling is a powerful tool, but it's even more effective when paired with professional support. We can work together to create personalised prompts tailored to your specific goals.
You can now or book in an appointment directly via the website.
References:
Bakie K.A & Wilhelm K. (2018) Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing.
Fekete EM & Deichert NT. (2022). A Brief Gratitude Writing Intervention Decreased Stress and Negative Affect During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Ihara AS, Nakajima K, Kake A, Ishimaru K, Osugi K, Naruse Y. (2021). Advantage of Handwriting Over Typing on Learning Words: Evidence From an N400 Event-Related Potential Index.
Lopresti A.L (2020). The Effects of Psychological and Environmental Stress on Micronutrient Concentrations in the Body: A Review of the Evidence
Wurtz H.M, Willen S.S, Mason K. A. (2022). Introduction: Journaling and Mental Health during COVID-19: Insights from the Pandemic Journalling Project.
Yosep I, Fitria N, Mardiyah A & Hikmat R (2025).Positive self talk journaling intervention to improve psychological well-being among child and adolescents in juvenile. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health.
