Find Your Joy Here: A Creative Journal to Help Teens Release Sadness and Depression and Find Moments of Happiness Every Day

Do you ever feel sad, depressed, or even hopeless? Does this feeling of sadness interfere with school, friends, and reaching your goals? If so, you aren’t alone. Between academic pressures, social expectations, changing hormones, and planning for the future, many teens struggle with sadness, depression, and overwhelm. The good news is there are steps you can take to feel better—and this journal is a perfect first step.

Written by a teen mental health expert and grounded in evidence-based psychology, this fun and engaging guided journal offers hands-on and creative tools, activities, and writing practices to help you release feelings of sadness on the page, focus on moments of happiness, and look for those little glimmers that bring purpose, gratitude, and contentment to your life.

This journal is a space for you—to let go of difficult feelings, make your own rules, and discover what joy really means. Your only real guideline is to write for yourself. Why not give it a try?

A special note for clinicians and other professionals: Journaling exercises are a proven-effective adjunct to talk therapy—helping teens bypass defenses, explore feelings in a non-threatening manner, and develop trust in their own coping skills. This journal marks a new addition to the Instant Help Guided Journals for Teens series, which offers evidence-based therapeutic tools in a format teens love.