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Can Journaling Help With Anxiety

‘in Courage’ By Alex Elle From $1346 Available At Amazon Barnes & Noble And Bookshop

Journaling for Anxiety (5 ways you can use a journal NOW)

Many of my saved photos on Instagram come from Alex Elle’s account, and if they’re any indication of what to expect from the journal, it’s likely to be a source of compassion and encouragement for many when it releases later this month.

“In Courage” seeks to guide readers on actionable tasks like setting intentions, all with the goal of developing and maintaining self-love in mind. The balance of journaling activities, creative writing prompts, and mantras all provide different approaches for readers to think and challenge themselves as they use the journal. Upon receiving a digital copy of the journal, I was particularly excited by the “I showed myself love and compassion today by:” prompt, which not only sparked reflection, but motivated me to intentionally be more compassionate toward myself the following day.

Other Important Psychologicalbenefits Of Daily Journaling

Stress, anxiety, depression these are the extreme situations that can be managed with the use of this amazing practice. However, besides the recovery aspects, daily journaling can also facilitate the following benefits:

  • Keeping a journal can boost your long-term well-being, increase the quality of sleep, and diminish the physical pain symptoms.
  • It can increase your levels of optimism, which will directly impact your health and happiness.
  • Journaling can help turn you into a friendlier person, helping you experience positive feelings while engaging with other people.
  • It facilitates personal growth by developing a record of key lessons and ideas that youve discovered on your own. It helps you remember everything more effectively.
  • Journaling can help turn you into a more sensitive and grateful person.
  • It can help you discover your voice, an aspect that can turn you into a professional writer.
  • Keeping a journal gives you the chance to store both your negative and positive experiences. You will be able to come back and observe the person you used to be and gain the necessary inspiration and motivation to keep on progressing.

‘i Guess I’ll Write It Down: A Journal For All Kinds Of Good And Bad Stuff’ By Beth Evans $1049 Available At Amazon And Barnes & Noble

Of all the journals I reviewed, “I Guess I’ll Write It Down” leaves the most room for personal creativity. The journal is essentially made up of blank pages , dotted with hilariously relatable drawings by illustrator Beth Evans â who first cultivated a brand through her resonant comics.

Her most recent title, “Hi, Just a Quick Question: Queries, Advice, and Figuring It All Out,” tackles some of anxiety’s most common questions with a particularly profound level of humanness.

Also Check: Is Depression And Anxiety A Mental Illness

’52 Lists For Calm’ By Moorea Seal From $795 Available At Amazon Target Barnes & Noble And Bookshop

“52 Lists for Calm” begins with a dedication to author Moorea Seal’s therapist, which poignantly addresses the importance of access to mental healthcare for all, her gratitude for her own care, and the hope that the journal inspires readers to seek treatment of their own.

The lists run the gamut when it comes to anxiety management, from listing sources of joy to recognizing bodily responses. Though the journal is certainly guided by Seal’s anecdotal notes, the lists that follow each prompt are to be decided entirely by the reader.

Indulge In A Happiness Overdose

15 Journal Prompts to Help Relieve Stress and Anxiety ...

It has been proven that the feeling of gratitude activates the hormones of pleasure in our brains.

Its raising our mood. This makes us feel less nervous about it.

Just after throwing your concerns on the paper in the morning, you should cheer yourself up by making a note of what youre thankful for.

Let yourself be soaked in it if youre not fully in it, it wont work.

Also Check: What Is The Best Magnesium For Anxiety And Depression

Emotional Physical And Mental Health Benefits

Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing were first introduced by American social psychologist James W. Pennebaker. However, since then a lot of studies have found that journaling for depression and anxiety can significantly help people around the world.

Below are 19 benefits that writing can have on your mental health.

1. A study by APA showed that writing can help to relieve stress by combatting negative and intrusive thoughts. The study explains that writing about negative experiences can help you to overcome them and that, by putting your experience into perspective, you are able to concentrate on the positive as a result.

Additionally, the study found that writing improves working memory, which can contribute hugely to preventing burnout.

2. Expressive journaling has been proven to help reduce depressive symptoms by bringing awareness and understanding to the illness.

Firstly, when you put your feelings on paper, they are easier to analyse. Secondly, writing about mental health struggles helps with understanding the patterns and trains of thought that might lead to a worsening mental state.

