Junk Journaling for Self Care

Making regular entries in a journal can help your mental and emotional health in many ways. However, the thought of frequent “writing projects” might have turned you off to this healthy practice. If so, junk journaling may be for you!

What is junk journaling, and how can it help you relieve stress, increase your feelings of gratitude and improve your mental and emotional health in other ways? This article answers those questions.

What Is Junk Journaling?

Junk journaling is a blend of traditional journaling and scrapbooking. Its defining feature is that it has absolutely no rules. Sentences? Paragraphs? Coherent thoughts? None of these traditional journaling conventions are necessary in your junk journal.

This type of journaling is about expressing yourself and recording your thoughts, ideas, inspirations and memories in any medium that can be contained in a book.

Open someone’s junk journal (with their permission, of course), and in a two-page spread, you might see:

• A paragraph about a recent workday.
• The ticket stub to a concert they attended.
• A plan for a vegetable garden layout.
• A sample of an interior paint color they like.
• Stick-figure drawings of them and their pet.
• A snippet from a poem that inspires them.

In other words, the pages can contain anything that can be written, drawn or adhered there.

The Benefits of Journaling

Whether you keep a conventional journal or a junk journal, making regular entries can benefit your mental and emotional health in several ways, including:

Reduced Anxiety

People who journal about things that worry them tend to find that those issues make them less anxious.

Less Spiraling

It’s easy to get stuck in a loop thinking about an emotional event. Writing about it (or recording it in drawings, magazine clippings, etc.) can help you break that cycle. However, note that the timing of your journaling may be important. It’s possible that writing about a traumatic event immediately after it happens might make you feel worse. So, it may be better to process the event for a few days or more before journaling about it.

Increased Awareness

Journaling about a stressful situation might give you insights into why exactly the event was uncomfortable and how you can reduce the effect of similar events in the future.

Greater Willingness to Seek Help

Writing about difficult topics in your journal may encourage you to talk with a mental health professional if appropriate.

Enhanced Mindfulness

The physical acts of writing, selecting objects to put in your junk journal, securing them there, etc., provide tactile feedback that can help you stay in the present moment even as you’re recalling past events or thinking about future ones.

Increased Gratitude

Several of the benefits above are related to dealing with adverse events. However, journaling is also an excellent way to document what makes you happy and what you’re thankful for, elevating your mood and increasing your gratitude.

Tips for Getting Started With Junk Journaling

If you want to try junk journaling, gathering the necessary materials is a good place to start. First, you’ll need a journal or binder to make entries in. Then, it’s helpful to have:

• Pens and pencils
• Markers or crayons
• Highlighters
• A pair of scissors
• Tape and glue
• A ruler
• String or ribbon

Just as important as having the right materials is having the right mindset. You’ll get the most from junk journaling if you can silence your inner critic.

That line drawing doesn’t look much like what you were trying to capture? That’s OK! It’s not the artistic value of your entries that matters, but rather the therapeutic value. You’ll probably find that entries you aren’t initially happy with will grow in meaning and significance when you look back at them weeks, months or years later.

Get Help With Mental Health Challenges From Baptist Health

Junk journaling can be an excellent addition to your self-care practices. However, if you face mental or emotional health challenges that interfere with your daily life, we’re here for you.

Learn about behavioral health services at Baptist Health.

Next Steps and Helpful Resources
Our Support Groups at Baptist Health
The Power of a Grateful Heart
Social Media and Mental Health in Adults
Why Do I Feel Anxiety at Night?