Hello, everybody! Welcome! Today I will talk about journaling and stress relief. How are they related? How can journaling help you to reduce stress naturally and easy?
So finally you bought some beautiful notebooks and wanted to start a journal or diary. But you are more confused than ever. Are you not sure how to start? What to write in a journal? How is it working? You just can’t sit all day looking at a blank page. Can you?
Don’t worry, my friend, you will start at no time, and you will be surprised why it was so difficult to begin. Beginnings is always a little bit difficult because you are not used to them – new feelings, new emotions, new responsibilities, new schedule, basically new everything.
What To Write In A Journal?
I write a diary almost every day, and I love it. But even for me sometimes it’s hard to think what to write. I just don’t want to write about mundane and uninteresting things. Write something because you should write a journal every day, it’s horrible. You will stop doing that because it will become uninteresting and boring to you. Why doing something that is no interest to you? That can make everything worse for yourself and wouldn’t help you with stress management.
So what to write about and feel joy while doing it? I will give you some ideas what to write about in your journal. These ideas not only help you to know what to write about but let you reduce stress by journaling.
1. Your Deepest Thoughts, Feelings, And Emotions
A true essence of journaling is to write your deepest feelings, thoughts, and emotions. To put everything on the paper can help you to understand what is really important to you and let go of stress. You can write about what makes you stressful. Write your feelings of joy, anger, love or sadness. If something is in your mind that bothers you or you are constantly thinking about, write it down.
Some time ago I wrote poems in my diary. You can do that too. Just try! Maybe you will even become a poet. 🙂 But the most important thing is that it will let you express yourself and your feelings.
2.Things That Impact You
It’s a good idea to write about things, events that impacted you in some way. For stress management, is great to write about them, and you need to reflect on your experiences of everyday life. You can also write down ideas and articles you read and what kind of impact they have on you. Which books touched your heart? What movies made you laugh and forget about stressors that are constant reminders of upcoming deadline?
3.Your Goals And Dreams
How amazing is to write your deepest goals and dreams? Imagine even seemingly impossible dreams, unbelievable goals! How that makes you feel? In this way, you can put your priorities straight, and you can forget about stress by thinking about something that you want to achieve. At least, it helped me. What about you? You can even write small goals, your weekend plans. When you have something to live for, something amazing waiting for you, it’s easier to manage stress.
4.Some Things You Are Grateful For
Being grateful always helped me to understand the most important things in my life and feel happy. Gratitude is a powerful feeling that can let you reduce stress, manage it easier.
Some people even keep gratitude journals because they are grateful for things in their life and want to write them down. If you understand that you have amazing people, things, experiences in your life, then you can manage stress much better. Being grateful always lifts up your spirit, it makes you feel worth it like you should, because of that you can reduce or even eliminate stress from your life. You understand that many of the stressors are temporary, and they will pass, but things that are constant and great in your life will stay.
Journal Your Way To Stress Relief
Journaling could help you identify what is causing the stress or anxiety you are feeling. I am sure you know that if you are aware of your stressors, it is much easier to resolve the problems and reduce stress. Writing down your emotions, feelings, and thoughts let you understand them. Why do you need to that? It’s because if you understand the issue clearly, you can do something about it. You always should know the cause, only then you can resolve any problem, and, in this case, reduce stress.
Creative activities such as writing can reduce stress. Some studies show that journaling helps with stress and anxiety relief, but scientists aren’t exactly sure how it works. Do you need somebody to tell you how it works? Just try and see for yourself! Journal your way to stress relief!
Conclusion
Now you know what to write in a journal, right? Journaling is an amazing way to stress relief, but it can’t be for everybody. Don’t worry if it isn’t for you! There are many ways to reduce stress naturally. 🙂
I would love to know your stories. How writing a journal help you with stress relief? What are you usually writing in your diary? Please write your comment, suggestions, and questions below. I would be happy to discuss these things with you.
If you enjoyed this article, please share it and let other people know.
