In a journey for better mental health, we are big believers that it all begins with your mindset so we compiled a simple guide to journaling for beginners. Whether it's just a brain dump or a more structured daily reflection, getting all your thoughts out can be exactly what you need for personal growth.

We aren't experts by any means as our formal training involves one or two psychology courses but daily morning journaling is something we're passionate about. In our effort to be completely upfront and transparent, we should mention that only Kelsey has a journal but Philip has seen firsthand how much it has helped.

Even if journaling isn't for everyone, there is a large population of individuals who could greatly benefit from giving it a go. Journaling comes in so many different shapes and sizes that it's not a one size fits all.

One of the best aspects of journaling is that it's tailored to you. Sky's the limit on the ways you can use it and it can be constantly changing to meet your needs.

You can go old school with paper or pencil or follow Kelsey's approach with a tablet and journaling app. You can write about everything and anything, the important part is just getting started and trying it out.

When it comes to mental health, journaling might be high on the list of something that's easy to do while having a major impact. Progress looks different for everyone but it only takes a few minutes to jot down some thoughts and you may be surprised at how much it helps.

You can utilize journaling for mental clarity by just getting all your thoughts down in front of you. Almost a way to organize or just be more aware of what's going on inside your head.

Overthinkers may find some benefits of journaling before bed as a way to get some of those spiraling ideas out. That way they may ruminate a bit less while trying to fall asleep.

If you're feeling a bit down and feel like everything keeps going wrong, a gratitude journal may help highlight the areas where there is good in your life. It can also be a way to start getting more active with goal setting and action plans for how you want your life to change for the better.

Again, the benefits of journal writing will be different for everyone. The whole process should be what you need at that moment being more active or passive in your mental health journey.

Journaling is sort of like an umbrella term to encompass writing down your thoughts. However, there are a lot of thoughts a person can have.

If you're new to journaling it can be a bit overwhelming at first. One person's idea of a journal or diary will look completely different compared to others and can even look different daily compared to your own entries.

There are a few common types of journaling that seem to be pretty popular amongst the mental health crowd so let's at least look into some of those. Maybe one will stick out as the direction you want to go.

Morning journaling is Kelsey's bread and butter. Almost every day she gets out her iPad and writes.

The best part about daily morning journaling is that it's whatever she wants it to be that morning. Sometimes it's the first thought in her head, other times it's just describing her morning or the day before.

She even will practice foreign languages some mornings in her journal. Or jot down some plans for the day depending on how she is feeling.

At the end of the day you can write down everything that happened, any thoughts you may have had, and any emotions you encountered. This is more or less what would be considered daily reflection journaling.

Technically it's always okay to do some reflecting in the morning about the previous day if night time isn't what works for you. The biggest part here is that you review in your mind how everything played out and write it down.

With reflection, you want to review what happened but then also dive deep into how you feel about the event. Do you want your life to continue in that way or are there areas you want to go differently?

Our world might have a bit of a problem with self-compassion. As the saying goes, you can be your own worse critic.

It's fine to strive and want to be the best version of yourself but there is a healthy balance you need to achieve. Loving yourself might be the first step in actual personal growth and development.

Self-love journaling is an easy way to get started on showing yourself some needed TLC. It can be as simple as writing down what you love about yourself, even if it's that you care enough about your mental health to give journaling a try.

With self-love, think about all the things you did well in the day, think of all the progress you've made, and think about the traits that make you happy to be you.

The arts are often forgotten which is a shame because they make the world go round. Creativity and art are good for the soul and mind, even if it's not your profession.

In our hyper-efficient, productive world we often forget to take time and just let the creative juices flow. No need for self-growth or focusing on everything going on in life.

With creative journaling, you get to put striving aside and just write or doodle. Maybe try a poem and who cares if it even rhymes.

Writers often use this type of journaling to write out stories without the pressure of it being a masterpiece. It might blossom into something more but that's not the original purpose.

