Men’s Mental Health Week: How journaling provides a line of support to those in need

Over THREE-QUARTERS of men struggle with mental health, yet many still find it difficult to talk about their issues

• 31% of people feel more comfortable writing about their troubling experiences than talking about them
• 22% of people concur that journaling has been the most beneficial aid to their mental health to date 

Men’s Mental Health Week has officially commenced today which aims to raise awareness about how mental health uniquely affects men, whilst encouraging open discussion. The ADAA revealed that 1 in 10 experience mental health issues, yet only half will receive treatment. As trends relating to self-care have seen a meteoric rise in the past few years, we have seen a boom in the number of people journaling to improve their mental health. StoryTerrace, the US’ leading biography-writing service, discovered that men are only HALF as likely to share their struggles as opposed to women. Speaking about creative and expressive writing, biography expert and CEO of StoryTerrace, Rutger Bruining, comments on the transformative benefits of journaling to support mental wellbeing.

Amidst a nation shrouded in a mental health crisis, StoryTerrace has revealed through thousands of real-life stories that men are only half as likely as their female counterparts to openly share their personal struggles. Just 37.9% of men’s books that are written via the service are focussed on overcoming personal adversity, in comparison to 62.1% for women. As it stands, over 6 million men suffer from depression, but usually go undiagnosed, according to the ADAA, with various factors, such as financial pressures and work, putting further strain on American men. Yet only one in five men write in a diary on a regular basis, according to Pen Haven. 

Often connected to similar practices seen in mindfulness, journaling has received much attention in recent years as psychologists and therapists underline its ability to help us reframe how we talk to ourselves – shifting away from a narrative that can inherently be self-critical to one of increased compassion. Booming over the course of the pandemic, research from StoryTerrace shows that over one in five of the nation agreed that journaling has been the most beneficial aid to their mental health to date, with Google reports showing a 110% increase in searches for journalling ideas over the past year. Moreover, over a third (31%) of respondents concur that writing about their mental health experiences in a creative way has allowed them to better understand themselves.

Now prescribed by doctors and healthcare specialists to begin addressing mental health issues, along with meditation, this practice has become the hallmark of the so-called ‘self-care revolution’.

Key stats:

• 31% of people say writing about their mental health experiences in a creative way has allowed them to better understand themselves
• 31% of people feel more comfortable writing about their troubling experiences than talking about them
• 22% of people concur that journaling has been the most beneficial aid to their mental health to date
• 17% of people say that they have picked up journaling over the course of the past two years to help with their mental health

Rutger Bruining, CEO/founder of StoryTerrace, comments on the healing powers of journaling as seen in memoir-writing:

“Not only is journaling extremely therapeutic, but it also allows us to preserve and reflect on how we think and feel at certain times in our lives. It is a personal archive of our experiences and how our experiences shape who we are. Going above and beyond the likes of social media that only portrays one side of the story, the written word lends a self-reflective mirror that allows us to process and make sense of our experiences. 

“Hundreds of the memoirs that we see at StoryTerrace start from an individual’s journal – we see it all the time. They represent a capsule of one’s thoughts and feelings at a certain point and allow reflection on that experience for years to come. People cherish their journals and keep them as keepsakes, and that is what is so beautiful about StoryTerrace. 

“Through our proprietary research, we have seen a boom in people picking up journaling – and it is often these journals that form the foundation of any memoir as they offer insight into how we felt at certain times, our perception of events and our surroundings.”