Journaling for Stress Relief in Dhaka: A Beginner's Guide

On a recent Tuesday evening, 14 people sat cross-legged on cushions at the Arobindu Community Centre in Dhanmondi, each holding a notebook and a pen. The session, run by Dhaka Mindfulness Circle, lasted exactly 90 minutes, 20 minutes of guided meditation, then 40 minutes of silent journaling, followed by a brief group share. Organiser Farzana Rahman, a certified facilitator who started the group in March 2025, says attendance has doubled from seven to 14 regulars since January.

The practice of combining meditation with reflective writing is not new, but it’s finding fresh traction in Dhaka as residents search for low-cost, self-directed ways to manage daily stress. A 2025 survey by the Bangladesh Psychological Association, conducted among 1,200 urban adults in Dhaka, found that 67% reported experiencing moderate to high stress levels, up from 54% in 2020. Yet only one in five said they had access to formal therapy or counselling. Journaling offers an accessible alternative that requires no app subscription, no internet connection, and no clinical referral.

Where to journal in Dhaka

Several venues across the city now host structured journaling-and-mindfulness meetups. The Gulshan-based wellness studio Soulful Space holds a “Mindful Mornings” workshop every Saturday at 7 a.m., priced at Tk 500 per session. Participants start with a 15-minute breathing exercise led by instructor Nusrat Jahan, then write freely for 45 minutes using prompts like “What am I holding onto today?” or “What did I notice on my walk here?” The studio, located on Road 27 in Gulshan 2, regularly sells out its 20-person capacity.

In Old Dhaka, the Shishu Kishore Unnayan Foundation has piloted a journaling programme for its after-school club of 30 teenagers near Sadarghat. Since April, the foundation has distributed notebooks and ballpoint pens, cost: Tk 45 per child, and asks participants to write for 10 minutes before and after classes. Foundation coordinator Mohammad Ali says several students have reported feeling less anxious before exams. “They tell us, ‘It’s like talking to the page,’” he said.

The evidence behind the practice

A 2023 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology reviewed 13 randomised controlled trials involving a total of 1,020 participants and found that expressive writing, journaling focused on emotions and reflection, reduced symptoms of anxiety by an average of 21% after 12 weeks of practice. The study, led by researchers at the University of Texas, also noted that combining journaling with brief mindfulness meditation produced stronger effects than either practice alone. In Dhaka, where a single private therapy session can cost Tk 1,500 to Tk 3,000, the cost of starting a journaling habit, a notebook for Tk 50 to Tk 150 and a pen for Tk 10, makes it one of the cheapest evidence-based wellness tools available.

Start small, experts say. Write for five minutes at the same time each day. Use prompts that focus on sensory details, what you saw, heard, or felt, rather than analysis or problem-solving. No need to share, edit, or reread. The point is the process, not the product. Local facilitator Farzana Rahman recommends starting with one sentence: “Today, I noticed ________.”

For those who want structure, the Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists is organising a free two-hour introductory workshop on journaling for mental wellbeing at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University auditorium on July 25. Registration is open via their website. Spaces are limited to 100 participants.