There are many methods and tools people use to help with their anxiety, whether it is autumn anxiety during the fall season, to anxiety throughout the rest of the year. One of our favorite tools is using a journal, which has a long list of benefits for your mental health.
Here are some tips for using a journal to help combat your anxiety.
Getting Started with a Journal
Why journal for anxiety? The act of writing in your journal is very therapeutic, and helps reduce anxiety for a number of reasons. First, it can help you get those anxious thoughts and fears out of your head. Anxiety worsens when we focus too much on what we are afraid of, so just writing out what you’re thinking can help a lot.
Journaling is also good for finding clarity, when your anxiety is from specific situations that have been frustrating you. Maybe this fall season, you are trying to make a big decision, and getting anxious over your inability to know the right path to take. Just writing about it can help you get the clarity you need.
It is also a good activity for distracting your mind when you are going through a panic attack or a particularly bad anxiety day.
What to Write About
The great thing about journaling is that you can write about anything and everything! Just pick up a journal you like, along with some great pens, and get writing. To make it easy, here are some ways to get started:
- Write about your day. – If you ever used a diary as a pre-teen, you probably know what writing in a diary is like. You can journal the same way, where you just write about your day, how it went, what your mood was, if anything is bothering you, and what your plans are for tomorrow. A lot of stuff comes up just from this simple journaling method.
- Do a 5-minute stream of consciousness. – Another way to journal for your anxiety is stream of consciousness writing. This is a brain dump where you just write whatever comes to mind, switching topics as much as you need to, as long as you keep writing. Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes, and just make sure you are writing something the entire time.
- Use a journaling prompt. – When all else fails, find some journaling prompts that are for people with anxiety, and you should have great luck with deciding what to write about.
Journaling for the Fall Season
If you are experiencing anxiety in the fall season, there is no reason you can’t journal about that specifically! What is it about fall that is making you anxious? How are you feeling? What fears do you have? What changes can you make to ease any stress you currently have?
Try to shift to a more positive mindset by writing down some fun activities you have planned for the fall, like a fall bucket list, and see how you feel when you’re done.
