There is only one thing you need to buy to improve your mental health: a notebook.

Get something that meets your needs, but isn’t so precious that you will never write in it. My personal preference is the dot-grid journals from Michael’s, which are pretty cheap, but you may find that a large spiral notebook or a sketchbook meets your needs better. It honestly doesn’t really matter.

Actually, you don’t even need to buy a notebook if you would feel more comfortable using something digital, like a notes app or a word processor. It’s up to you— just make sure you get ahold of something you can organize easily and that you will actually use regularly.

(I have experimented with both analog and digital mental health journals and am currently using both in slightly different ways!)

Here’s the key: write with purpose. Instead of a journal where you might vent for catharsis or just record the happenings of the day, zoom in on your mental health.

Here are some ideas for your mental health notebook:

• Conduct mental health experiments and write about them. This might be my most important tip. For example, try drinking less coffee for a month and devote a page to tracking how you feel. Change up your exercise routine and write about how it affects your mental state.
• Write scripts where you use CBT or DBT skills.
• Take notes during therapy so you can remember what you talked about and any conclusions you came to.
• Include your therapy homework and what you learned.
• Track the severity of your symptoms over time. Include notes about life circumstances that may have played a part.
• Write down mental health goals (make sure they are measurable!) and track your progress.
• Print out and paste in mental health resources you may find on the internet, like a feelings wheel.
• Record and fine-tune self-care routines, like an exercise plan or what to do while drinking your morning coffee to help you have a good day.
• Include a regularly-updated list of things you love about yourself.
• Write down quotes that motivate you! Don’t go bonkers with this— sometimes fewer is better, to ensure focus. My favorite quote to focus on is “I’m doing my best and I can do better!”
• Track your triggers. Write down any extreme emotions you have and what caused them. You might also make a list of triggers that you already know about, maybe with a plan for avoiding them.
• Track changes in any medication you might take and how you feel before and after.
• Write a WRAP or a safety plan for crises. If you decide to make this part of your notebook and not a separate document, remember to keep your notebook somewhere accessible and clearly mark your WRAP/safety plan (maybe with those little sticky flags?)
• Experiment with gratitude lists.
• Conduct weekly or monthly reviews to help you troubleshoot.
• Include a list of values or priorities to refer to when you make decisions.
• Record the names of your favorite meditations (whether you’re using YouTube or an app) so that you can come back to them.
• Check off days that you forget your medication and write about what happened.
• Write down journal prompts that focus on mental health and then answer them.

Got any more ideas? Please leave them in the comments so others can benefit too!