Mental health, confidence, mindfulness, and self-awareness are important to address for children, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more about journaling and its evidence-based benefits of journaling, keep reading!
Types of Journaling
- Gratitude journal: I am grateful for, Five people I am grateful for, My favorite part of my day was…
- Stream-of-consciousness: This type of journaling does not require a specific prompt, allowing children flexibility to write whatever is on their mind
- Self-esteem/self-confidence journal: Something I did well today, I felt proud when, Three things that I love about myself…
Journaling helps to reduce negative mental health symptoms.
- Research shows that people who use journaling have experienced reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms (Horton et al., 2021; Mehra, 2022).
- Children in middle school who participated in journaling sessions with general prompts reported that writing allowed them to express and leave their worries behind (Crawford et al., 2021).
- Students who journal have been found to have reduced intrusive thoughts (Horton, 2021; Mehra, 2022).
The act of journaling can promote positive feelings.
- Gratitude journaling is particularly impactful for alleviating adolescents’ stress and enhancing their wellbeing. (Robertson, 2022).
- Journaling has been found to lead to calming and relaxing feelings for students (Crawford et al., 2021).
- Journaling has been found to improve children’s emotional regulation (Horton et al., 2021).
- Journaling is a form of mindfulness and helps develop self-awareness (Crawford et al., 2021).
Journaling can help improve academic skills.
- Journaling increases writing participation and general writing skills. (University of Augustine, 2022).
- Journaling fosters critical thinking (University of Augustine, 2022).
- Journaling helps students develop communication skills. (University of Augustine, 2022).
References:
Crawford, A., Sellman , E., & Joseph, S. (2021). Journaling: A more mindful approach to researching a mindfulness-based intervention in a junior school. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. 20. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069211014771
Horton, A. G., Gibson, K. B., & Curington, A. M. (2021). Exploring reflective journaling as a learning tool: An interdisciplinary approach. Archives of psychiatric nursing, 35(2), 195 – 199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2020.09.009
Robertson, M. (2022). Journaling as a Social-Emotional Teaching Practice to Promote Adolescent Mental Health. Honors Projects.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/803
Mehra, A. (2022). Journaling In OT To Address Anxiety And Emotional Regulation. [Online Course]. Continued. https://www.occupationaltherapy.com/ot-ceus/course/journaling-in-ot-to-address-5580
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. (2022, December 30). 10 ways journaling benefits students. https://www.usa.edu/blog/ways-journaling-benefits-students/