3. The benefits of journaling for stress management include decreasing emotional tension. When you feel overwhelmed at the thought of lots of tasks and problems, it can be hard to get your head around them. However, putting these down on paper provides a place for you to organise your thoughts, rather than having them as open tabs in your brain all the time.

Say No To Pressure But Yes To Accountability

Getting into a new habit takes consistency, but journaling shouldnt feel like a chore. To get started, try setting an alarm for the same time each day to do some writing. Stay there as long as you want, whether you have 5 minutes or an hour to spare. If this adds extra stress to your life, try journaling once a week or in moments of anxiety instead.

Also Check: How To Deal With Social Anxiety

Journaling And Stress Management

While anxiety and depression are two serious diseases that must be managed and controlled, their arousal can often be prevented by reducing the levels of stress that we experience each day.

Elizabeth Scott, a successful coach that specializes in stress management, suggests that,

Journaling is an effective method of diminishing the daily stress because it allows you to explore your past and present thoughts, emotions, and actions. It releases tension and helps you fully integrate your past experiences into your mind.

Besides the mentioned effects, keeping a journal can also help you alleviate your stress symptoms through:

  • Improving your immune system
  • Planning out your future actions while taking into consideration more potential outcomes.
  • Reducing symptoms of different health problems.
  • Examining and studying your thoughts and shift your mindset.
  • Reducing promoting and rumination action.

The No Worries Workbook

Journaling to reduce anxiety

Worry looks different for everyone. With 124 lists, activities, and prompts, this workbook can help you navigate whatever is weighing heavily on your mind. Along with various activities to help you de-stress, this workbook also encourages you to be grateful for the good in your life. By getting into the habit of focusing on the positive, youll naturally start to worry less. Check The No Worries Workbook here.

Read Also: Can You Have Anxiety Without Panic Attacks

Keeping A Thought Diary

Keeping a thought diary offers you a way to notice your thought patterns and track how they change over time. Commonly used as part of cognitive behavioral therapy , this exercise asks you to write down your beliefs and then think critically about them.

To get started, create a document or journal page with five columns:

  • Case: In this column, note the current “case” or situation you find yourself in. Explain it briefly, like “Starting a new job,” or “Had a disagreement with a friend.”
  • Feeling: Here, write down the feelings you’re experiencing as a result.
  • Thinking: Note what you’re thinking, and do so authentically. As you record more thought diaries, this is where you’ll notice your thinking patterns and see how they change. In the example of a disagreement with a friend, your thinking may be “They won’t want to talk to me anymore,” or “They dislike me now as a result of our fight.”
  • Illusions: This is your opportunity to think critically about your beliefs. Here, you should identify any illogical ideas that are present. Try to take an evidence-based approach though you may feel anxious about an event, ask yourself if your anxiety is warranted given the facts.
  • Reality: In this column, write down more a realistic outcome of your case. If you’re basing your thoughts on what you assume another person is thinking, for instance, what’s a more realistic approach you could take?

Simple Journaling Prompts For Anxiety

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Are you unsure of what to write in your journal to ease those feelings of anxiety?

If so, then you can use the following 29 journaling prompts for anxiety to free your mind from troubled thoughts.

Many people live in a perpetual state of anxiety.

One anxious thought often leads to another, and then another, until the person is surrounded by these thoughts. It becomes difficult to revert to a worry-free state of mind once these anxious thoughts take over.

In moments like this, journaling can help reduce anxiety. Studies have shown that writing about how a person feels has the potential to ease anxiety in people who have suffered from traumatic events .

Journaling prevents people from drowning in their own fearful thoughts. It also allows them to see their own strengths and discover nuances of their personalities.

Journaling also helps people find solutions to problems they have, as well as accept and learn to let go of things beyond their control.

  • Final Thoughts on These Journaling Prompts
  • Infographic Recap

    Looking for simple journaling prompts that can help you with your anxiety? Read this infographic below to free yourself from anxiety.

    Here are some writing prompts to help you on your journey.

    Read Also: What Causes Social Anxiety Disorder

    ‘create Your Own Calm’ By Meera Lee Patel From $1359 Available At Amazon Target Bookshop And Barnes & Noble

    Artist and writer Meera Lee Patel guides readers through self-acceptance in the face of anxiety with this thoughtfully designed journal. From the introduction the hopeful quotes and illustrations and the challenging yet compassionate prompts, “Create Your Own Calm” positions itself to be as useful as its predecessor, “Start Where You Are.”

