Possibly the most challenging emotion to write through is depression. Since you probably don’t feel like doing anything, it’s unlikely that you will feel like journaling. However, for anyone who has suffered this debilitating feeling, you know that sometimes a single spark can be the turning point in your experience. The goal of your writing shouldn’t be to fix everything with one epiphany. Instead, it should be simply to light that spark, regardless of how small, and stoke that flame slowly and deliberately. There are so many benefits of using journal prompts for depression, but you must begin the journey to reap its rewards.
What is Depression?
Some of the symptoms are:
- Fatigue, headaches, muscle aches
- Intense reactions to memories and life changes
- Feeling hollow, guilty, or worthless
- Excessive negativity, anxiety, mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating, and making decisions
- Lack of interest in hobbies, pleasure and leisure
- Changes in digestion, including over-eating, or under-eating, cramps, and discomfort
- Suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempts
If you haven’t experienced depression, it goes a little something like this: You take everything that normally gives you joy, amusement, hope, and inspiration and you drown it in a vat of black tar.
I joke because humor is sometimes the only thing that shakes my own depression. Each of us will have our own coping mechanisms, depending on our personality and of course, the source of our malaise. Regardless of why you’re feeling this way, and regardless of how you’ve learned to cope, it is vital that you seek help when help is needed.
Untreated depression can cost lives, not just your own. You matter to a whole lot of people, so please, please speak to someone you trust about what you’re going through and make a recovery plan that fits your needs. Do this before your depression interferes with your daily life. Don’t wait until it gets “bad enough”.
Why Use Journal Prompts for Depression?
When we write about the hard times, we want to remove all the filters. Let everything come out as it is. No one expects you to write a self-help book while you’re at a low point. Just actively try to be honest about your experience and you’ll find some incredible changes start to occur for you.
1. Journaling through depression can lift the burden of silence
I spoke about the importance of talking to someone you trust, but I recognize that this isn’t always so straightforward. Sometimes we worry if our problems are even worth talking about. You can write down what you want to share first, just to break the ice and reveal what’s going on under the surface. Journal about what a day looks like for you, what kinds of thoughts you’ve been having and what sorts of things you can no longer manage around the house and the office. Are you having trouble pulling yourself out of bed? Is it difficult to call clients because you’re afraid of disappointing them? Has your laundry been piling up for weeks? Nothing is trivial in the grand scheme of things. Having a daily check in allows you to spot patterns and know beforehand when it’s time to bring in the big guns and ask for support.
2. Journaling helps you manage the cycle of depression
Sometimes depression is caused by an event in our life, but many millions of people are susceptible to recurring bouts of it. For myself, extreme pressure at work and in my relationships often causes me to fall victim. Moreover, high expectations often undermine our ability to feel good about ourselves. We can recognize the patterns of thought that herald depressive states by keeping a daily journal. Writing about your experience in real-time is the best means of understanding your daily habitual thoughts and emotions. Remember that your emotions will color your writing, so if you wait until you’re depressed to start journaling, then your memories will have a tinge to them. Instead, write a little bit each day, even if you’re just drawing a smiley face for a good day, and a frowning face for a bad one. Once you catch sight of the cycle you’re in, you won’t be blind-sided by it.
3. Using journal prompts for depression helps us consider other viewpoints
While the first step is to be aware of the cycle, the second step is to empower ourselves to step out of it. If you have been trying the same old techniques for depression, to no avail, write about it. Seek out other options for your situation. Maybe you know that getting more sleep helps, but you can’t close your eyes until midnight. Figure out a napping system, or find a way to work later hours (Or, let’s be honest, lock your phone in a safe). Maybe you know you have to exercise to feel better, so you go to the gym, but you hate the gym. Try rock climbing, or swimming, or jet-skiing. Don’t punish yourself with something you hate because it’s supposed to make you feel better. Write about your struggles and brainstorm your options. Trying new things can certainly lead to the spark we talked about.
4. Journaling keeps us focused on what’s most beneficial
Rest is best. Rest is always best. Sometimes we get depressed because we’ve been going too far, too fast. If you’re depressed, you can still serve your calling, you just need to pull things back a bit. Recharge with the right medicine for you, but always include time under the sun, time with loved ones, and time with your journal. Write about everything and nothing at all. Write about all the small things that make up your day and talk about the little wins. Your well-being is what’s most important when you’re feeling low. It’s not selfish to take a moment to reset. Saving the world will just have to wait.
5. Writing allows us to let things be
You don’t have to be happy or positive to be valuable, so remember to allow yourself to be exactly as you are. Be okay with who you are and how you are. Focus on feeling okay for one short moment and that short moment naturally grows longer over time. It’s not at all like making positive affirmations. Honestly, positive affirmations sound pretty ridiculous when you’re depressed. Instead of trying to feel a certain way, write about why it’s okay to feel exactly the way you do. Think of it as defending your right to experience the full spectrum of human emotion.
15 Journal Prompts for Depression to Start Your Writing Practice:
- What are the things that make me feel happy? Write about the people, activities, and things that bring you joy.
- What are my biggest fears? Write about what makes you anxious or scared.
- What are my biggest accomplishments? Write about the things you’ve achieved in life, no matter how big or small.
- What are my strengths and weaknesses? Write about your positive qualities and areas for improvement.
