Hi, I’m Elizabeth (or Lizzie!) and this is my public mental health and recovery journal. I’m a passionate mental health advocate, writer, chaotic creative and DBT enthusiast from up North in England.
Over the years, I’ve shared my lived experience of mental illness, trauma-informed therapy, binge-drinking recovery, and learning DBT skills, all while building a more compassionate and curious relationship with myself along that healing journey.
Here you’ll find recovery journal entries and prompts, reflections on DBT, therapy techniques and emotional regulation, therapy insights and tools, and even the odd spiritual or philosophical musing, all written with heart – and a little northern grit. If you’re working through big emotions, trying to understand yourself more, or just need a soft space to land or someone who gets it while you figure things out, my work is here for you. I’m glad you’re here.
Welcome to my world!
Blooming in DBT – The story behind my work
As my own healing journey has evolved, so too has my work. What began as personal reflection grew into Bloom in DBT: a space for sharing ebooks, therapy resources, and creative tools designed to make DBT skills feel more human, relatable, and empowering. Through this peer support work, I hope to help others learn emotional regulation, self-validation, and true mindfulness in a way that feels warm, real, and creatively expressed.
I’ve been through the messy parts: the panic attacks, dissociation, binge-drinking, BPD traits, all of it. Learning DBT changed my life. Not overnight, not perfectly, but it gave me a language and a toolkit to start making sense of what I was feeling. And eventually, it helped me build a solid foundation for true healing inside myself.
Now, I create from that place. I share what helped me (journal prompts, visually-appealing skill breakdowns, journal entries) in a voice that feels like a friend, not a textbook. My goal is to make mental health support, specifically DBT, feel less clinical and more accessible to everyone that happens upon my little corner of the internet.
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Journaling For Mental Health – A Few Quick Questions Answered
Why is journaling important to the recovery process?
Whether you’re in recovery from mental illness, undertaking addiction treatment, or just dealing with difficult emotions relating to your mental health and recovery, journaling can be a great tool to complement your overall recovery plan.
Is there a right or wrong way to write a recovery journal?
There is no right or wrong way to write a recovery journal. Whether you want to write an open recovery journal (like this blog) or create a private mental health journal is completely up to you. You can use a journal for long-term goals, reflections, building self-discipline, building self-esteem, and just generally boosting your recovery process.
Is journaling helpful in addiction recovery?
Journaling can be a great tool for those in addiction recovery. You can use it to track sobriety milestones, reflect on underlying thought patterns and behaviours and work through any issues that arise as you work through the different stages of your recovery. An addiction recovery journal can be really helpful, especially in those first few days/weeks/months.
How can I start a gratitude journal?
To start a gratitude journal, all you need to do is start taking note of the things you are grateful for each day. You can do this at any time during your day, but I like to do it in the mornings and evenings. Even if it’s just 2 or 3 things: the roof over your head, the love in your life, your beautiful cat. Just start noticing and noting.
Is there a recovery app you recommend?
For addiction or substance abuse/misuse recovery, the best app I have found is the I am Sober app. It tracks all of your milestones for you, allows you to pledge every day and gives you daily motivation, as well as communities that are at the same milestone and point in their recovery journey.
Where can I find great journal prompts?
You can find some helpful journal prompts for different goals, moods and occasions here on my blog, but you can also find them in tons of places online. If you search for journal prompts on Google, Instagram or Pinterest you’ll find a whole host that you can use.
What are the benefits of journaling for recovery online?
If you decide you want to go for a public recovery journal, it might feel overwhelming or daunting at first, but its benefits are worth it. By journaling online, you gain the potential to connect with a wider mental health community. One that understands your struggles and can actually gain something from your experiences. Sharing our stories helps others do the same.
Where can I find more immediate support for my mental health?
Though journaling can be a key tool to bring a sense of awareness and focus to your mental health and healing progress – and can even be a great way to challenge and overcome negative thought patterns associated with trauma or painful experiences – sometimes we need more immediate help.
If you need immediate crisis support and feel unsafe:
- Read this.
- Text SHOUT to 85258 to receive support via text in the UK – no phone calls required.
- There are numerous UK charities and other services available to contact through the NHS website that you can speak to in a crisis.
Eliza Blooms 