    It Helps Get You In Touch With Your Other You

    Anxiety Journal Prompts

    We all have two versions of ourselves. One version lifts us up. This version has goals, dreams, expectations. This version of ourselves gets up early, works really hard and is always motivated.

    Then we have the other version. This version doubts our abilities, reminds us of our insecurities and wants to curl up in bed and never get out.

    We can use journaling to help our anxiety by getting in touch with both of these versions of ourselves. The more we express our insecurities and doubts on paper, the more the positive version of ourself decides to step in and change the tone.

    Prompts:

    • What are some things that are holding me back in life?
    • What can I do to make those things have less of an impact?

    Also Check: What Are The Symptoms Of Anxiety Disorder

    Can A Worry Journal Help You Manage Stress

    What do you do when you feel stressed or worried? Do you vent to anyone who will listen? Or do you calmly jot down your thoughts in a journal?

    For many people, the answer is probably the former and theres absolutely nothing wrong with that. For some, venting may lead to a cathartic release of emotions.

    However, using a journal to jot down your stresses and worries can be an effective tool to help you lean into uncomfortable emotions. It can also help you dissect what youre feeling and provide you with a path forward.

    As someone who has often been described as a born worrier, I know all too well how debilitating worry can be.

    Worry can feed feelings of anxiety, stress, and fear. It can lead to catastrophizing. I can overthink even the most seemingly straightforward circumstance and work myself into a panic.

    Much to my relief, I recently found a way to ease the jumble of worrisome thoughts in my head. Its really quite simple: get them out on paper with a worry journal.

    Like a lot of worriers, I often trawl Google to find the answers to my anxieties.

    It was one such worry-fueled Google search that helped me stumble upon worry journaling, an effective self-care practice that can help manage stress and anxiety.

    The very first time I tried it, I felt a sense of calm wash over me. It was as if those racing thoughts in my head had been halted. I felt like I was inhabiting a different headspace, one that wasnt consumed with constant overthinking.

    Final Thoughts On These Journaling Prompts

    There you have it29 journaling prompts for anxiety to help you achieve a sense of peace.

    It is a challenge to live with any anxiety disorder. However, the outlook is not bleak. Anxiety can be overcome. The fact that youre reading this article is proof that youre taking control of your life.

    One of the ways to overcome anxiety is to keep a journal. We hope that the writing prompts found in this post will be instrumental in your recovery.

    Also, if your feelings of anxiety threaten to overwhelm you and affect your quality of life, it would be a good idea to seek professional help.

    Also Check: How To Reduce Anxiety At The Doctor’s Office

    How To Journal For Anxiety

    First, pick a place to writea quiet, cozy room where you wont be distracted. Then, simply pick up a pen and start writing.

    Most importantly, dont overthink. Just let your thoughts flow onto the page. By writing in a stream-of-consciousness style, youll get an accurate look inside your mind. Even though it feels uncomfortable, dont turn away from your negative emotions. Lean in to them. By acting as an observer of your thoughts, you are taking your power back and protecting your mental health.

    Here at Parade.com, were all about sharing products we love with our audience. When you make a purchase on an item seen on this page, we may earn a commission, however all picks are independently chosen unless otherwise mentioned.

    Tips For Journaling Success

    HOW TO JOURNAL TO HELP ANXIETY

    One important part of having a thought journal that can help manage anxiety is to write in it regularly. It can be hard to get into the habit of journaling, so ask your teen to commit to writing in the journal for at least five minutes per day for the next 30 days. By the time a month has passed, your child will know whether its helping or not. Also, it will have become a habit by that point, so even if they want to skip a day now and then, they will have it ingrained in their minds that the journal is there when its needed.

    Another tip is to let your teen know that spelling and grammar dont count. Teens are sometimes reluctant to write in a journal because theyre used to having their papers marked in red for errors. No one will be looking in the journal, and as long as they can read what theyve written, it doesnt matter if their handwriting looks terrible or if they dont use any punctuation. They can write in cartoon form, use profanity, or do whatever they might feel comfortable doing.

    Recommended Reading: Can You Use An Inhaler For Anxiety

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