Can Journaling Improve Your Psychiatric Appointments?

Your mental health is essential to your overall wellbeing. Taking an active role in your mental health care is necessary to ensure that your treatment is effective. You deserve to function at your best and feel that your care is geared toward your unique needs. It is hard to feel this way if you aren’t actively participating in your care. It can also be difficult to actively participate in your sessions if you don’t have a clear picture of your functioning.  

Can Journaling Really Help? 

Have you ever gone into an appointment with your doctor with so many things you wanted to address and then completely forgot everything the second they walked through the door? I know I have! Preparing ahead of time can make a huge difference. There is a lot of value in bringing notes with you on how you have been doing and questions that you may have for your provider. 

While you may know you need to bring notes, it can be difficult to know what to say or even what to ask. Journaling can be a great way to keep up to date on how you have been doing. Many of us avoid journaling for a variety of reasons, however, it can be an incredibly helpful way to keep track of your functioning and document your day to day experiences. Journaling can be helpful for a variety of reasons, any outlined by The University of Rochester. Journaling can increase your self-awareness, reduce stress and help you to be more present. 

How Can Journaling Help with Psychiatric Care? 

Ideally, journaling is to be done on a routine basis. Daily if possible. When you journal daily you are touching base and reflecting on your day and how you feel. This can be valuable information for your provider.  

Many people avoid journaling because they don’t know what to write about. Some may even feel as if they are a teenager again. There’s no need to feel as if you are writing in your diary. Having an outline can make journaling feel more accessible. Here are some questions that you can use in your journaling practice to increase your self-awareness and gather valuable information about how you are functioning: 

  1. On a scale of 1-10 rate your: 
    1. Mood
    2. Anxiety Level
    3. Perceived Amount of Responsibilities
    4. Sleep
    5. Appetite
    6. Energy
    7. Interest Level
    8. Enjoyment of Things You Usually Enjoy
  2. How are your relationships? 
  3. Have you been engaging in hobbies?
  4. What is your social life like?
  5. How are things going at work/school/home?

This list is NOT meant to be exhaustive, but it can get you thinking. It can even be helpful to keep notes in your phone as most of us have our phone with us the majority of the time. This way if something comes to mind you can get it down before you forget (or make yourself anxious trying to remember it).  

Start Journaling and Participating in Your Care 

Working with a provider you can talk to is important. Having this valuable information is amazing, but it amounts to a hill of beans if you don’t feel you can share it. 

Carolina Counseling Services contracts with caring, effective licensed psychiatric professionals. You deserve to feel and function at your best. Providers are in network with most major insurances including Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) and many more. If you are looking for psychiatric care in Sanford, NC call CCS now to schedule your first appointment!