I Tried Two AI Journals to Work Through My Grief and Chronic Illness

I approached AI journaling with a clenched jaw and a healthy dose of skepticism. In many ways, journaling feels profoundly human. It's about putting pen to paper, right? Leather-bound notebooks are supposed to be filled with words only you will ever read. AI creates a bit of a loophole. Now, instead of closing your journal shut in an emotional frenzy, AI journals can challenge you to go deeper; identifying recurring patterns, and even offering up suggestions you might not have thought of on your own. They can teach you about yourself, help you see situations more clearly, and even make important decisions . . . all from the comfort of your own device.

I've spent the past three years dealing with chronic illness and, more recently, the loss of my right eye. There's a lot of grief I've yet to work through (does it ever really go away?), and oftentimes I find myself talking into an abyss. My anger isn't fully understood by friends and family, although I appreciate their support, and I have a bad habit of masking my true feelings to mental health professionals. Traditional journaling has been a major tool for me, especially in times of crisis — but I tend to look back on my graveyard of wayward ramblings and cringe.

While my long-winded rants felt like a catharsis in the moment I'm not entirely sure I learned much about myself in the process. AI journaling offers a potential solution, identifying patterns in your entries, and giving you the chance to actually learn from what you write. "People often just don't have access to emotionally intelligent support," says Chrys Bader, co-founder of an AI journal called Rosebud. "AI is actually really good at helping you explore your inner world and find what's true for you, giving you the validation and the confidence to go out and make the changes you need." With that possibility in mind, I decided to put two different AI journals to the test: Rosebud and Mindsera. Over the course of a few weeks, here's what I learned, liked, and have yet to figure out on my journaling journey.

When you open up the program on your computer (it's only available on desktop at the moment), you can choose to respond to a prompt, or write on a blank document. You can also take a photo of a physical journal entry (i.e. one you wrote on paper) for Mindsera to analyze. From here, you have the option to "go deeper" with an AI-generated prompt based on what you've already provided. For instance, in one entry about illness and grief, I was asked "What does hope look like for you now, after all you've been through?" Once you've completed your full entry, you receive an emotion analysis based on the emotions expressed in your writing, modeled after Plutchik's wheel of emotion (although Mindsera's version is displayed in a quick list, rather than a wheel). This includes the percentage of each emotion in your entry, and an explanation as to why the AI detected each one.

"A lot of users have said that they wrote their journal entry, and they didn't think that it had any element of frustration, for example," says Mindsera founder Chris Reinberg. After the analysis, however, they're able to see things differently. "This helps them to build emotional intelligence and understand themselves better," Reinberg says. Along with the analysis, you'll also receive a colorful piece of AI-generated artwork based on your journal entry (see mine below!). All entries will be organized by this art with bulleted summaries and the corresponding emotions from each entry.

Mindsera also has an insights tab (next to tabs for the home page, previous entries, and different AI "frameworks"), where you'll find a graph documenting all of your recorded emotions in different sized circles — their size indicative of their presence in your writing. You can go explore these emotions with a simple click, Reinberg says. "I click on excitement, and it basically gives me an overview based on all of my journal entries: what are the different things that have caused me excitement or anxiety or stress?" he explains.

Mindsera will also give you a personality type based on the "Big Five" personality traits. It'll break down the recurring topics in your entries and offer concrete suggestions with extensive descriptions as well. Some of my suggestions included "reconnect with friends," "explore creative outlets," and "practice mindfulness and rest." You can even ask your Mindsera journal to assess your current mental health status based on your journal entries. Reinberg gave a few examples like: "How close am I to burnout?" "What is obvious around me but doesn't appear obvious to me?" "What are my unmet needs?" In this way, you can truly "have a conversation with your journal," he says.

The frameworks tab offers a more guided approach to journaling. Here, you'll select from six overall goals: basic journaling, productivity, wellness, decision making, problem solving, or business. Within each broader goal, you can then narrow down your intentions and work through more specific questions. If you select decision making, for example, you can choose the "regret minimization" framework to prioritize projects you won't regret (and respond to the three corresponding questions). If you select wellness, however, you may choose the "emotion audit" framework to better understand why you feel a certain way (this one has 11 questions).

