Does jotting your thoughts help with stress & anxiety?

Hey there, Sunshine!

You had a lovely night’s sleep and you’re all set for the new day. But suddenly, there’s this storm of thoughts rushing through your mind and just in a split-second, you don’t feel like carrying on with your day anymore. 

Don’t worry, this happens to the best of us, almost everyday. 

Very often we find our minds spiralling with thoughts, replaying old problems over and over again. The thoughts can be about a situation where you wished you had a perfect comeback, or a stressful day at work or even some unresolved anger from a breakup. 

Often it starts with negative thinking that leads to a spiral of thoughts and in no time, the stress kicks in. 

Journal writing or even letter writing can be great ways to control stress and conquer the battles of your mind. Be it anxiety, anger, stress, or negative thinking. Whatever the problem, jotting down your thoughts can certainly help. 

But how? Well, keep reading… 

Whenever you feel your thoughts are getting out of control, start by meditating for 10 wholesome minutes. Give your entire attention to your breath. Your mind might seem to wander away but every time it does, come back to that gorgeous wave of your breath. These 10 minutes of meditation will help prevent further negative thoughts from kicking in.

Once you’re done meditating, it’s time to assemble your very own stress management kit. 

All you’ll need is a pen, a journal and you. That’s all folks.

Journal writing requires no particular format or order. It’s just the art of your mind that paints it’s magic on the paper. So no judgements. Write down whatever you feel, no matter how silly it sounds. 

Give it a solid 10-15 minutes of writing. And, once you’re done you’ll be amazed at how light and relieved you feel. Read what you’ve written to get some clarity and organisation of your thoughts. This practice will eventually help you gain control over your thoughts and befriend your mind.

Once you’re done jotting down your storm, don’t forget to smell the roses in your life too. Jot down all your blessings and all the things you’re grateful for. 

‘Fresh air. Nature. Family. My journal. Having food on the table. Being healthy. Being able to write. Being able to see. Feeling alive.’

By the way did you know that practicing gratitude boosts the flow of dopamine - the happy hormone’, in your brain, making it an instant mood lifter.

Also, fun fact: cursive writing is known to develop the thinking, language and memory areas of your brain. It stimulates and synchronizes your left and right hemisphere, something printing and typing certainly cannot do. So might as well, practice journaling in cursive.

Journaling + Cursive =  (Loads of happiness + boosts brain power) - (Anxiety + Stress)

That’s surely a win-win. 

Now you know, what you gotta do to keep ‘em, anxiety and stress, at bay. 

Just open your journal and dive into the beauty of your words. And voila! You’ve just found your way out of stress and anxiety.