- What are the things that trigger my depression? Write about the events or situations that cause you to feel depressed.
- What are my core values? Write about the principles and beliefs that are important to you.
- Who are the people in my life that I am grateful for? Write about the people who have positively impacted your life.
- What are my goals for the future? Write about your aspirations and what you want to achieve.
- What are the things that I am proud of? Write about the moments or achievements that make you feel proud.
- What are the things that I can do to take care of myself? Write about self-care practices that you can incorporate into your daily routine.
- What are my happiest childhood memories? Write about the positive experiences you had as a child.
- What are the things that I love about myself? Write about your positive qualities and the things you like about yourself.
- What are the things that I wish I could change about myself? Write about the areas of yourself that you want to improve.
- What are the things that I can do to help others? Write about the ways you can contribute to the well-being of others.
- What are the things that I am looking forward to? Write about the future events or experiences that you are excited about.
Using Journal Prompts for Depression to Stay Empowered
Our ability to bounce back after a bout of depression hinges on our awareness of the problem and our willingness to face everything that’s going on for us. I spoke about taking responsibility for our emotions in one of my last articles and it applies specifically to depression. When I say, you should take responsibility for your depression, I’m not saying you should blame yourself.
I’m saying you should cradle yourself in your own arms. Speak softly to yourself and reassure yourself that this too shall pass. Encourage yourself to rest with whatever comes up for you, no matter how ugly.
Depression is a symptom. It can come about after an extraordinary loss, or a devastating transition. It can also seem to pop out of nowhere if you have chronic mental health problems. Don’t ignore your symptoms and don’t get down on yourself about them.
Take responsibility by encouraging yourself through the pain. Think of how we exercise injured muscles and we recuperate after illness. You need the same space and time to recover from depression and you need the same kind of treatment.
Empowerment happens in everyday life
It doesn’t require any special circumstances at all. Don’t make enormous life decisions, don’t seek extraneous changes, not until you recognize the inherent issues you’re facing.
In your writing, explore precisely what’s been going on for you, leave nothing up for debate. Realize that you don’t need to make extreme changes to your experience to feel alright again. In fact, you should leave life changes for the day when you feel stable once more.
Instead of seeking comfort and peace by turning your life upside down, look for a trustworthy therapist and talk about the changes you’ve been thinking about. Always write about your day-to-day because that’s where your healing takes place. The only moment we ever have to relax is right now.
Some self-empowerment journal prompts to help with depression:
1. Who do you know that has battled depression and what questions would you like to ask them about their experience? How will speaking about your experience help you move through it?
2. How does normalizing depression take away its power over you?
3. What passions and aspirations of yours have been overshadowed by depression and what are some simple ways you can reignite the spark?
4. What are some of the passions and aspirations you’ve kept alive through depression, and what does this teach you about your resilience?
Using Journal Prompts for Depression Effectively
While I’m an advocate for free writing, I also recognize the need to write with a purpose in order to evoke healing. In positive psychology, effective writing is a tool for overcoming the more difficult symptoms of depression. Effective writing is about using your journal to set goals and improve the quality of your life by specific means.
Here’s how it works:
1. Brainstorm how you have tried to treat depression in the past, how effective it was, and what you’re willing to try next.
2. Set manageable, incremental goals to ease your suffering. If you need to see the light of day, then start by just sitting by the window, then move to your porch, then try walking down the lane.
3. Record the effects of the changes you make and notice how your moods and habits change over time.
4. Continue setting goals that are meaningful to you and continue your daily journal writing, paying close attention to how those goals impact you.
The idea is not to be overwhelmed by things to do. The idea is to see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that you can make decisive change in your own experience, in your own time.
Take charge of depression with effective journaling
Journaling with purpose can mean all the difference. Even while you are under duress, you can empower yourself by your commitment to work through difficult emotions, sensations, memories and experiences. You can take charge of your life by writing about what you want for yourself and what you’re willing to do to attain it.
Most importantly, you can take control of your mind through a simple discipline. Writing even a sentence or two, on a day when you didn’t think you could do anything, gives you the courage to persevere through another task and another.
It’s not a magic pill. I’m not here to give you the impression that using journal prompts for depression will make it go away. No. Depression, for myself and for most, is a life-long journey. You learn how to ride the wave. You learn how to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. Most importantly, you learn that even at your lowest point, you are still of great benefit.
You are so beneficial in fact, that you need to take a step back and let other people take charge for a change. Let your loved ones in, to serve you as you have served other people. The more we accept the help of others, the more we understand the link between depression and relationships. Your happiness doesn’t depend on other people, but your recovery time does. Don’t go it alone and don’t go it without a pencil.
A Few More Journal Prompts for Depression:
1. What daily tools for self-care do you use when you’re feeling depressed?
2. What do you want to remind yourself of when you feel discouraged or at a loss of achieving your dreams?
3. When have you felt most exposed, either emotionally or physically, figuratively or literally, and how did these moments train you to think about vulnerability?
4. How does allowing ourselves to be vulnerable help us understand the healing process?
Final Thoughts
Depression can feel paralyzing and debilitating, but it is important to recognize it as a symptom of something else going on in your life. There are countless benefits of journaling for depression including gaining insight into its causes, empowerment to overcome mental paralysis, and recognizing beauty in small things.
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This article is a true gift
Thank you!!1