At times, anxiety can be amazing.
Truly, that nervous feeling before your work presentation or exam might just push you to plan and problem solve. You leave feeling proud of the effort you put into earning your success.
Anxiety becomes a disorder, however, when feelings of fear and worry are persistent, excessive, disproportionate to the situation, and interfere with daily functioning, work, or relationships. This type of ongoing anxiety can cause you to actually freeze in your ability to plan or problem solve.
Within therapy, you can identify triggers to your anxiety, develop coping skills to challenge distorted thoughts and brainstorm ways to make life changes to combat your anxiety.
But what are you to do with the remaining 167 hours in the week that you’re not in therapy to help you manage (and then thrive)?
Meet my friend: Journaling.
Perhaps you haven’t journaled since the mandatory 8th grade English class prompts (loved those, Ms. R!). But trust me, you’re never too young or old to get into it. I see 5-year-olds journaling their anxiety as little tornados all over the page. I see 70 year old grandpas journaling with mailed letters to their loved ones.
The benefits of journaling? It promotes emotional regulation, helps organize racing thoughts and interrupts rumination cycles. Additionally, it gives you an outlet for that creativity that’s been waiting to shine!
Take these steps to become an anxiety-busting-all-star:
Step 1: Find yourself a beautiful notebook you love, a pen that glides across the page and at least 10 minutes to write. Don’t pause to edit or spell-check, just flow. This is for you and no-one else. Unless you turn it into a blog post or book later down the road…
Step 2: Free-write to your heart’s content! Or use prompts if you’re needing more structure. One I love and use for both adults and teens is from the Creative Journal for Teens.
Draw a picture of a challenge or problem you are facing in your life right now. Give the picture a title.
Write a conversation with the challenge you drew in your picture. Write the dialogue as if it’s a script for a play.
Look at your picture of the current challenge in your life. Now draw a new picture showing how you would like the situation to be. Then write about what you drew in your picture.
Step 3. Look at your writing after a month. Where have you made small changes? Where are you stuck? Bring this feedback to therapy, or share with a trusted friend or relative.
Other prompts for journaling for anxiety:
What’s one thing that’s been weighing on my mind, and what do I want to say about it, without holding anything back?
When did I last feel calm, safe or content? What made me feel that way?
What are three things in my life I’m grateful for? Why?
For more support in managing your anxiety contact me here. Together, we’ll figure out what your anxiety is telling you. Then we’ll get you back on track to the life you want to be living.
Workbook Resources:
