Here's Why an Anxiety Journal Helps to Reduce Stress and Boost Wellbeing
Anxiety and stress - they're constantly underestimated for their impact on our wellbeing. There are countless books and courses on anxiety management, but the best way to take control of anxiety is through your own actions. Writing in an anxiety journal helps to reduce stress and boost wellbeing by encouraging you to make anxiety and stress management an integral part of your daily life.
Mental Wellbeing and Journaling: Can Anxiety Journals Be Therapeutic?
The answer is absolutely ‘yes’! It's important to remember that an anxiety journal can never replace therapy, but for daily anxiety and stress management, and to boost wellbeing, it can transform your mental health. We all experience anxiety and stress, but anxiety becomes a problem when it spirals out of control, stopping you from enjoying the things you love.
An anxiety journal helps to reduce stress and anxiety, because it provides a clear structure for working on your anxiety and stress management. An anxiety journal is like a fitness trainer for your brain. Just as a trainer encourages you to complete push ups and 5k walks, an anxiety journal encourages you to work on anxiety management, helping you fit mindfulness into your routines, and accomplish things that make you anxious
How Mindfulness in an Anxiety Journal Helps With Stress
Stress can become an ingrained response to challenging situations, disrupting your overall wellbeing. An occasional mindfulness session can only help in the short term. To be truly effective, anxiety and stress management needs to be a part of your routine.
An anxiety journal displays your month in advance. Plot in any major events and appointments, so you can see your free time clearly. Set aside at least ten minutes each day to focus on anxiety management through mindfulness. If there's an especially anxiety-inducing event coming up, give yourself ample time before and afterwards for mindful breathing or a guided imagery walk to improve your wellbeing.
Your morning mindfulness routine should empower you for the day ahead. A short session of mindful breathing, followed by reciting a positive affirmation is a huge morning motivator. For anxiety management in the evening, your body and mind need to relax. Choose a restful meditation technique, such as expressing gratitude for the people and opportunities of your day, or visualising nature, for example, the journey of a stream.
Examples for Entries in a Anxiety Journal to Boost Wellbeing
As well as structuring your anxiety and stress management, an anxiety journal can boost wellbeing by providing space to express your emotions. When anxiety builds inside us, it's difficult to explore the reasoning behind our thoughts and fears. Keep a thought record in your anxiety journal. When an anxious thought strikes, write about what your fear was, and what you were doing when anxiety hit. Were there any particular triggers? What might make the situation better?
To develop your stress management further, you can also use the anxiety journal to record positive experiences. Anxiety management is about learning to strip anxiety of its power. This means transforming it into a smaller part of your life by remembering all the positives around you - from the best friend you can always rely on, to the nice chat you had with a colleague. Write about new opportunities you want to reach out for. Maybe there's a new language you want to learn, or an online community group you want to join. Keep notes about your progress in your anxiety journal.
If you're looking to tackle anxiety and stress management, an anxiety journal is a great place to start. Anxiety management can seem a huge task at first glance, but with an anxiety journal, your anxiety management goals are structured in an ordered and clear way. You can then use your anxiety journal as a personal space to practice mindfulness, and improve your overall mental wellbeing.
