How To Journal For Anxiety & Depression

Anyone that has battled anxiety knows how confusing this state can be. It is all a big, piled-up mess that never really goes away. Apart from being haunting, it can be overwhelming to process your thoughts and even explain what you are going through. Unless you find a way of channeling these thoughts, things can deteriorate fast. Fortunately, you do not have to master beating this condition independently.

When the thoughts threaten to drive you insane, make your journal your best friend. Sometimes all you need is an avenue to release these thoughts and have a clear mind. Journaling has proven to be of immense help to those who have tried it before. Therefore, it is not surprising that it is recommended for those battling anxiety and depression. A simple act of journaling your thoughts, fears, and progress helps patients deal with distress, minimize stress, and boost overall well-being. So how and why does it work?

Journaling Helps Patients Unpack their Thoughts

Instead of carrying all the thoughts in your mind, this simply means that you can easily offload the disturbing and overwhelming thoughts in your journal. This gives you a sense of relief and unburdens your mind, making you live a burden-free life. It is essential for people who intend to solve their anxiety. If you feel overwhelmed at specific times and write it down, an analysis of these thoughts at a later stage will reveal a pattern that you can follow whenever you seek professional assistance. It will become easy to note the triggers and avoid them for future reference. Writing it all down helps you and your doctor better understand whatever you are battling. After all, it is never easy to understand mental battles, and journaling can help one figure it out, at least to an extent where they can get help.

It helps you change Your Thought Process

Once you unpack the anxiety triggers and better understand what could be going on in your mind, it becomes easier to change your thought. It may take time and could be a gradual process, but what matters is that you are making progress. Having the thoughts put on paper allows you to re-read and rethink.

For example, you may start your self-healing journey by questioning your irrational fears and beliefs. Once you ask yourself questions such as what is the probability of your fears ever coming to pass and how realistic your penned fears are, the chances are that you will start to rethink the whole thing again. The moment you begin challenging your worries and questioning their legitimacy, and then you trigger a different thought process in your mind and re-wire your system to think positively.

When you do this continuously, there is a high likelihood that you will beat the anxiety and free yourself from its snares. You may slowly start reasoning, and your goal will be to find a solution to your issues instead of over thinking things and getting yourself more anxious and depressed.

How to Journal

Now that you appreciate the importance of journaling for anxiety and depression, you need to find a method that works for you. There are diverse ways to achieve this goal. Some of the common techniques include:

• Writing a letter to self. In this case, the letter could be a forgiveness letter where you let go of things that happened in the past.
• Write down your disappointments and acknowledge the reasons behind them. This will help you reset and deal with the unpleasant feelings.
• Review books, movies, and other things of interest that resonate with you and why.

In the end, your goal is to find a release from your thoughts by writing them down. Note that journaling is never the same for all people. Find what works for you and start dealing with the overwhelming thoughts as soon as possible.