8 Ways Journaling Can Help Manage Anxiety
Journaling can be an easy and effective way to help better understand and manage your experience of anxiety.
The very act of writing can be stress relieving, and getting your thoughts down on paper can help you to better understand your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
A recent survey by the Mental Health Foundation found that 73% of respondents reported feeling anxious at least some of the time in the previous 2 weeks. Additionally, anxiety is one of the most frequently reported issues that women experience during perimenopause/menopause.
When anxiety becomes a problem
Anxiety is a common, and normal, human emotion. But it can get out of control, it can feel overwhelming, and it can hold you back from doing things that you want and need to do.
The symptoms of anxiety can include:
A racing heart.
Breathlessness.
Headaches.
Chest pain.
Loss of appetite
(and it’s worth getting the above symptoms checked out with a healthcare professional if you do experience them to rule out any other physical causes).
You may also experience:
Feeling nervous, tense, or fearful for no apparent reason.
Physical tension.
Difficulty relaxing.
Difficulty sleeping.
Irritability.
Difficulty concentrating.
Intrusive thoughts.
Procrastination.
There are many self-help techniques and approaches that can help to manage anxiety, such as using breathwork, getting out in nature, exercising, practising meditation, talking with others. Journaling is another practical way that studies have shown can help people manage anxiety and reduce symptoms, and one that I have found very effective personally.
How journaling can help relieve anxiety
Journaling can simply involve writing down what’s going on for you – what you’re experiencing, what thoughts you’re having, what you’re feeling, and what actions you’re taking (or not taking).
This can help with anxiety because:
When you’re writing, you can only write one thing at a time. Often when we’re feeling anxious, our thoughts can swirl and spiral in a jumble in our minds. To write them down, we are forced to slow down and organise our thoughts. This can help provide clarity on what the real issue is.
It provides an emotional release. Inhibiting unhelpful thoughts and emotions takes a lot of effort and creates further stress. Sometimes, the simple act of venting those thoughts and feelings can be very cathartic. Your journal won’t judge you, won’t argue back, and nobody need ever read what you’ve written.
Once your thoughts are written down, it becomes easier to challenge those thoughts. Are they really true? What evidence do you have to support those thoughts? Could there be alternative interpretations? I have found that once anxious thoughts are written down in black-and-white, the irrationality of many of them often becomes more apparent.
Over time, journaling can allow you to become more aware of unhealthy thought patterns, such as thinking you’re not good enough. Gaining this awareness is the first step towards changing unhealthy thought patterns.
It can help you to better understand how you experience anxiety, for example, what physical sensations you experience, and this can help you identify the techniques that could help you best. For example, if you notice that you breathe very shallowly when anxious, developing a breathwork practice could be very beneficial. If you notice you experience a lot of physical tension, such as clenching your jaw, then learning techniques to counteract this could be helpful.
It can help you identify triggers for your anxiety. Are there specific situations, people, or activities that are triggering your anxiety? Are there certain times of the day or month when you feel more anxious? Are there certain foods or beverages that could be triggering it?
As you gain clarity on what is causing your anxiety, you can start problem solving on what you can do about it. Perhaps it’s a difficulty at work. Through journaling you can brainstorm some ideas of how you could tackle it and then review your options and create a plan of action. Or perhaps it’s something outside of your control – simply acknowledging that can help you accept it and lessen the anxiety.
Writing down what is making you anxious forces you to face the anxious thoughts and feelings. Usually, when we’re feeling anxious and experiencing anxious thoughts, we are trying to make those thoughts and feelings to go away, something that often exacerbates them. Through the process of being with those thoughts and feelings while we journal, we are exposed to them and with repeated practice, this can lead to a reduction in their severity.
Getting started with journaling
Getting started is as easy as grabbing a pen and paper. You can simply write down whatever comes to mind, but you may want to focus on what is worrying you or your experience of anxiety.
You may want to choose a nice journal and pen to use. Or you may prefer to use a digital device or one of the many journaling apps that are available.
Make it a habit
Make it a habit by setting a time of day when you will journal. I prefer first thing in the morning, so that I can start the day with clarity and focus, some may prefer the end of the day. If you are focusing specifically on what is making you anxious, you may want to avoid doing this close to bedtime when the anxious thoughts and feelings could impact on your sleep.
Get creative
If you’re not keen on the idea of writing lots, be creative. Use bullet points, emojis or pictures, write a letter or a poem. Remember that this is just for you so do whatever works best for you.
Need more help?
Journaling can be a helpful part of your toolbox for coping with stress and anxiety. I have used journaling daily for many years now and find it very beneficial to help me work through things that are troubling me.
However, it is not a substitute for professional help. If you are struggling with anxiety and would like a chat about how I help clients to break free from stress and anxiety, click here to arrange your FREE, 30 minute discovery call.
