Why I Started Write to Heal: Healing Through Journaling After Burnout and Depression

ByKristy Wessel Updated on
journaling for healing, close up of hand with IV in hospital bed

In 2018, after the birth of my first child, I experienced a mental health crisis that brought me to the edge of everything I knew. I found myself in a psychiatric hospital, hollowed out by hopelessness, unsure if I could go on.

I knew I needed to stay alive for my just-born daughter. But part of me still believed the world, and even my family, would be better off without me. That kind of despair does not arrive all at once.

It builds quietly, slowly, under the surface.

And when it breaks, it leaves you grasping for anything solid.

For me, the slow way back began with professional help and with writing. Over time, I discovered something that carried me through both the hardest days and the long recovery ahead: healing through journaling.

How Healing Through Journaling Supported My Recovery

In the months after my hospitalization, journaling became a lifeline. My outpatient mother–baby program gave me guided prompts that helped me find words when I felt silenced by depression. I used exercises rooted in Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to name my needs and feelings when everything inside me felt tangled. I also practiced stream of consciousness journaling, letting thoughts pour out without editing or judgment.

These practices taught me that healing through journaling is not about writing something polished. It is about showing up to the page as you are. It is about letting the words carry what feels too heavy to hold alone.

Little by little, journaling helped me hear myself again.

My thoughts. My feelings. My story. Not the curated version, but the real one… the messy, complicated, deeply human one.

The ones I tried to ignore while I kept going through the motions of daily life. The things I tucked beneath the surface while I rocked my daughter, folded tiny clothes, and told myself I should be grateful. I thought those feelings would fade if I stayed busy enough, if I held everything together.

But my body was holding onto them.

The sadness. The fear. The exhaustion that went deeper than lack of sleep. They built up quietly until the weight became too much to carry, and I could not function anymore. That is the story that poured out on the page. Those are the truths I began to face through writing.

Journaling gave me a place to set them down, one line at a time. It showed me that healing through journaling does not mean erasing hard feelings. It means allowing them space, honoring them, and making room for something lighter to emerge alongside them.

Research shows that journaling for mental health can reduce stress, ease anxiety, and improve symptoms of depression and burnout. For me, healing through journaling was not only a coping strategy but also a way to reconnect with myself and rediscover hope.

If you would like to try NVC-style journaling, I have shared a list of feelings and a list of needs that can help you begin your own practice of healing through writing.

Why I Created Write to Heal

I created Write to Heal because I believe in the power of healing through journaling. We live in a culture that pulls us away from ourselves and into burnout, comparison, and a constant state of productivity. I wanted to build a space that gently invites you back.

Back to your breath.
Back to your words.
Back to the quiet truth inside you.

Here you will find journaling prompts for burnout recovery, reflections on mental health, and encouragement to create space for your own voice. Every resource here is built around the idea that you can find healing through journaling, no matter where you begin.

What Write to Heal Offers Today

This community has grown into a resource for anyone who is seeking gentler ways to care for themselves through writing. Here you will find:

  • Journaling Prompts for burnout recovery, anxiety, and daily reflection
  • Printable Resources like needs and feelings inventories and guided worksheets
  • Guides and Reflections that weave research, personal stories, and tools to support healing through journaling
A Soft Place to Land

Today, I am a writer and a poet. But I am still healing too. Still growing, still learning to get quiet enough to listen. If you are here, maybe you are too.

I hope this space can be a gentle place to land, whether you are exploring journaling for anxiety, writing through depression, or creating a daily practice of healing through journaling.

Welcome. I am glad you are here. 🌿

❤️ Kristy

Writer, Poet, Journaling for Healing

Kristy Wessel is a writer, poet, and creative guide based in Minnesota. After experiencing a mental health crisis in 2018, she discovered journaling as a lifeline- a practice that helped her untangle anxiety, find clarity, and begin again. Out of that journey she founded Write to Heal, a space for burned-out, overwhelmed people to reconnect with themselves through words. Her work has appeared in The Loft Literary Center's Blog, Hippocampus Magazine, and Commoners Zine. When she isn’t writing, Kristy can often be found by the lake with her family, tending her garden, or filling yet another notebook with reflections.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *