Member-only story
Writing your way to relief
How journaling can solve your problems
I’ve had a journal since I was a teenager. Fourteen, I think. But even then my journal was never a “Dear Diary” type of journal. It was always more of what I felt from the day. So, when I look back at all the journals that I have, I mostly pages and pages filled with my feelings, sprinkled with important life events.
My journal was never a place for whether a crush looked at me or talked to me. It was always a way for me to process my feelings. It was more an internal reflection of my thoughts and often words of self-reproach for not doing the best I could.
The one that’s changed in all these years is the fact that I no longer care what’s written. There was a time that I was worried about someone reading it, or what would happen to them if someone else found them. I don’t care anymore. I write freely and without hesitation now. I often even rant in my journal and that helps.
So how do I process my anxiety through journaling?
- I start with a note of gratitude — something, anything I am grateful for
- I write about what’s bothering me or what’s causing me anxiety
- I write about all the negative things that could happen
- This leads me to write about what I could do…