My first time using Mindsera was also my first-ever time using AI for journaling. Eager to see what would happen, I decided to abandon the prompts and really put the algorithm to the test, opening up about illness, peace, and the importance of rest. "Back when I was in and out of the hospital, I had my tarot cards read at one of my favorite places in Tucson. The woman pulled an image of a ship sailing to shore. She told me it signified peace on the horizon. Sometimes I wonder if I've reached it yet. Is this it? Am I at peace?" I wrote.

After my initial entry, I hit Mindsera's "go deeper" function and was met with the prompt "What does true peace feel like for you?" As promised, the prompt helped me reflect on a much deeper level — something I never would've done on my own. It was a simple prompt, but it made me feel heard in a profound way, which I felt made the journaling experience more impactful (and more emotional) as a whole.

Toward the end of my Mindsera testing, I finally decided to ask it a question. "What makes me happiest?" I typed, interested to see if this could clue me in on how to be happier overall. Mindsera quickly gave me a concrete response informed by my former entries. It included moments of creativity (I had previously mentioned my love for dancing, writing, and makeup); adventure and connection with others (citing specific trips I had taken with friends); and small pockets of peace (I wrote a surprising amount about iced coffee). "Ultimately, happiness for you is intertwined with hope," it told me. "Despite the uncertainties and changes in life, you hold onto hope for a beautiful future."

Mindsera is currently only available via desktop, which I felt made it easier to go into detail, or elaborate on specific situations. For some, it may feel a bit intimidating to start writing on a blank canvas, but I liked the creative and emotional freedom this provided. Plus, if you're feeling overwhelmed, Mindsera does provide optional prompts to get you started ("what are you planning for today" or "what small joys currently bring you a sense of connection and hope"). Not to mention the frameworks, if you have a more specific goal in mind. Since I'm already dealing with unresolved emotions, topics bubbled up naturally, and I didn't feel any pressure to hold back, or force my true thoughts to fit within specific parameters.

I was also a big fan of Mindsera's emotion analysis (mentioned earlier), which pops up after every entry like a mini Spotify Wrapped. It gives you a ranking of each emotion detected in your writing (quantified by percentages), giving you an opportunity to see how you're really feeling, and learn more about yourself in the process. These emotions are tracked over time so you can identify patterns and triggers (sources of sadness, happiness, etc.), based on your journal entries. For instance, I learned that many of my entries included an underlying amount of fear. Gratitude and hope, however, were the overarching themes according to my journal insights. Because of its structure, this was the journal I got the deepest with, and I learned a lot about myself, the way I grieve, and the things that make me happiest in the process.

As much as I enjoyed Mindsera, I wasn't always as consistent as I would've liked, seeing as I didn't always have the time or emotional bandwidth required. While I liked carving out time to get deeper in a journal that I actually enjoyed looking back on, I wasn't always eager to whip out my laptop to record an entry after work. As of now, I could see Mindsera working best as the first part of your nighttime routine, or — if you're not trying to dig as deep — as a morning ritual before digging into your inbox.

Despite also being an AI journal, Rosebud operates quite differently than Mindsera. For starters, Rosebud is an app-based tool. Upon opening the app, you're met with the opportunity to record a morning intention, an evening reflection, or start fresh using the pink plus sign at the bottom of the screen. After writing, you'll receive a brief takeaway, a quote, and a summary of your mood and the topics discussed. You can also favorite more specific journals (for gratitude, healing, positivity, relationships, etc.) in the explore tab, and respond to prompts based on former entries. "We've been partnering with experts to develop more unique experiences. We just launched one with a trauma and anxiety therapist," Bader says. There are also different therapeutic modalities that "help expose people to different ways of processing."

"While everyone else was worried about whether AI would become self-aware and take over the world and kill us, we thought it was more interesting whether AI could actually help us become more self-aware," Bader says. The app started on the web over a year ago, and the native iOS and Android app launched this August, taking "the best of everything we learned from the web," Bader says.

