Do you want to learn how to journal your feelings? It’ll make you feel surprisingly good — and so much lighter — trust me.
Saying that, at first, like with any new skill, learning how to journal your feelings can seem like a challenge — but I promise it doesn’t need to be.
So, in this post, I’m sharing 3 simple steps to make it as easy as possible.
Keep reading to get:
- A skill I believe we should be taught in school — and why.
- All the benefits of journalling.
- The simplest way to journal your feelings and finally feel lighter.
- The method I use to create a daily journalling practice that improves my mental and emotional health.
- 3 questions to ask yourself to make journalling easy.
How to Journal Your Feelings
The Best Wellness Tool
Whether you follow my 3 step process for journalling your feelings or find your own, daily journalling will do wonders for your mental and emotional health.
It’s one of the most accessible and affordable tools for self-therapy, healing and coaching. And, starting it was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself — the immediate relief and clarity I felt, and continue to feel, is amazing and honestly hard to put into words.
Incorporating journalling into your daily routine will have a transformative effect on your health, mindset and overall wellbeing. So, keep reading to learn how to make it a regular and enjoyable part of your routine.
What’s Journalling?
Sometimes I think we like to complicate things, like journalling, and make them sound more sophisticated than they are. When in reality, it’s quite simple — journalling is writing your thoughts and feelings on paper. It’s capturing on the page what’s going on in your inner world. So you can see it clearly, better understand it and, maybe even let it go.
It doesn’t need to be perfect — our thoughts and feelings are messy, so it’s likely, your journalling will be too. And there’s no right or wrong way to do it — experiment and try different techniques until you find what works for you. You might even find different methods work better on different days depending on how you feel and what you need to get out of your head.
Journalling Your Feelings — A Key Skill
Writing down your thoughts and feelings is an essential part of a healthy and happy lifestyle. And something I think we should be taught in school, for many reasons.
Firstly, like with any skill, it can feel hard to journal initially, but with practice, it becomes easier and easier to do.
Secondly, it’s one of the cheapest and simplest ways to strengthen our mental health and manage our thoughts and emotions.
Thirdly, it’s been proven to help with a lot of the things we struggle with. With many people who’ve learnt how to journal reporting improved moods, a better ability to regulate how they feel and even a reduction in their anxiety.
What Are Feelings?
Feelings are something everyone experiences and are a natural part of being human — yes, even the negative ones. They’re sensations in your body that come and go — and feel either comfortable or uncomfortable. And, as you know, they can be mild, intense or anywhere in between.
One of the most important things to know about your feelings (and thoughts for that matter) is they ARE NOT you. This means your feelings (and thoughts) do not reflect who you are as a person. You’re not an anxious or easily overwhelmed person. You’re someone who sometimes feels anxious or overwhelmed.
Feelings let you know what you need, want, like or dislike — so you can make a change. And, contrary to popular belief, or how you might feel in the moment, there are no good or bad feelings.
All feelings — happiness, sadness, joy, jealousy, hurt, delight — are natural and healthy.
Managing Your Feelings
With that said though, I know it can be hard to notice how you feel, let alone accept it. And you can even judge yourself for how you’re feeling — especially if it’s nervousness, jealousy or tiredness. And sometimes, maybe without even realising it, you push your feelings away or even ignore them altogether.
When I say without realising, this can often be one of the reasons we:
- Binge-eat (and feel guilty afterwards).
- Overwork (even when we’re no longer being productive).
- Scroll for hours online (and feel rubbish afterwards).
- Isolate ourselves (by not texting people back or meeting for a coffee).
- Binging a TV series and having a takeaway after a hard day at work (even though we know deep down that taking a walk and an early night would make us feel much better).
These can be unhealthy numbing behaviours if you’re using them as a way to consciously or unconsciously “manage” your feelings rather than process them. This is why it’s a great idea to pause each day to check in with yourself and notice how you’re feeling.
Journal Your Feelings to Notice Them
A better way to notice, manage and process your feelings is writing them down. And is a tool that positively benefits your mental, emotional and physical health (yes, even your physical health, since feelings stuck in our bodies can lead to physical symptoms such as illness and injury)
And, as with any skill, you can train yourself to get better at noticing and processing your feelings.
The simplest way I’ve found to train myself to notice and process my feelings through journalling is a technique called, “seeing, accepting and understanding”. I personally think it’s one of the easiest methods to follow, especially when you’re starting to journal.
That’s why I’m sharing the, “see, accept and understand” technique below. I hope it helps you as much as it has me.
How to Journal Your Feelings
Step 1 — SEE Your Feelings
The first step in journalling your feelings is becoming aware of how you feel and then naming it. So, ask yourself, “What am I feeling right now?” And write it down. For example, “I feel overwhelmed.”
There’s no right or wrong way to label how you feel. Write what feels right to you in the moment. But, if you’re struggling to put your feelings into words, as most of us do, this Feelings Wheel from calm.com will help you. I keep a copy in my notebook and use it most days.
And, believe it or not, but naming how you feel can make you feel surprisingly better in the moment. Why? Because our feelings are a lot like us — they want to be seen, heard, accepted and understood.
