Date published: 15 August 2025
How putting pen to paper can help reduce anxiety.
More than just a diary, keeping a journal is recommended by the mental health charity Papyrus to find sanctuary in the whirlwind of modern life. Reviving old fashioned skills with simple pen and paper could be the new way to find calm, interrupt negative thoughts and declutter our minds.
Writing your thoughts down, sometimes known as journalling, can help organise thoughts and make problems more manageable. Detailing how you are feeling - and why – forces the brain to slow down. Reading what we have written helps identify patterns in our behaviour and triggers for our anxieties.
For Hannah from St Helens, her beautifully illustrated journal is a vivid testament to how far she has come. Less than 12 months ago, she was in hospital, dangerously ill with the eating disorder, anorexia. This summer she took GCSE examinations she wasn’t expected to be able to sit, joined all her friends at the school prom and is looking forward to a bright future at college. Every page of her journal is proof of each small step on her long road to recovery.
With support and encouragement from nurse Margie Pardoe at Mersey Care’s Children’s Eating Disorder Service, Hannah began her journal to record the huge challenges she has overcome so far. The neat handwriting and careful illustrations make reading her extreme emotions even more profound. It’s heartrending to read her fear and guilt and the depiction of her eating disorder as a fake friend.
Hannah wrote her journal for herself, but she hopes it will give other people battling eating disorders inspiration and hope. It will be shared as part of a training package by Mersey Care for GPs, teachers and social workers to help them understand the condition.
“It’s so therapeutic for me to write things down - it helps me talk through what made me happy and what absolutely terrified me.
“Looking back through it and remembering how I felt, I realise that if I had let those feelings take over, I would have missed all of the memories I’ve made since. I am still recovering and I will have battles in my head for a long time when I still don’t want to eat. The journal is a record to prove to myself I can beat this. I can carry on and I will keep adding to these memories.”
Margie says that Hannah’s journal has been a huge part of her recovery. “Tracking each step towards recovery and focusing on the positives by writing in her journal has helped Hannah process some really difficult emotions. She’s been so brave and I think she’s such an inspiration.”
There are a range of self help guides around anxieties and eating disorders. If you are struggling with your emotions, please talk to your GP.
Put pen to paper - give journalling a go
You don’t need fancy notebooks or perfect handwriting. Just a quiet moment and something to write with.
- Set a timer for five minutes and let the words flow – don’t worry about spelling or grammar.
- Write down three things that went well, or you enjoyed, or that you achieved each day. After five days, look back at the things you’ve highlighted.
- You can write in your journal daily, weekly or whenever stress gets too intense., Whether it’s five minutes in the morning or just before bed, just opening your notebook can trigger a sense of calm if it’s done regularly.
- If you can’t bring yourself to pick up a pen, you can record your thoughts on a smart phone or recording device.