Stress is something many people deal with, but if you are having a hard time getting a handle on it, it might be time to look for another stress relief outlet. Journaling is recommended for all forms of mental health, including your stress levels. Here are some tips to follow when you want to keep a journal in order to help with your stress.
Start a Gratitude Journal
A really good way to start relieving your stress with journaling is to keep a gratitude journal. This is not a regular journal where you express all your feelings and emotions, but try to keep it light and positive. You use it to focus only on the good things in your life. Try to post in it every day and write only about what you are grateful for. Even on the worst day, there should be something you can be grateful for. Perhaps you had a terrible day when your car broke down, you forgot your lunch, then it was even worse when you got to work. But then you got to go home and see your family, and that was the bright part of your day. That is what you want to write down in your gratitude journal.
Write About Your Day
Another way to use journaling for relieving your stress is to go the other direction and write about everything that goes on during the day. For many people, this helps with stress because you no longer feel like you are bottling everything up. It can be a really great way to be free of all this tension, anger, and frustration you feel each day. Write in the journal as much as you need to, whether once at the end of the day, or throughout the day when you are experiencing something difficult.
Bring the Journal Everywhere With You
It is a good idea to choose a smaller journal that is easy to carry with you wherever you go. This will allow you to write in the journal whenever you need to. There might be a time when you are at work and you just had a run-in with your boss, and you need to write about it. Or you could be in the car waiting for an appointment that has you nervous, and you want to write down some of your thoughts before you head into the appointment. It can be really therapeutic to have that journal to write in whenever these things come up.