This may sound a bit crazy but you could even invent stories for strangers while people watching. Keep it light-hearted and just enjoy a moment where you're not trying to solve all of the problems of the world.

If you want to turn this more productive, be more innovative with your ideas and write out thoughts for new inventions. Heck, you can even brainstorm new business ideas.

If mental health is on your list of priorities, and it probably should be, then it all boils down to your mindset. Are you focusing on everything going wrong or looking at everything you have?

Don't get us wrong and think we want you to ignore anything bad but instead look into how shifted your perspective might be. If there are areas that need improving then make sure you're in the right mindset to make the necessary changes.

With mindset journaling, you can easily lay out thoughts in front of you and make sure they are following in line with a frame of mind that encourages a more positive approach.

Probably the easiest place to start with the mind is to focus on gratitude. You can even do a gratitude journal where you write about everything you are grateful for at the moment no matter how big or small.

If you are a person who needs more active steps, you can also look into a personal development journal as a way of looking into your mindset. Focus on what you are doing well to keep those traits going and look into what you want to change.

Sometimes too much structure leads us to more stress, especially for all you overachievers out there. Get rid of some rules when it comes to journaling and just dump every thought out in words.

Brain dump journaling could be a form of morning journaling or could just be something you do before bed. You don't need to worry if you are remembering everything that happened in the day or areas to improve on.

You get to be free, without rules or restrictions, and just let the thoughts flow on out. No pressure, just getting everything out.

Whenever Kelsey tries a brain dump, it seems the thoughts actually get more clear and more concise. Like going through the never-ending stream of consciousness helps settle it down.

Even if you know different types of journaling, getting started might still seem a bit out of reach. Don't you fret because it's easier than you think.

The options are endless but here are some examples that can be used as journaling prompts for beginners. This way if you feel stuck, you have more structure that can help get you to get going.

There is one more idea for journal writing that we want to give extra attention to and it's the GLAD journaling prompt. GLAD is an acronym that stands for Grateful, Learning, Accomplished, and Delighted.

It's so easy to do yet covers so many bases. You write down something you're grateful for, something you are learning, something you've accomplished, and something that delighted you.

It can be as in-depth or superficial as you want it to be. It helps shows things you already have in life while also showing the progress you are making.

We might be partial to this one because Kelsey's behavioral coach was the one to clue us into it. It's simple and effective, especially for those who struggle with overachieving and lacking self-compassion.

Not sure if this is more of a journaling type or an idea but we wanted to shed a least a little bit of light on a concept called expressive writing. Again we are not psychologists so we are not experts in this but we have a general idea.

Basically, you write about a topic for a set time like 15 minutes, and just write. Don't worry about flow or grammar.

You can write about...

The best advice we can give to newbies venturing into the journaling world is to "just do it". Nike was onto something with their infamous catchphrase.

Just give it a go and see where it leads you. Try to be consistent but even something might be exactly what you need.

Don't confine yourself with restrictions or pressure. You don't need to overthink the process or if you are journaling correctly.

Your journal can be tailored to you, whatever that looks like. It can even change daily.

What works for you one day might not be what you need the next. Plus what works for you might not work for someone else.

Let journal writing be a low-key experience. Let it evolve with what feels right to you.

We hope this beginner's guide to journaling helps. It seems like so much information yet it just touched the surface.

Journaling can be simple or complex. It's what you want to make it.

As silly as it may sound, journal writing can have such a huge impact on your life in so many ways. It doesn't take a lot of time or resources but can be the exact change you need.

Good luck! P.S. The journaling app Kelsey uses is called Nebo. She uses the free version and deletes entries every week after a quick glance over just to see how far she's come.

If you want something more physical, you can find plenty of diary/journal options to buy online. Both in the form of blank journal pages or ones with prompts already included.

Kelsey's sister runs Katydidliving and has some journals on Amazon. Our favorite is a self love journal with prompts. Feel free to check it out if that sounds like something that may be a good fit for you.

Good luck journaling. Hopeful it helps you with unleashing your creativity and self-reflection.