In these difficult and worrying times more and more of us are feeling isolated and lonely even if we are part of a family. There maybe work and financial problems that you are wrestling with silently. Difficulty sleeping can add to your problems as it makes most of the day appear as if you are in a fog all day long which prevents you from functioning efficiently in your daily routine and chores. Your attention is being fought over by technology and responsibilities. Too much in your head a real challenge to know where to start. There are many ways we can help improve our stresses and anxieties there is a lot of information online about ways you can tackle these issues.

However I thought I would focus on Journaling which is not widely discussed as a tool to relieve stress and anxiety. There are a myriad of reasons how journaling can help us and a myriad of reasons why you may want to journal.

There has been research into daily journaling which found the benefits to journaling cover a range benefits.

1. Stress Relieve. By writing down your feelings allows you to brain dump all you anxieties, frustrations and worries. See everything down on paper as it comes out can give you a different perspective of what is worrying you preventing you from functioning. It is a good way to release tension and expressing yourself.
2. Self-Reflection. The day can whizz past you in a blur in the non-stop 24 hour world we live in. We tend to perform daily tasks on auto-pilot. Journaling is a way of stopping to take a breath and take a step back look back over our day and taking notice of what actually has happened and how you did that day. It also allows you to notice what we can be grateful for realising not all is bad in day.
3. Keep Thoughts Organised. It is good way to plan your day/life by categorising your thoughts and prioritising problems fears or concerns.
4. Boost Memory. It is shown that your brain makes stronger connections if you write down so it is more likely that your memory will improve as your brain will store information better.
5. Inspire Creativity. Writing a journal daily is a great way to release your creativity. You can write whatever you like with no restrictions which will allow you to explore your inner creativity and let your imagination run wild.
6. Set and Achieve Goals. This is a great way to put down your goals, ambitions and milestones and to monitor your progress, helps with motivation.
7. Record Ideas. If you have your pen and paper close to hand you put down ideas as they come to you. Many a creative has woken up in the middle of the night to write down an idea that came to them in a flash. It is a great way to keep all your ideas in one place and you can revisit when looking for new ideas.
8. Improve Your Writing. Daily writing is improving your writing as you are training or practicing without realising it. This could lead to a new hobby or career in blogging or even a novelist, poet or rapper.

All the above has been shown to manage anxiety, reduce stress, cope with depression. It also has the benefit of improving your mood, track and monitor patterns of behaviour that trigger negative emotions. Once these triggers have been recognised you can then learn strategies to control your negative ways.

Tips of How to Journal

Journaling is an inexpensive to help yourself. All you need is a pen and notebook or diary and a way of staying away from technology.

Make an effort to write every day. Best to set aside a few minutes in the morning and or evening before bed .

Have the pen and pad handy and easily accessible. i.e. next to your bed. Do not over think what you are writing just let it pour out of you.

Don’t worry about grammar or spelling no one will see it so do not restrict what you write.

Share your thoughts with someone if you feel it is appropriate. You do not have read what you have written but over some period you may want to look over what have written and notice how things were and if your worries were warranted.

Health All Ways