Powerful Types of Self Care Journaling for Caregivers

At its most basic, journaling involves recording your thoughts and feelings, often by making an entry each day. The habit is one that most of us have tried at least once before – and many have given up on. Yet, self care journaling is more powerful than you might realize. It offers a way to connect with yourself, to reflect, and to grow.

Journaling can also be critical to self care, especially for caregivers.

One reason is that journaling gives you the chance to reflect. It takes you out of the moment and lets you look back on the situation as a whole. Doing so matters, as caregivers can often get swept away with the tasks of the day. A journaling habit also helps you to start picking out the good things that happen, to hold onto them.

Another benefit is the chance to be objective. Many of us get wrapped up in the emotions of events as they’re unfolding. It can be hard to step back, to see what is happening, why, and what to do about it. Sometimes simply writing it all out is enough to make you see things a little differently.

Types of Self Care Journaling

Journals can be split into two general categories – free form and guided. Freeform journaling means that you choose what to write about. You might follow the same style each time or focus on different things depending on what the day brings. Guided journals often rely on prompts. They can be helpful if you often get stuck trying to work out what to write about.

Freeform Journaling

Freeform journaling is the easiest approach, as you don’t need a specific type of journal. Even just a blank notebook will do it, where you can write in the date each day before you get started. Or, if you want to make the experience a bit special, look for a high-quality journal with a beautiful cover (like this leather notebook).

Stream of Consciousness

This first approach is what most people think of when we talk about self care journaling. You’re simply writing about whatever comes to mind (perhaps by starting with ‘dear diary’).

Writing like this can help you to uncover what you’re really thinking and feeling about a situation. It can be a powerful way to vent too, especially if you’re a full-time caregiver and don’t connect with others as often as you would like.

You might find that some days your entries take up pages and pages of your journal, while other times you might write hardly anything.

Here are some tips that can help you develop a great journal habit and stick with it:

• Think about why you’re keeping a journal and what you want to get out of it. This helps you stick with the process. For example, you might find journaling cathartic. It may help to boost your mood and give you a place to express your negative emotions, rather than venting them at someone else.
• Don’t judge what you write. Your journal should be a judgment-free place. Caregivers often have thoughts that shock them, like moments where they wish their loved one would die. Having occasional thoughts like this is very human and doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you. Thinking something doesn’t make it ‘true’ or ‘real’.
• Keep your journal is private. This is crucial.
• Make the process easy. How you go about this depends on your needs. One option is to write short entries rather than long ones. After all, you need to have time to fill the journal in. Or, you might try a digital journal rather than a pen and paper one.
• Create a habit. Try to journal every day or at least every few days. One way to do this is to commit to writing something in there, even if it’s just a few words. Opening the journal and writing something, anything, can help to keep the habit rolling, even when you don’t feel like it.
• Make it fun. Doodling, using pretty pens, sticking in pictures, or writing nonsense can all make the process more enjoyable. Some people even use blank or bullet journals, so that they have complete control over the space.
• If you don’t know what to write about, try prompts (like these ones). Prompts are a fantastic way to avoid writing about the same thing each day.

Also, when self care journaling, it’s often important to go beyond the surface level. Think not only about what happened and what you felt but about why you may have felt the way you did. Were you reacting to the situation itself or something deeper? The more you did into those underlying reactions and emotions, the more progress you can make.

Reflective Journal

Reflective journaling is more goal-driven. You’re trying to understand yourself and perhaps your situation.

You might not journal like this every day. Instead, you might have a book that you pick up and work with when the timing is right.

For example, if you find yourself caring for a difficult family member, you might use a journal to try and figure out who is right, who is wrong, and what’s really going on. You could start off by writing about what is happening and how it makes you feel, then go from there. You may be surprised at where the train of thought takes you – and may uncover some powerful ideas along the way.

This type of journal is a great way to understand their side of things better too. Try thinking about where they’re coming from – not just in that situation, but what they’re struggling with overall. Are they depressed? Scared about aging? Feeling like they’ve lost control? Writing about these areas can help you to understand them a bit better.

Bullet Journals

Bullet journals are incredibly flexible. They have dots rather than lines, which makes it easy for you to do whatever you like on the pages. Some people use these dots as guides to create interesting or complex layouts. The journals are fantastic if you like to plan and organize, but want the flexibility to do things your own way too.

You could easily write free form in them too.

Many products come with extra tools to get you started, like this set, which includes the journal itself, fineliner pens, sticks, stencils, and more. There are also guides (like this one) to help you record all the information that you want to.

The biggest issue is that because you’re setting everything up yourself, bullet journals can take up a lot of time. This might not be a problem if you find the process enjoyable. But, if you’re short on time. then this might not be the best journal approach for you.

Planning

Journals aren’t just for writing down your thoughts and emotions. Some people use planning as a form of self care journaling. You might use your journal to write down appointments and events, along with keeping track of habits, finances, and anything else that’s important.

This approach can be powerful, as many of us function better emotionally when our lives are somewhat predictable and stable.

