Journaling to Relieve Stress

How to Write A Journal

What is Journaling?

Are you getting stressed out daily? Do you find yourself unable to express your feelings? If you answered yes to any of to these questions then journaling is an option that you might not want to ignore. Journaling is a method of keeping a record of your deepest thoughts and feelings about any event, issue, or experience. Correct sentence structure, grammar, and spelling are not mandatory while journaling, which makes it less of a hassle. Setting aside ten to thirty minutes of your time each day can prove to be the most therapeutic minutes of your day.

Things you will need:

ü  Time,

ü  Pen, and

ü  Paper or a portable notebook.

Here are the steps required to begin writing a journal:

1.   Find time (10-30 minutes), typically at the end of the day, and a peaceful place for your journal writing where you can go on a day-to-day basis.

2.   Think about what you admired the most today and what you liked the least. As you are thinking, jot down what comes to your mind in your notebook (Note: you are not limited to writing on this topic see below for more topics).

3.   Write down your most significant stressors you experienced today and how you coped with them. This will help you learn how to handle stressful situations as you continue this journal on a daily basis. Some examples of significant stressors might include, but are not limited to:

a.      Fired from job

b.      Personal injury or illness

c.       Career change

d.      Change in schools

e.      Outstanding personal achievement

f.        Minor violation of the law

g.      Death of close family member

h.      Revision of personal habits

4.   Keep this journal handy and with you wherever you go. Whenever you feel stressed out or feel like you need to jot something down, do so. You can always make multiple journals. For example, you may have one at your workplace and one at your home. This will keep you alert on how you respond at home vs. how you respond at work.

5.   Keep your journal private and away from eyes of others so that no one will read about your thoughts. This is an important step for making your experience of journaling worthwhile.

Some Topics for Journaling:

Here are some of the topics that you might want to write about:

§  The qualities that make a best friend are…

§  My worst mistake was…

§  Describe a dream that you had recently. Provide as many details as possible.

§  Tell five things you'd like to do on your next birthday.

Closing  Thoughts on  Journaling

Now that you know how to write a journal and what you could write about, it is important that you understand the benefits of journaling. Studies have shown that journaling decreases symptoms of asthma and may improve cognitive function. It is a great way to relieve stress. It also helps with your emotional healing. Journaling is a great way to help you understand yourself. It makes you wonder and learn about how you react to situations, and it helps you to evaluate yourself.

Stress affects your health in a bad way; make journal a companion today.