We are working on ideas for the new year, and hope to make it a year of personal growth and self-care.  Sometimes it’s important to track your thinking and goals.  There is a reason many therapists encourage patients to keep a journal.  Journals can help in therapy to share thoughts and feelings with your therapist.  Sharing that information with your therapist can help the therapist better understand your concerns and issues, and as a result, help you with your goals.  The more a therapist understands you, the better they can support you.  So, let’s talk about starting a journal in 2025. 

If you don’t already have one, find a notebook to start writing.  As much as people like their computers, there is a benefit to writing on paper.  I generally encouraged my patients to write in a physical book with paper, using a pen or pencil.  I must admit I like pens because they are harder to erase and give more information if things are crossed out.  The other piece for me is that it will likely be more private.  There are ways to secure a journal in your home, so consider something in which you can write.

Use your first page to write your goals for your journal.  Make your goals basic and general.  That will allow you to define how often you will write, how much you might write, and what you want the focus to be.  You may want to write about what you are doing for self-care and why it’s important to you.  You may want to focus on exercise and something you can do every day.  You may want to focus on the feelings you are comfortable with, and others that are not comfortable.  You may want to better define your struggle with depression or anxiety, and how they are affecting your life.  You can write about what each means to you and how you best define each state.   You can also write about a combination of things.  The idea is to make it valuable for you.

Now that you have your goals, keep writing.  Keeping a journal doesn’t require you to write daily.  The idea is to write as often as you need to write.  Sometimes, it could be daily.  Other times, it may be once a week, or even once a month.  If you are trying to manage an episode of depression, you may write more.  If you are struggling with anxiety, you may want to write about coping skills you are using to manage, including which skills work and which ones don’t.   A journal can help you manage work and family issues and so much more.

As much as journals can help, I know that they can be hard to do.  So, I want to help this year.  I’m going to work on posts, at least a couple times a week, for your journal, or just for you to think about.  Even if you don’t write about the topics, I know it will make you think.  We all need a push, now and then.  I’m happy to make you think.  Remember, it’s not about feeling pressured, or writing daily, but it is about about your happiness and your future.  It’s all a part of being happy, for life.