Clinical psychologist Andrea Bonior, PhD, believes that the act of bullet journaling can be really meaningful, especially if you’re experiencing a difficult time in your life: “When your life and emotions feel so out of control or chaotic, there is something immensely therapeutic about organizing it into a systematic structure like a bullet journal. You lay things out in an aesthetically pleasing way and already it feels more manageable. Like you can really tackle it and make it through. It feels luxurious, too. It’s like saying, ‘I’m worth it. I’m worth this notebook and the time it takes to turn it into something beautiful.’” The question is, what kinds of things can you do within your bullet journal for your mental health? Check out the information below and see how some things you may already be doing can help you cope with problems; both with mental health and with everyday life. The biggest way to track how you are doing with your mental health is to track it on your monthly tracker. While some monthly trackers take up a page or less depending on how much is being tracked, they can be made into full one-page or two-page spreads based on your need. If you have a lot to track on your habit tracker that deals with mental health, then you can make a separate version for mental health and leave the other version for other things, such as practicing a harp (that is mostly a note to me...get on it, girl!) Using your habit tracker in this way allows you to track the things that you want to work on in your life, while also taking daily note of your symptoms, if you took your medications (if you are prescribed any), and to monitor other things that may give some insight into how you are doing. For example, Jane Doe knows her medications are starting to weaken and she is become more symptomatic when she begins to stop her positive coping skills of walking her dog, limiting her television intake, and when she starts to not care for her hygiene. She notices in her journal she has not taken Fido out for a walk for the past three days and has spent most of those days binge watching Netflix. She also notices that she has started to leave large gaps in her journal where she does not complete her daily tasks or even write them out. Jane takes this info and she makes an appointment with her doctor and calls a person she trusts who supports her to help her take the steps to get back on the path she has been on when she feels at her best.
One of the main parts of a bullet journal is the “To-Do” portion of the book. For some people, this can be a motivating factor to get them to get up and work on their health and progress in the direction they want to go. However, this may be seen as too intimidating for people, especially those who are in a very deep depression and who are lacking in their self-care as they isolate. In this instance, what can be helpful is a “Done” list. These are the things that you did during the day and they can be powerful to see all lined up; even if someone else sees it only as mundane. For example, sometimes just getting dressed is a big accomplishment.
Another thing that can help is to give yourself a place to write down what you are feeling and how it is impacting you right now. Do you feel cheated out of a promotion? Maybe even cheated out of the last piece of cake! The ‘severity’ of the situation does not matter; what matters is that is upset you and you should have the ability to express yourself in a safe way and get those feelings out. One way of doing this is known as a “Brain Dump.” This is a page where you give yourself the space to write out the good, the bad, and the ugly. You can write in different directions, different colors, messy, clean, it does not matter. Remember, that this journal is for you and you do not have to make it look a certain way for anyone else. Some people want the option to burn or otherwise destroy the negative brain-dumps they do. You can, but it is recommended that you do that on another page and not rip a portion out of your journal because it might make other pages fall out or ruin some of the numbering of the pages. Therapy is a way in which some people get help for their mental health. It can be a wonderful tool, but it can also be difficult to go through. You can give yourself space in your journal to process how your therapy session went and to give yourself a space to talk about what was discussed, things to remember, what issues were hard to talk about or deal with, and then a space to take note on what to work on for the next session. These have been some specifically ‘different’ things that people implement into their bujos to help them manage their mental health, but remember that anything you do within it (such as drawings) can help to bring you to a place of focus and tranquility as well. Happy creating and remember to take care of yourself!
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Graphics and photos on this blog are by Melissa Thomas, unless otherwise noted. If something is credited wrong, please contact me to correct it. Thanks!
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