Journaling for therapy is a great way to know thyself. Know Thyself is an important phrase that we’ve been living by for thousands of years, and there’s no better way to get to know yourself and your thoughts than journaling. Journaling can be greatly useful – and hugely therapeutic – when you have things to work through, or you feel like life’s getting you down.

Journaling is a way to see your thoughts at a glance, to backtrack, to put your most explosive and painful thoughts down on paper – or sometimes to jog your memory about important things.

There are many ways journaling can be useful to your therapy. Simply, it helps to write your thoughts down on paper, and it can be the first step on a journey to living better and healthier.

Sure, if you want to. But it’s also okay if you don’t. Journals are meant to be personal – and first, it should be important to you before it matters to anyone else.

If you feel that it helps your therapy or your doctor has recommended that you keep a journal for therapy, it’s fine to show some or all of your journaling to your therapist. It can help them to gain a bigger picture of your situation. The best person to ask about this is your therapist.

Journaling for therapy is recommended for many different conditions, and sometimes just for getting to know yourself better. It can be an essential part of your healing – and might already be a recommended choice by your doctor or therapist by the time you read this.

However you like it! Journaling for therapy is meant to be personal, and most journals never have to end up published – so don’t worry about what you write in it. Be honest and start by penning down your thoughts first.

Some people keep a dream journal just for their dreams. Other people instead keep a journal for their daily thoughts – or things they would like to remember. You can keep a journal for anything you want, including your innermost thoughts and or fears, or just for writing down what happened to you today.

Keeping more than one journal gives you a chance to record different types of thoughts – and to organize your thoughts easier while going back through old journals.

Always use high-quality pens with top-quality ink for journal writing to ensure that the ink won’t smudge.

Old journals, primarily when written for therapeutic reasons, are sometimes best kept and filed away safely. There are many reasons to backtrack and read through your old journals later.

I believe that it does based on my research and personal experience with daily journaling. There’s a reason why it’s recommended as a path to healing and recovery, and included in therapy for many people over the world. Writing a journal can help you to feel better – and when it feels like nobody is listening, and the world gets too much, you can always head over to your journal.

Some pens are prone to smearing ink. If you want to avoid this while you’re writing (particularly if you’re left-handed), use tissue paper to rest your hand on – and regularly blot the ink off your pen as you’re writing.

If you want to keep your journal safe, make sure that you take care of it as best you can. This involves keeping your journal away from things like open flames (if you write by candlelight) and other environmental factors like moisture – like not putting your journal down on the same surface where a puddle of water just stood right before it. Also, keep your journal away from mold.

No! As long as you can read it yourself and it’s not hurting your hands, your handwriting is completely fine.

Writing a journal is excellent for introspection, and can help you to see your thoughts at a glance – and work your way through your thoughts instead of being always overwhelmed by them.

Based on my research, writing can be therapeutic for many different reasons, including living with depression or working through PTSD. Of course, if you are living with these conditions, the best person to consult is your therapist.

I believe so. Journaling isn’t meant to be published in most cases. It’s for your benefit, and this means that all you have to do is write in a way that’s honest with yourself.

Moreover, you don’t have to write in your journal if you hate writing. You can doodle your feelings in the journal. Or you could paste stickers expressing your thoughts on the journal.

If you’re worried that someone else reads your journal, buy a journal that comes with a lock or keep your journal in a safe, locked place.

Sure, there are many people who choose to write their journals in a special alphabet, and whether you’d like to do it is entirely up to you.

If you’ve made a mistake in your journal, remember why you’re journaling, and don’t worry about it too much! Mistakes are what make us human.

It can be a good idea to number your journal pages to help you keep track.

I always go through my old journals, and I recommend you do that too. How can you know where your life is going if you can’t see where you come from?

Dream journals are for recording and remembering your dreams. This can be useful if you want to practice your memory. A dream journal can also help you to work through your dreams or to realize what they could mean to your life and thoughts.

Some journals are used to keep track of things instead of dreams. If that’s what you want to use your journal for, go for it.

Using several journals will allow you to record several things, and it can give you a better scope.

Some people draw in their journals, and some people don’t. Whether you do, it is entirely up to you!

I love to doodle in my journals when I am stuck for the right words.

