Mind Your Health, a student-run task force that advocates for student mental health, will be hosting a skill builder event to promote positive journaling habits. The event, entitled “Dear Diary,” will guide attendees through common journaling prompts that help ease the mind and subsequently operate as effective mental health tools.

Students are welcome to gather in Jamrich 1322 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, for the event. Due to limited resources, those interested in attending should register on the Hub to secure a spot. Mia Hickey, a senior studying public relations and vice president of Mind Your Health, said that journaling is a great mental health tool because of its accessibility.

“[Mind Your Health] is trying to come up with different, easy and applicable ways that students can take care of their mental health, and journaling is something easy for students to start [with],” Hickey said. “Sometimes people don’t know where to start when it comes to journaling, so that is why we wanted to do this event.”

This is the second time Mind Your Health has hosted its “Dear Diary” event, with the skill builder debuting in December 2021 to great student reception. New to the event, attendees will receive a free journal and pen upon arrival, courtesy of the Student Finance Committee, that will be actively used throughout the skill builder. 

The workshop will teach attendees how to utilize journaling techniques that are unique to their needs, including provided journaling templates. Hickey said that whether or not you are actively struggling with anxiety and depression, the deliberate act of translating your thoughts to paper is cathartic.

“Students should attend this event whether they journal a lot or they never have before,” Hickey said. “It’s a good way to try something new and get your thoughts on paper and a tool that many people can use in different ways.”