Rosebud's insight tab includes writing stats, an emotional landscape with a graph of emojis documenting your written emotions, and key themes mentioned in your journal. There's also a "cast of characters" featuring people you frequently mention. Once you've recorded three entries, you will also receive a weekly report with additional insights that unlock every Saturday. "It'll analyze all of your entries, point out themes, highlight your insights and your wins," Bader explains.

In terms of the response, Bader says it's been overwhelmingly positive so far. "I've been building apps since I was 13 and my whole life, I've never seen this level of feedback before," he says, pointing to someone who used Rosebud to help with their addiction. "They started to use Rosebud and it really helped them get a lot of clarity on things, and they've been two weeks sober." He says another person found Rosebud after struggling with an abusive relationship for more than 16 years. "Four months later, and now they're out of that relationship in the best place they've been in a long time."

Rosebud felt like a very realistic tool, alerting me throughout the day so I remembered to complete an entry in the morning and evening. I liked the idea of having a resource for mental health right at my finger tips, and the accessibility of Rosebud is definitely a big plus. The prompts for both the morning intention and the evening reflection were structured, but quick to complete ("what was the highlight of your day?" or "is there anything worrying you about the day ahead?") and you also have the opportunity to start with a blank page, or go deeper with your entries — which I almost always took.

It didn't take long for Rosebud to identify certain elements of my life that could use some work (like burnout and an unwillingness to rest). But the insights were always delivered in an uplifting way. I liked getting a short, concise takeaway from each of my entries to help start my day on the right foot, and I often contemplated writing them on a sticky note so I wouldn't forget what I had learned. Luckily, you can just bookmark them on the app for easy reflection.

It was interesting to record my thoughts in the morning and night, and Rosebud quickly helped me identify some major imbalances in my life. For instance, while I often set a morning intention to read, rest, or unwind, by my evening reflection, I realized I had devoted all of my energy to work. Although my entries weren't always as deep on this particular app, I still had the opportunity to learn more about myself, with extensions like a gratitude journal, dream journal, and expert-informed journals for everything from nervous system rebalancing to knowing your needs. You also get prompts based on what you've written, quick insights after every entry, and a weekly analysis of your past entries.

As a whole, I found Rosebud easy to navigate but less emotional, and I think this would be ideal for someone looking to make journaling a habit. It's straightforward, doesn't require a ton of time, and provides quick feedback for those looking to make concrete changes in their life.

Rosebud was definitely a practical pick for learning more about myself and identifying areas for improvement. The reminders were helpful, but I didn't always feel as motivated to go deeper with my emotions (the way I did with Mindsera). Because I'm dealing with so much grief, my journals are typically where I channel some of these emotions. That said, Rosebud can definitely still teach you a lot about yourself, and I'd say both journals were surprisingly thoughtful in their responses — it really just comes down to which format and insights you prefer.

Every AI journal is different, but the creators acknowledge that some might be skeptical about using AI in their journaling. Bader says Rosebud is currently in the process of becoming HIPAA compliant, but in a special agreement with Open AI and Anthropic, they (and their AI partners) don't retain any of the data that's sent. "It's just processed and discarded," Bader explains. "Putting your data into technology — there's always some risk that carries with that, it's never going to be zero, but we're doing everything that we can, following best practices, storing data encrypted, using trusted technologies, and just putting into practice all the best practices to protect people's data."

Mindsera seconds this ethos around privacy. "We're very privacy oriented and we believe in the privacy of thoughts," Reinberg says, noting that Mindsera is independently funded and hand-raises their money. "It's your head, it should be a secure place," he says.

AI journaling should never serve as a replacement for professional mental health care — in fact, both founders say the journals should be viewed as supplemental. That said, AI journaling did shatter some of my preconceived notions about what journaling "should" be, giving me the chance to reflect, process my grief, and learn about myself in the process. It could also be a great tool for anyone needing additional daily support, or looking for more accessible mental health resources.

As for which AI journal works best, it ultimately comes down to personal preference. If you're new to AI journaling, definitely take advantage of the free trials to see which works best for you and your lifestyle, including your overall goals and preferred format. Pricing tiers for the journals I tried are as follows:

Chandler Plante (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.