Mental Health Experts Rank the Top 11 Guided Journals of 2023

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How long ago did you write something that was meant solely for your eyes? A concrete piece of writing, on a real piece of paper, that required you to exercise critical thinking and self-analysis?

Given our current age of continuous texting, tweeting, sending emails and engaging in digital interactions, you've likely struggled to remember the last time. However, exercising your writing skills can actually be beneficial, as evidenced by multiple studies that promote the advantages of self-expressive journaling. This activity can help you mitigate negative thoughts, abandon harmful habits, reduce stress and anxiety, and aid you in realizing the life you aspire to have.

Naturally, initiating your writing by simply putting pen on paper may sound less challenging than it really is. To encourage your writing, consider using a blank notebook with writing prompts (such as 75 journal prompts to get you started) or a structured journal for a more instructional method.

This article will look at some of the best structured journals – all which have been endorsed or recommended by mental health experts- which feature numerous prompts to help you scrutinize your inner self.

It comes as no surprise why Zen as F*ck, which is an Amazon top-seller and available in stores globally, is immensely popular. Many view it as the perfect approach to achieving mindfulness without having to deal with fake rainbows and butterflies.

'Zen as F*ck inverts the concept of toxic positivity. A large part of what is considered 'inspiring' today demands individuals to lift their spirits without giving them room for acknowledgment. Zen as F*ck provides a space for the writer to reflect and experience catharsis in a light-hearted and irreverent way,' says Monica Sweeney, the author.

This structured journal, filled with explicit language, offers a no-nonsense approach to brightening up your day. Each page contains prompts that assist in mitigating negativity and letting go of things weighing on your brain. The journal aims to have you shine and seize the day.

Kristen Geil, the senior commerce editor, highly recommends this journal, especially for those times when you don't recall what you've been occupied with for the past few months. 'This journal assists me in documenting even the smallest details of my daily life,' she explains. 'The journal prompts brevity in your entries. It has become a cherished part of my nighttime routine as it only takes a minute or two to note down the day’s occurrences.'

Me-est Me is a women-led and LGBTQ-owned company that creates journals in Southern California. This 88-page guided workbook includes journal prompts and exercises designed to help you reconnect with yourself.

'Since inner work can be hard sometimes, I wanted to make it more accessible and encourage individuals to answer some daunting questions,' says the author Shana Rehwald. 'The journal contains pages dedicated to contemplation, gathering and exploration, but also allows you to experiment and unwind.' Rehwald developed the journal while navigating her own challenging life transition.

'Given our current shared experience [COVID-19], I felt compelled to make a journal using the same tools that assisted me to reconnect with myself post a significant transition in my life, hoping it could assist others too,' she adds.

Papier's My Wellness Journal is designed to facilitate a daily self-reflection practice. With this journal, if you can allocate a small part of each day to self-reflection, you'll also be well-equipped to handle whatever life throws at you.

'Papier's My Wellness Journal provides daily check-in space, habit tracking pages, and notes section for up to 12 weeks,' says Mackey. Whether you're pursuing any ongoing goals or resolutions, this journal enables you to keep a record of your habits, nutrition, water intake, sleep pattern, and more. If you find such tracking inconvenient, instead focus on elements that make you feel thankful and healthy each day; take time to celebrate minor victories along your path to achieving larger goals.

Sewn Moments of Gratitude is suggested by Jewell Singletary, founder of Gratitude Griot LLC, a company that utilizes a trauma-informed approach to stress relief through yoga, meditation, and therapeutic arts, including art journaling.

Singletary, who has been journaling for close to 30 years, credits the practice with helping her express her creativity, enhance her emotional intelligence, and reduce anxiety. It also allows her students to remain in the present moment, she says. The Sewn Moments of Gratitude journal that they often use contains carefully placed prompts that encourage the liexperiences of the good that surrounds them, provided they are willing and ready to see it.

Boris Mackey, an addiction therapist, editor-in-chief, and community outreach manager at Rehab 4 Addiction, talks about A Year of Zen, a 52-week guidance journal, that helps the writers to reflect on the past. The journal, thoughtfully designed by Zen teacher and priest Bonnie Myotai Treace, includes a range of prompts, some of which are drawing exercises, that aim to stimulate creativity. Users are provided with ample space to fill in their reflections and exploration every week of the year.

Mackey notes that he and his colleagues continually recommend journaling for mental well-being. Guided journals, he says, are especially useful because they are pre-filled and can guide those who struggle with an empty notebook. He believes that these prompts encourage thinking and can establish a regular habit which contributes to mental health.

The prompts cover a wide range of topics, urging deeper exploration of the self. These include themes from 'reverence' to 'being a curious being' to 'evening threshold', with more introspective prompts like capturing one's feelings as day turns into night.

The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal is beneficial for those who struggle to find time for journaling, suggests Mackey. The journal only requires five minutes and is perfect for those with busy schedules who nonetheless wish to cultivate a gratitude practice. This simple ritual can help shift focus from negative thoughts to daily occurrences of joy.

Megan Lee, a licensed clinical social worker and co-founder and therapist at Solutions Therapy LLC, believes that The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal would be a valuable tool to people dealing with anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other mental health issues. The journal, which contains morning and evening prompts, helps users affirm their gratitude, plan their day, and highlight positive experiences.

Lee is confident in recommending the journal, having used it herself. She finds the daily quotes and easily applicable prompts to be particularly helpful. These sentiments are shared by several celebrities who also vouch for five-minute gratitude journaling.

Brittany Ferri, Ph.D., medical advisor at Medical Solutions BCN who holds a doctorate in integrative mental health, believes that journaling is fundamentally about reflection. This journal promotes such reflection by enabling people to mull over more extensive periods of their lives.

An Amazon best-seller by Monica Sweeney, Let That Sh*t Go, is suggested by many experts as a guided journal. The journal, with its mixture of humorous and helpful prompts and doodles, provides a great space to express and purge frustrations while rewriting personal narratives.

Worrying is like praying for what you don't want. Yet, it's all too common to worry in anticipation — and arguably, manifestation — of your fears. Nip your worries in the bud with a book that becomes your bud — The No-Worries Workbook. This jam-packed workout comes with over a hundred activities, prompts, and lists to help you work through multiple mental hurdles. Throughout each page, you'll feel like you're taking actionable steps to reduce your stress and feel more gratitude

Sensual Self, by sexuality doula and sex educator Ev'yan Whitney, is a self-paced journal with more than 150 pages of prompts to help you define sensuality for yourself. If seeking reconnection with your pleasure is on your agenda, this is the guided journal for you.

The journal helps you navigate your inner sense of self with ample room to explore and express your private pleasures and deep desires. Each piece of paper provides a safe space to check in with your mind and body, as well as navigate self-acceptance and self-care.

Questions span everything from 'In what ways do you keep your sensuality hidden?' to 'What does an enthusiastic 'yes!' feel like in your body?'

With a degree in Journalism and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies from Gettysburg College, AnnaMarie Houlis is a freelance journalist and copywriter who primarily covers travel and women's health (physical, mental, spiritual, and sexual). Houlis interviewed several mental health professionals to get their personal and professional recommendations to create this list.