Bullet journals are excellent for planning, as you can make sections for whatever you need. If you choose a regular journal instead, you’ll need to find one with all the right sections.

Thankfully, there are a lot of different journals out there, including ones to help you plan and organize your day. The SELF Journal is one example. This is promoted as a “13-week planning, productivity and positivity system for max achievement and goal success”. The phrasing is a bit over-the-top, but the planner itself has a lot going for it.

There’s also the Clever Fox Planner. This one mostly focuses on calendars, but there is some space for notes, to-do lists, checklists, and journaling too.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the art of being present. It involves focusing on what you’re experiencing and feeling – without judgment. Practicing mindfulness is as simple as switching your focus to just experiencing, rather than being overly active and engaged with the world around you.

Meditation is a common technique or you can simply sit and be for a little while.

Journaling for mindfulness will often take a stream of consciousness approach. But, rather than starting anywhere, try beginning with how you feel. Pay attention to your body and your emotions. You might be surprised at where you end up after you’ve been writing for a little while.

This post offers some tips and tricks to get you started with mindful journaling.

Gratitude

Not surprisingly, gratitude journals focus on being grateful, on appreciating the good things in your life. This style can be helpful because, as caregivers, we can easily get overwhelmed by the challenging things in our lives and miss some of the good ones.

The human tendency towards seeing the negative can be a serious issue for dementia caregiving, as the good moments are often small and fleeting, while the negative ones tend to stand out more.

Gratitude journaling can be as simple as writing out a few things that you’re grateful for each day. Try not to repeat the same things, but look for different and interesting ideas. Writing about little special moments is often powerful, as these are personal to you and your situation.

Memory

With a memory journal, you’re simply recording memories. This can be as simple or as complex as you like. For example, you might write down important phrases that come up during the day, like if your loved one says ‘thank you’ or says something that makes you laugh.

You could also write notes about the events of the day, including what was significant. Did you go anywhere? Do anything? What was everyone’s mood like?

Journaling memories like this can be a fantastic way to see patterns. The process can also help you to see days as being different, rather than all the same. Doing so taps into the human need for variety.

If you want to keep things simple, just use a regular diary for recording memories, one that has at least a few lines available each day. Having a small amount of space can even be helpful, as this forces you to think carefully about what mattered the most.

You might also take a scrapbooking-type approach, where you may be writing, drawing, and sticking things into your diary to jog your memory.

Workbooks and Guided Journals for Self Care

If regular journaling doesn’t work well for you, why not try something prompt-based instead?

Guided journals tend to be filled with prompts to get you thinking. There might be a single prompt for a day or even a week, or perhaps multiple questions for you to answer.

There are also workbooks. These are slightly different, as they’re designed to teach you specific skills and approaches. Because of this workbooks are often progressive, starting off with simple prompts and topics that become more complex over time.

Our top picks for caregivers include the following (many will be relevant for seniors too).

• The Mindfulness Journal, which includes 365 writing prompts, broken down into 52 topics with plenty of space for your writing.
• Self-Care. This is a 90-day reflection journal, focusing on mornings and evenings. It aims to teach you a healthy self-care routine, which you could keep applying even after you’ve finished with the journal.
• True You. This journal focuses on prompts and is prettier than most. It has 15 themed sections to work through. Some people find it a little simplistic, but the style could be ideal if you’re new to self care journaling.
• The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal. This journal lives up to its name, as it’s fast and easy to fill in the prompts. The biggest problem is that some of the prompts repeat. But, this just gives you a chance to answer them in different ways each time.
• Present, Not Perfect. This journal isn’t just insightful, it’s also beautiful. There’s a decent amount of space for writing, along with many images and quotes along the way.

What do you think? Did we miss any of your favorite journal styles or products? Please let us know in the comments section.

Benefits of Writing and Journaling for Caregivers

Writing can have a profound impact on one’s mental health and emotional well-being. For caregivers, writing can provide a sense of relief and comfort during a challenging time. Here are some of the benefits of writing for caregivers: 

Stress Relief 

Caregiving can be a source of constant stress and anxiety. Writing can provide an outlet for these emotions, allowing caregivers to release their stress and tension. Studies have shown that expressive writing can significantly reduce stress levels and improve overall well-being. 

Writing like this also gets the emotions out without burdening anyone else. This can be incredibly important if the person you’re caring for is struggling emotionally.

Self-Reflection 

Writing allows caregivers to reflect on their experiences and emotions. It can help them gain insight into their feelings and behaviors, which can lead to greater self-awareness and personal growth. 

Improved skills 

Writing can also help you reflect on your caregiving experiences, allowing you to identify areas where you excel and areas where you may need improvement. By writing about your experiences, you can find strategies for coping with situations and improve your caregiving skills in the process.  

Emotional Healing 

Caregiving can be an emotionally draining experience, often leaving caregivers feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Writing can provide a sense of emotional release and healing, allowing caregivers to process their emotions in a healthy way. 

Improved Communication 

Writing can also improve communication skills. Caregivers who write regularly may find it easier to express their thoughts and feelings to others, which can lead to stronger relationships and a greater sense of connection.