Prepare for Seasonal Blues with Guided Journaling

With fall approaching, it's a good time to start preparing for the seasonal blues, or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). People get less sun as the days shorten and they head inside, and they're busier as school starts and work picks up following the end of summer vacations. This can affect mood and mental health for spa professionals and their clients. 

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Whether you practice journaling yourself or recommend it to your guests, these three guided journaling tips are a great tool for supporting mental health and navigating seasonal blues. 

1. Seasonal blues can sneak up on you. You may feel more down, drained or anxious, and if you're not in tune with your mood and feelings, you might not be aware that you're being affected until you feel really low. A journaling routine about your feelings builds self-awareness, helping you to be more prepared for seasonal blues.
2. Journaling is a way to problem solve and develop strategies that support mental wellness, including identifying boundaries, routines and ways of thinking that serve you, especially during down times. The practice of journaling for mental health also helps us feel a sense of ownership of our mental wellness.
3. While journaling can have profound benefits, maintaining a journaling routine is hard. That’s why I recommend attaching journaling to an already-established habit and using wellness-centered prompts that resonate with you. 

Alina Liao is a wellness practitioner and entrepreneur with a background in trauma-informed mental health coaching. She has developed customizable journals through her business, Zenit, that make it easier for people to journal for their mental health.