The Power of Journaling for Anxious Minds
Anxiety & Journaling
Anxiety is often defined as having racing thoughts or overthinking. These are two of the common symptoms. Often, these symptoms how up at nighttime. Difficulty falling asleep or the inability to fall back to sleep are common among individuals who experience anxiety. These symptoms may appear during other times of the day. It varies for each person.
One way to manage your anxious brain is to engage in journaling. It can be in a journal, notebook or even on your phone. There is an actual app called “Journal” on some phones.
Journaling works for some people and not others. It’s up to you to try it. You may be surprised.
Why Journaling Helps with Anxiety?
Writing down your thoughts can be helpful for a few reasons:
When dealing with anxiety, our thoughts are internalized. Getting out thoughts down on paper gets them out of our head. Externalizing these thoughts can be helpful. The thoughts appear more manageable. You can focus on what action you can take to help reduce the anxiety.
Externalizing your inner thoughts can allow to reflect and pay attention to patterns. Regular journaling may help you identify patterns and notice triggering events or people. Journaling can be used a tool to help you know yourself better and gain control.
Journals allow for a judgement free and safe place to express your inner thoughts. You may have to figure where to store your journal depending on your living situation.
How do I journal?
There is no correct way to journal. You are not going to do it wrong. There are several types of journal entries you can use. Again, it is a personal decision.
Stream of Consciousness – You write what is in your head. You include everything.
Gratitude Lists –Each day or week, you identify what you are grateful for in your life.
Anxiety or Depression Logs - Keeping track of your mood can be helpful for you to identify patterns, triggers or what coping skills work best for your.
Letter Writing – This exercise is one I encourage clients to use. Write a letter to your future self or your past self. Write a letter to a family member, friend or someone who hurt you. This letter is for you only and it is not to be sent to the person. You can discuss it in therapy if you’d like to send a second or third draft to the person in your life. Avoid sending the first draft of the letter.
Prompted Journaling – Some clients enjoy using prompts which encourage you to reflect on specific topics. Finding journal prompts are easy. Some journals come with prompts. You can find journal prompts on Instagram, Etsy or even using ChatGPT.
How to Overcome Common Fear?
“What if I don’t know what to write?” - If you are new to journaling, start small and try it for a week. Reflect on what it is like for you. There’s no wrong way to journal.
“What if someone finds my journal and reads?” → You are sharing your inner thoughts and want to keep them private. This a common fear that others may find it and read it. Consider ways to store your journal. If you use an electronic one, then you can set a password. You may hide it in your room or the glovebox of your car. Get creative.
“What if it makes me feel worse?” → You are correct it may make your feel worse initially. It may give you some thing to consider. If you have a therapist, talk to your therapist about feeling worse. If you continue to feel worse, reach out to a mental health provider or someone you trust to discuss your feelings.
Conclusion
Journaling can be a helpful tool. For some people, it becomes a regular coping skill to mange their emotions. Journaling doesn’t work for everyone. Try it and see if it helps you.