Until next time
Linda Mo
The Founder of How To Reduce Stress Naturally
hi Linda, thanks for this. I remember I started writing my journal when I was 8 yrs old, not because I wanted to write random things, but to organize my daily schedule as I was elected as Class President. (yes, at such a young innocent age). This relationship with a pen and paper blossomed that even with the advent of technology, I still prefer writing it. This relationship also blossomed that as I grew up, I also started writing some thoughts and what I felt. I doodle ideas, my feelings, songs, and even my own signature which I wanted to perfect. Now reading your article, it dawned on me that by having this special relationship with my pen and notebook, it was also my way to release and express myself and to experience a sense of balance. Subliminally, it is my way of reducing my stress and anxiety. Thanks for this great read. I appreciate your candor and passion =)
Hi, JR! What an amazing comment! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your story!
Writing for me is something great. When I write, I feel balanced and in harmony. I fully agree with you.
It is great that journaling helps you with stress relief.
Thank you! 🙂
What a helpful post Linda! The use of journaling is a super way to relieve stress. I have used journaling, mostly through the most difficult times in life. It has a way of providing a reflection of what is going on in your life at those particular times, leaving you with your own thoughts, standing right in front of you to face. Being grateful is definitely a must, so journaling those things tend to help most people overcome obstacles. Journaling is widely used in the professional field. Thanks so much for sharing this great information. A true helper for everyone.
Hi, Paula! I am glad to hear it. Journaling truly helps so many people to reduce stress, let them understand their feelings, thoughts and overcome obstacles. Very well said, Paula!
Thank you! 🙂
Linda, I’m so glad I found your site. You have a genuine personality in your writing that makes it easy to read to the end. I appreciate the points you made especially about learning about yourself. And I did become a poet as a result of journaling. I am your witness. I like your images too. They are rich in color and application to the topic, very warming. Blessings!
Alan, thank you for your comment! I hope you will return here. 🙂 What a compliment!
Really? So you are a poet. Interesting.
It is amazing that you liked it. Thanks!
I have always loved writing and have several diaries, but I am choosy what to write about. Only when there is some notable events or maybe I have an inspiration or feelings about something then I will write. So my journal entries are sparse but valuable (to me). Now with blogs so accessible, I can write anywhere, but I will still stick to the principle of writing important stuff 🙂
Hi! You always need to do everything how you like. You don’t need to write more because people tell you to. It needs to be natural. I think that everything in our lives is important. 🙂
Thank you!
My sentiments exactly! Don’t do everything just because you need to, do things that you like and will enjoy. My motto is, live life to the fullest!
Thanks for the detailed post Linda! You provide a great stepping stone for those who have never picked up a pen. To know journals help with stress relief is amazing. Do you write a certain time of day?
Hi, Melissa! I am glad you think that this is useful to you. I usually write before going to sleep, but not always.
It is truly amazing that journaling helps with stress relief. 🙂
Thanks!
Thank you, many great ideas here about how to write a journal. I don’t do that today, but I can see the point. One thing that I found that I could do is writing down the things I’m grateful for and also things that inpact me and my reflections. I have you been writing a journal for a long time? I have tried sometimes but I haven’t for any longer periods.
Hi! I think you need to try, and I am sure it can help you. I have a journal for a very long time, but I didn’t write every day. Now I write almost every day, and I enjoy that. It helps to understand my emotions.
Thanks! 🙂
Hi Linda… what an amazing article. I started journaling years ago and I learnt this from Oprah Winfrey. Now I have years of such journal, that sometimes when I go through I tend to have goose bumps. It’s funny how some things we tend to worry about things that do not happen. With the power of journaling we end up realising this and this helps with our mindset. I have now turned my journal into gratitude journal. I write everything I am grateful for, be it little or big…if I have it or am expecting it…rather than mourning I don’t have it, I am grateful for it.
Thanks for sharing such an amazing article. Enjoyed reading it and I can definitely relate to it.
Hi, Aisha! Thank you for telling me your experience with journaling. It helps a lot of people to understand their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and let go of stress, worry, anxiety.
A gratitude journal is a very empowering thing. When we understand, that we have everything, we feel happy. 🙂
Thank you!
This is great information. I agree, knowing what to write about is the hardest part of starting a journal. All of these are great ideas. I have focused on a gratitude journal and that is very helpful for staying positive. I particularly like the idea of writing down what is causing you stress and why. I think that is a great way to get to the core matters. Thanks for the suggestion.
A gratitude journal helps to appreciate what I have and be happy. If we write down things that are causing stress, it will be much easier to understand and maybe solve problems and reduce stress.
Thanks!