When you’re naming your feelings, remember it’s natural to feel multiple things at once. For example, nervous yet excited. Or sad yet optimistic. So, be sure to capture as many of your feelings on paper as possible to ensure they all feel seen and heard!
Step 2 — ACCEPT Your Feelings
The second step in journalling your feelings is choosing to accept them. So, ask yourself, “Can I learn to accept what I’m feeling?”
You might write, “Yes, I feel overwhelmed right now. It feels good to acknowledge it — I can feel myself relaxing already. And, you know what, I accept this feeling right now because I know it’s normal — lots of people would feel like this in my situation.”
In other words, try not to judge your feelings. Which might sound like this, “Why am I so overwhelmed? I shouldn’t feel overwhelmed. I knew I couldn’t do this job. I always feel behind. If I could just stop being overwhelmed, I could get on with what I need to do. No one else seems to be so overhwlemed.”
Since your feelings are real — they’re in your body whether you want them to be there or not — it doesn’t make sense to suggest you shouldn’t be feeling them. Because whether they make you comfortable or uncomfortable, the fact is, they’re there, and trying to tell you something.
Step 3 — UNDERSTAND Your Feelings
The third step in journalling your feelings is taking the time to understand them. So, ask yourself, “What are my feelings trying to tell me?”
Carrying on with the example of, “I feel overwhelmed”, you might write, “I need to write a list of everything I need to do. Then cross off as many items on my list as possible — just because I said I needed to do something doesn’t mean I have to if it’s no longer important or relevant. I need to let some things go and prioritise the rest — which are truly important and need doing today and tomorrow and which can wait until next week. All I can do now is my best. I need to take a few deep breaths and get everything in my head on paper — then I’ll feel much better.”
In other words, write down exactly what you’re thinking. Don’t filter, judge or react. Say whatever you want and need to get off your chest. Be truthful and honest with yourself. And listen to your inner guidance and wisdom, it’ll tell you what you need to know, if you just take a few minutes to listen.
Journal Your Positive Feelings Too
It can be easy to solely focus on negative emotions. But I encourage you to journal about your positive feelings too. Because when you see, accept and understand positive feelings, it becomes easier for you to truly notice, appreciate and enjoy positive feelings in your everyday life — which will change your life.
Fully feeling your positive emotions, is as important as feeling your negative ones. Because, without noticing both, it becomes difficult to fully appreciate either.
How to Create a Daily Journalling Practice
The key to long-term health is consistency (not perfection, as we’ve been lead to believe!). And the way to create consistency is to create habits that stick.
To create habits that stick, start small. Because no matter how far you’ve come in other areas of your life, you’ll always face some resistance with anything new. That’s why it’s best to go small — it keeps your motivation high and ensures you do what you say you will.
So, begin with 1 to 2 minutes of journalling at first. Then, once you’re doing it consistently, build up your time commitment from there.
Creating a habit takes some dedication and focus initially, but if you keep up your new habit small and stick with it for at least two weeks, it’ll become more automatic and eventually require little to no motivation.
My Journalling Practice
I like to journal my feelings after breakfast each morning. It makes me feel lighter and clears my head before my work day begins.
And because I do it with my morning coffee, it’s become a daily ritual I look forward to. And I honestly, I don’t feel myself if I skip it. So, even on those mornings where I’ve only got 2 minutes spare, I make time to write something — even if it’s just a sentence.
Because as I said, it’s daily consistency (not perfection) that makes the difference to your mental and emotional health over the long term. This is why it’s important to pick a ritual — time and place — that works for you each day.
I also have a notebook dedicated to my journalling. And I personally prefer putting pen to paper, instead of typing when it comes to writing down my feelings. Because, writing forces you to slow down, fully engage with your thoughts and feelings, and listen to your inner voice.
Plus, the mind-body connection of writing by hand amplifies the benefits of journalling. And, to be honest, it’s nice to have a daily ritual that doesn’t involve a screen — especially when you work at a desk most of the day.
Your Turn to Journal How You Feel
Now you know how to journal your feelings and create a daily ritual to do it, why not give it a go today?
I know how easy it is to think you’ll do it one day (I said it for years). But how often does, “one day” ever come?
Someday. That’s a dangerous word. It’s really just a code for never.
Tom Cruise
So, why not give it a go right now? Set an alarm for 5 minutes, ask yourself the 3 questions below and jot down whatever comes to your mind.
You’ll feel surprisingly good — and much lighter — as a result.
3 Prompts for Journalling How You Feel
Questions to help you journal your feelings:
- What am I feeling right now?
- Can I learn to accept what I’m feeling?
- What are my feelings trying to tell me?
Journalling is a powerful form of self-care and a wonderful way to make yourself feel better. So, grab a piece of paper or your notebook, and let your feelings out onto the page. Give yourself full permission to write down everything you need to. Remember, this is for you and your eyes only (bin your paper afterwards if you want to). It’s for your health and your wellbeing, so don’t hold anything back.
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Your Feelings Matter
What could be more important than a daily ritual to strengthen your health? Nothing.
So, be sure to make time for it in your life. You deserve to feel good.
You matter.
With love,
Becky x