Most people create bulleted sections with their daily to-do lists, monthly or weekly calendars, mental health check-ins, and long-term goals, but the advantage is that you can add or change most of your sections as you want. For example, one person might add a mood tracker, someone else a fertility tracker, while a parent might add something their child said that they want to remember. The personal customization aspect is particularly appealing if you’re creative and looking for an outlet for self-expression and self-discovery because they give you space to draw or doodle. In addition, bullet journals can also be beneficial mental health tools. Here are the best bullet journals, according to mental health experts. Price at time of publication: $23 Price at time of publication: $12 This Rhodia journal features a high-quality Italian leatherette cover, and it is available in a number of bright colors to match your style. It also comes with a back pocket for stickers and other storage, as well as high-quality paper, a ribbon bookmark, and numbered bullet pages. It’s also the ideal size for on-the-go use. Price at time of publication: $25 This can take the pressure off having to write in full sentences, especially if you’re recording your emotions or mental state. Instead, you can record your daily routine, jot down your feelings, and take the pressure off writing a full diary entry. Price at time of publication: $22 Price at time of publication: $13 Price at time of publication: $25 Price at time of publication: $18
Binding
Bullet journals can come with traditional stitched binding or coil binding. What you choose is ultimately up to you, but bear in mind that most stitched binding journals won’t lay completely flat, which could impact how easily you write or draw.
Paper Quality
Pay attention to the paper quality because if the pages are too thin, your pens or markers might bleed through the page. Look for a bullet journal with thicker, higher-quality paper instead.
Cover Durability
Bullet journals can be hardcover or softcover, and what you pick is ultimately a matter of personal preference. Whatever you choose, though, you’ll want to make sure that your journal cover is durable enough to hold up over time, especially if you take it on the go.
What Experts Say
“For patients who have a lot of big ideas or competing ideas a bullet journal could be more beneficial because they will take time to clearly lay out where they are and where they want to be and track their progress over time. This might be better than a typical journal because it paints a picture and is easy to see without having to read a lot of additional information that would likely be included in a typical idea or free thought journal.” —Lindsey Pace, licensed clinical social worker and therapist. All bullet journals are loosely structured in a similar way. They begin with an index page, which is a table of contents and symbol log that you update as you go. Then, bullet journals include a future log, which is usually a four-page spread where you note future events, goals, birthdays, and long-term tasks. In addition, most bullet journals contain monthly logs, which are two-page spreads with a calendar for your monthly tasks and monthly tracking (such as finances, fitness, etc.). Then, the journals include daily logs, where you track your day-to-day. Most bullet journals also utilize symbols as a short-hand tool. For example, you can notate priority tasks with an asterisk and inspirational ideas with an exclamation point. Beyond that, how you organize your bullet journal is up to you. “Use your bullet journal to help identify what comes naturally to you so you can build your habits around it or incorporate activities that bring you joy, peace, and a sense of purpose,” recommends Rhonda Mattox, integrative behavioral health psychiatrist. The goal, she continues, is to create something that helps you feel more accomplished and peaceful. “Use it as a personal cheerleader for yourself and a tool to reach your goals.” For example, if you want to use your bullet journal as a mental health tool, Mattox says, “build in self-care strategies [and] build in ways to track and identify triggers that negatively and positively impact your mood or anxiety.” This can help you better understand what patterns influence your moods and overall mental health and help you work to eliminate triggers. “My advice would be to use the journal every day when you first wake up and right before you go to sleep,” says Massi. “Upon waking up, you may use the journal to prepare for the day, easing your anxiety before you have a chance to get anxious. Before going to sleep, use the journal to unburden your mind, knowing that you can rest easy with all of your thoughts and to-do items down on paper where you won’t forget them.” “Anxiety, by definition, is fear of the future,” explains Massi. “When we get wrapped up in this future-focused fear, adrenaline and cortisol pump through our bodies, putting us into a state of fight or flight. List-making can help slow the production of adrenaline and cortisol as it gives the person writing the sense that they are taking action to prepare for the future, thus making the potential future problem more manageable.” So, “those with anxiety can particularly benefit from bullet journals because it can allow them to unburden their mind,” she continues. “It allows the racing, fear-based thoughts that would otherwise take hold in the mind a place to rest.” In other words, they help declutter the mind. Rapid logging one’s worries can also help people confront the source of their anxiety in an actionable way. “Very often [people] are avoiding the issues that are causing the anxiety,” says Tom McDonagh, clinical psychologist. “Bullet journaling helps to identify the issue and create a framework for how to approach and solve the problem.” “Don’t overextend yourself. Try to identify one issue at a time and focus on creating a specific plan on how to approach and solve the problem. Try to remember that consistency is the key and keeping a journal helps with accountability.” —Dr. Tom McDonagh, clinical psychologist, author, and owner of a practice in SF.
Why Trust Verywell Mind?
As an experienced health and science reporter, Simone Scully understands the importance of picking thoroughly researched products to promote wellness and self-care.
