It’s long been noted that journaling—writing your thoughts and feelings—can be healing. I highly recommend you take a few minutes each day, or whenever you can, to sit quietly and get in touch with your life by expressing yourself on paper (or a computer if that’s better for you). 

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Once you get the hang of it, you’ll want to do it often. Something magical happens when you write—and we’re not talking about “great” or “perfect” writing. Who cares about spelling and punctuation? We’re talking about pouring your heart out on paper, saying what you need to say and getting those hidden feelings down so you can release any thoughts or emotions that you don’t want to carry any longer. Also, write whatever you are grateful for or anything that was positive during your day.  Sometimes this takes a bit of soul-searching, especially on a bad day, but I bet you can do it! 

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Find a quiet place where you can be uninterrupted for at least fifteen minutes. Grab an inexpensive notebook, a stunning journal, or your favorite digital device and just let the words flow. Start anywhere, and don’t worry if your thoughts don’t make sense. Just write. You’ll surprise yourself!

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To get started, below are a handful of prompts taken from It Takes a Woman to Empower Women. Use these to begin, or if they don’t work for you right now, just write whatever comes to mind. Keep your writing in a safe place, just for your eyes; or, if you want to share, do so with a safe person (a social worker, a therapist, or a best friend).