If you want to publish your journal writing, the first step is scanning or typing your work. From there, you can hire an editor or proofreader who can help you to turn it into a full-scale book.

My website is organized by theme, category, or topic – and for everything else, use the search function or contact me to find the matching journal for your needs.

If you are worried that your writing in your journal will fade with time, why not take photographs of your favorite journal pages and upload them to a digital drive for safekeeping and as a backup?

If the ink in your journal is fading, it could be the pen or ink you’re using. Switch to another pen!

For comfortable writing, the answer is often yes. But yes, I understand the feeling of having to “destroy” a perfectly new journal.

Of course you can! Writing a journal isn’t all about being a good writer.

In fact, many accomplished journalers are art journalers who use mostly art and mixed media art to create the most beautiful journals. Junk journalers also create gorgeous journals, and these journals are mostly made of beautiful ephemera collected by their owners.

Journaling is useful, and I believe that journaling can help as a therapeutic aid. If you’ve never done it before, don’t be afraid to start!

Journaling gets your innermost thoughts on paper and allows you to see your life and thoughts at a glance. It’s one of the most useful things you can do to better your mental health.

Journaling is a great way to analyze your thoughts and to track your progress. These are just some of the ways in which journaling can be useful to you.

Anything you like! Whatever you write in your journal is your own business, and that’s what’s great about it.

If you are stuck for ideas on what to write in your journals, use the journal prompts on my website to stimulate the journaling goddess in you!

I believe that you can and that sometimes it can give them a bigger picture of how to treat your condition. The best person to consult is your therapist, who should know best.

Perhaps you can change your pen or alter your handwriting? Don’t forget to take a break from writing!

There’s no rule that says journal writing has to be good (or bad). Just honest.

Like I mentioned earlier, some of the best journalers are art journalers and junk journalers.

Based on my research, journaling can help with a variety of different medical conditions, including chronic depression. Please speak to your therapist about journaling as your therapist is the best person to advise you.

No, never. Instead, journaling is a complementary therapy. Please always seek your doctor’s advice on your medical condition. Ashley Yeo is not a doctor, and I cannot advise you on your mental conditions and how best to treat them.

If you’ve made a mistake in your journal, don’t sweat it. Cross it out and move on.

Yes, I think so! You can use a journal to keep track of things,  too.

Again, there’s no need to write like Hemingway to write a journal.

If you think your journal writing is good enough to publish, contact a publisher, editor, or proofreader who can point you in the right direction.

Sure, there’s no right or wrong way to keep a journal, and many people do this – or turn their journals into blog posts later.

Yeah, why not! It’s YOUR journal!

Sometimes this happens with moisture, mold, and water exposure. Find out what’s affecting your journals and move them to another room, if need be.

If you find bugs in any of your journals, they’re likely book bugs. Yes, they can be exterminated, but you might have to remove a few books and treat them separately.

Either of these is perfectly fine!

If you aren’t comfortable with your doctor or therapist, perhaps you should find another?

If you don’t want to see a therapist, realize that it can be an essential step towards feeling better – and if you aren’t comfortable with your therapist, I suggest you find another one.

Depression and other conditions can’t be treated alone, even if you feel okay sometimes. Consult an expert even if you think you’re coping just fine right now.

This is almost never true. Seek professional advice instead of leaving your medication or making your adjustments, even when you think you’re fine.

Please seek medical help to treat your condition with the right therapies and medication.

It’s a common worry for people who make an appointment with a therapist to think that they are crazy. No, going through something or having a mental condition doesn’t necessarily mean you’re crazy at all. Please seek medical help urgently to treat yourself with the right therapies and medication.

Please seek medical help urgently.

Speak urgently to your doctor if you feel like this might happen to you.

If you show signs of depression, but haven’t been officially diagnosed, see a professional urgently for a diagnosis.

If you aren’t sure which you might need to treat, see a professional for the best advice.

Based on what I have read, mental health is both physical and emotional. This is why they are often treated by several doctors and professionals at once. Again, please seek medical help urgently if you feel unwell.

Journal printables are gorgeously designed digital journals, which you can use for your journaling sessions. You will be able to immediately download such printable journal pages in PDF format, which you can print off on your home printer or bring to a print shop to print out. To save costs, I suggest you print them off yourself on your home printer.

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I love journaling for joy, you should try it too!

Ashley Yeo 

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