One of the best things you can do for your long term well-being is recognize the importance of mental health. By ignoring this critical aspect of self-care, many people push themselves past their limits. They become anxious, burnt out, and incapable of maintaining their place in the world.

Once you acknowledge that mental health is essential, you can start taking better care of yourself. There are many ways to look after your mental health, from staying social to visiting with a counselor. If you’re creative by nature, you could also try journaling to alleviate stress. Here are some ways that creative journaling could help you.

Tell Stories To Distract Yourself From Your Problems And Concerns

Some people think that journaling is all about committing your daily activities to text. This can indeed be a helpful practice, but it’s not the only form that journaling can take. Some people find that rigidly describing events does little to make them feel better, and it can become a chore. On the other hand, writing stories is a creative process that brings you outside of your everyday concerns.

Free Writing

If stories aren’t for you, then you could give free writing a shot. The premise is simple: Just note. There’s no prompt, no plan, no plot, and no persuasion. There doesn’t even have to be a central point of focus. Just let your imagination run wild, and write down whatever comes to mind. Not only does this activity help unburden your subconscious mind, but it also unlocks aspects of your creativity that you weren’t even aware of. You might be shocked by some of the things you come up with.

Doodle To Let Your Mind Run Free

Freewriting makes you feel so good because it dissociates the act of writing from your conscious mind. If you want to go one step further, you could abandon language altogether and simply doodle. When you draw without a stated intention or plan, your creativity takes over and produces all sorts of fascinating images. This unconscious production can help you relax and put your mind at ease.

Whether you’re hoping to tell stories, free write, or doodle, you’ll be able to improve your mental health with just a pen and paper.

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