Journaling for Depression: 10 ways to invite curiosity

Note to self: Journaling every day helps me feel better. Journaling for depression invites my curiosity.

Several years ago I wrote those words in my journal, after a month of writing consistently. Perhaps you’ve had times in your life like I have, when you’ve felt sad, downhearted, or unhappy. Journaling for depression, I’ve discovered, really does make a difference in your mood.

Maybe you’ve also experienced, or are currently experiencing clinical depression, with more serious, long lasting symptoms. I’ve been there too, at an earlier time in my life. And what I want to tell you today is that no matter where you are on that continuum, from minor to severe, keeping a journal is good for depression.

Yes, journaling for depression is a wise practice. That is, if you can give it a chance.

Giving it a chance is probably the most important point to remember. Because, of course, the benefits of journaling for depression only happen if you start writing! It makes sense, right? We all know this. 

But one of the biggest challenges with depression is this: its darkness can weave its way through almost any possibility in front of you.

Depression can strike alarm bells and warn you that nothing’s going to stem the stuckness and emptiness you feel.

Depression may tell also tell you that you can’t possibly muster the energy to try something new (or return to something you’ve done before), like journaling. 

It may help to remember that while writing soothes and journaling for depression improves your mood, it’s not magic.

Actually, let me reframe that slightly.

Journaling is a little bit magical and does have the capacity to pique your curiosity, especially when combined with somewhat unconventional strategies.

Curiosity tends to move your focus toward a sense of discovery. With that comes the possibility of different ideas and new experiences, which can, as one of my teachers used to say, “put a stick in the wheel” of rumination and negative thinking. Both are common when you feel depressed.

When combined with depression journaling, curiosity can wake up your enthusiasm.

We all have a fundamental human desire to discover and explore. It moves you forward, toward what feels both compelling and often mysterious.

It perks up your brain as well as your senses too, and you naturally want to follow it and see where it takes you.

As a result, the more you turn toward it, the less you may feel mired and stuck in the heaviness of depression.

Curiosity helps cultivate resilience too.

There are no right or wrong answers when you bring curiosity into your writing experiences.

In fact, if you can add curiosity to the mix when you’re journaling for depression, you may find it easier to reframe setbacks and challenges as part of the normal rhythm of life. Perhaps you’ll even see them as learning opportunities.

With this openness to curiosity, you might discover that you’re bouncing back quicker from low moods or self-criticism.

While I can’t tell you that writing will quickly move you out of depression, I do believe it will make a difference. And I encourage to try a few of these curiosity-inviting practices the next time you journal.

10 Ways to Journal for Depression and Invite Your Curiosity In

1. Start with the smallest amount of journaling.

Truly, the bare minimum. Can you manage to write for five minutes? If not, how about one minute? Or can you write one word? Then start with that tiny increment. And if that feels like too much, can you get out your journal and hold the pen in your hand for a few minutes? If so, consider that a success for the day.

Letting yourself start in the smallest way may spark your curiosity about what’s next, as well as give you some momentum to carry you forward, as you do a little bit more each day.

2. Write the old-fashioned way with pen and paper.

The benefits of writing by hand are well documented.

Your brain loves it, it enhances focus, creativity and problem solving, and you’ll feel calmer and more resilient if you do it consistently. Plus, it keeps you away from the distractions of screens, which are known to exacerbate depression.

3. Journaling for depression can be soothing when you write down into your senses.

Get curious. Dive into your senses and your sense memory. This can be as simple as describing (in sensory detail) what you’re seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing and touching. Depression can leave you feeling numb and writing into your senses helps awaken them and relieve the numbness.

4. Journal outside near nature, open space, and greenery if you can.

Perhaps you can write on your patio or in your garden. Maybe in the park, at a picnic table or bench. How about an outdoor cafe? Even sitting in front of a window and looking out at a tree makes a huge difference. The combination of nature and writing is such a tremendous mood enhancer that I wish all of us were doing it regularly.

5. Use simple writing prompts that are open-ended rather than question-based.

Consider a line from a poem, or open a book or magazine and quickly grab a few words to help you get started. Invite your curiosity to take the lead, let the words choose you, or write stream of conscious if that appeals to you. Step away from thinking you have to find the perfect writing prompt.

Let your pen carry you, and trust it to take you into the writing flow. This limits your need to make decisions, which is important, because when you’re feeling down you’re probably already experiencing decision fatigue. It also removes the need to answer specific questions with your writing, which can be exhausting when you’re depressed.

6. Add color, images, doodles, and other embellishments to your depression journal.

This simple addition enhances the power of writing to soothe depression. You can also place your journal in landscape mode and write sideways. Or consider writing on an angle or in a circle.

You don’t need to do this every time you write, but your brain loves novelty and this will help it sit up and pay attention.

7. Journal about positive experiences and pleasant memories from the past.

Write “as if” you’re in the experience or memory right now. Imagine stepping into the scene before you start, and feel the experience in your body as you write.

8. Write down compassionate words.

Consider words you would say to a friend or dear one if they were feeling sad or depressed. You also may want to fill your journal with uplifting quotes, or snatches of poems and prose that touch you personally.

9. Write in detail about past experiences when you’ve felt cared for and cared about.

Go ahead and capture them even if they seem small and inconsequential. Like the day the barista took extra special care with your drink. Or a friend gave you the best hug. Or your partner made that soup you love just because. When you’re able to remember and write down these caring experiences, your inner nurturer gets a natural boost.

10. Finally, stop writing if it feels very dark or difficult.

Often, journaling for depression helps release bottled up emotions. However, if it becomes an exercise in ruminating and rehashing with no end in sight, it’s better to move on to something else. Move towards a different theme, perhaps simply describing what you see right in front of you for five minutes. Add some doodling to the mix to increase your chances of moving toward center.

Bonus: journaling for depression works even better when you write with others.

Practice any of these writing activities in a supportive group or with a supportive person by your side and you’ll probably multiply the benefits.

So remember: there is a deep, wise part of you that holds the healing possibility that you can feel better. That knows you can move beyond depression’s negative world view.

And as one writer to another, I’m rooting for you.

* * * * *

When I look back on my personal story through my journals, it struck me my words had an unmatched power to heal me. To change me.

-Sandra Marinella