The Benefits of Journaling
+20 Journal Prompts for Stress and Anxiety Reduction
“Writing in a journal reminds you of your goals and of your learning in life. It offers a place where you can hold a deliberate, thoughtful conversation with yourself.”
– Robin Sharma
The benefits of journaling hold more value for sensitive souls than you’d think at first glance.
When we face emotionally challenging times in our lives it can feel as though we are drowning. The emotional stress and overwhelm crowd our focus and weaken our strength. Until all we are left with is the deafening noise of unanswered questions, what if’s, and possibilities before us. In those times a sensitive soul is at their weakest. Self-care goes out the window making room for self-criticism, people-pleasing, and overanalyzing. Sensitives have a deep need to feel understood and heard, and when that does not happen we turn to those familiar destructive behaviors that only serve to further our misery.
It is not a priority to find the hidden meaning behind why you are suffering when you are in the middle of drowning. When you are barely able to keep yourself afloat is when you need help the most, and yet as many sensitives have introverted tendencies, it is when we isolate the most.
The loss of a loved one, the building anxiety of not having a home, of daring to take a leap of faith in a long-awaited dream; I’m familiar with it all. Whatever your particular trigger is that brought on the spiral of self-destruction and uncertainty I gladly recognize with you that it sucks.
Here in the pages of In-nested, I try to spin a positive view of things. As a sensitive myself, I am familiar with the struggles we face and the innate tendencies we have to self-neglect.
Self-neglect is the nemesis to living a life in tune with our sensitive nature. This self-neglect can further our inability to resolve those triggers, leaving us in this messy pile of emotional confusion.
As the quote above says, journaling is having a deliberate and thoughtful conversation with yourself. When all you want to do is run and hermit you are procrastinating the healing process. Hermiting can be useful, for a time, before it can turn destructive itself. People need people, even introverts. But if you are not yet ready to take that step and ask for help, I recommend journaling.
The Benefits of Journaling
Keeping a journal is an endless form of self-expression. You can write about the things you love, about your day, you can doodle your feelings, note inspiration, goals, or whatever happens to cross your mind at the time. Anything and everything you experience can be immortalized in written form.
Sensitives oftentimes feel afraid to express themselves fully. Leading a half-filled life from fear of rejection or criticism from those around us.
Self-expression allows for growth in self-confidence.
A confidence that enables the important ability to share your thoughts and feelings with the world.
Journaling allows you to keep track of your thoughts and emotions over time. It is a healthy way of accepting, processing and releasing negative or unwanted emotions and feelings. Likewise, tracking your thoughts and emotions over time is a healthy way to measure the progression of goals, and development of character, while creating a safe place for the deepest parts of your heart to come out.
Empaths and introverts alike are self-reflective and intuitive people. Sensitives need a safe outlet for their deepest fears, greatest imaginings, and everything in between.
When the stress of life creeps up on us writing out your thoughts in a journal is a safe and healthy way of venting your stress. Research shows other ways in which journaling can help improve our lives as follows:
- Aids in problem-solving
- Helps you work through and track your emotions
- Reduces Stress
- Works as a Coping Mechanism
- Boosts your Mood
- Enhances your sense of self
- Improves your writing skills
How to introduce journaling into your everyday routine
1. Set a time every day and be consistent.
Scheduling time for journaling into your day will make sure you are prioritizing yourself and your well-being. We often can become overwhelmed with all the things we need to get done in the day. This overwhelm can lead to self-neglect, when we shove our needs to the bottom of the totem pole. When we make sure we etch out 5-10 minutes just for ourselves and our thoughts, it can drastically improve your outlook throughout the rest of the day.
Feel free to experiment with what times work best for you. I suggest setting a particular time each day to start the habit. Over time as your schedule and lifestyle change, play around with when works best for you.
The important part of tracking progress is making sure you stay consistent. That doesn’t mean you can miss a day or even a week. Life gets busy! Even a monthly check in can help show progress at the end of a year.
2. Save the Date
Be sure to keep track of the date in each entry. This will allow you to be able to look back on your emotional progress and check in with your goals. This is a simple way of encouraging growth when you can see the tangible development of your mindset over time.
3. Be honest
This journal is for your eyes only. If you have problems and issues that you are not yet comfortable sharing with others, getting the opportunity to write them out so they are not swirling around in your mind anymore can help make the situation seem a little bit clearer. Confronting those thoughts is so freeing and empowering to a sensitive mind. It relieves the stress of holding onto something that should be let go, or at the least faced with honesty. So don’t hold back, and make sure you are in a safe and comfortable space to help facilitate your writing.
4. Get guidance
If you don’t know what to write about and feel blocked, one of the best ways to help get the mental flow going would be to use journal prompts. Guided questions are meant to help us think more introspectively. Below you will find a list of some of my favorites. Simply write out the journal prompt at the top of your page and let the question take you where it will.
Journal Prompts for Stress and Anxiety:
- Today, I am thankful for…..
- My favorite accomplishment is….
- I am anxious when….
- I felt sad when….
- What is one thing I wish I could change…
- My happiest memory is…
- What’s been bugging me lately?
- Make a list of 15 things you love about yourself…
- What is one-way stress and anxiety have held me back this week? What could you do to change that?
- Write yourself a letter forgiving yourself for something that has happened in your past.
- Create a list of activities you love that reduce your stress and anxiety. Make a plan to add at least 3 activities to your schedule this week.
- Write a letter to your younger self. What advice can you give them to better navigate their mental health?
- What does self-investment mean to you? How do practice this in your daily life?
- Write down three things that cause you anxiety. Brainstorm 1–2 ways you can combat these triggers when they come up.
- What are 3 things about yourself you wish others knew? How could you share these things with others more?
- Choose an inspirational word for the week. What does it mean to you? And how can you live your life this week with that word in mind?
- Make a list of 10 accomplishments you’ve made that you are proud of.
- What is something I need to let go of? Why am I holding onto it?
- Think of a time when you failed at something. What did that experience teach you?
- Do I notice signs of anxiety, stress, or worries in others? How?
Final Notes:
The desire to record our thoughts and preserve our personal stories is not a new endeavor. The earliest diaries date back to fifteenth-century Italy, where journals used for accounting turned into personal reflections. Since that time the methods of journal-keeping have evolved from pen and paper to virtual notebooks and video recordings.
What was once a personal writing session is now a vocation known on the interwebs as vlogging. How fun!
The most important tip for journaling is to just start. You don’t have to feel like you are a good writer, or write anything profound or “perfect.” Just write what comes to you naturally, without judgment or worry. Let this be an excuse to have fun and have some quiet me-time. Light a candle, go outside on a mat, surround yourself with beautiful things, and write what comes to mind.
Journaling has many benefits, with an underlying theme of self-investment. Investing in ourselves is an act of love as we prioritize our needs now and in the future. Sensitive souls have to balance all the emotions and thoughts of those around us as well as our own. It is easy to believe we may need help with that at times.
My practice with journaling has been a long road of procrastination, indecision, hope, and recently freedom. Spending a few quiet moments to myself at the end of the day re-capping my thoughts, documenting exciting moments, expressing gratitude, and dreaming big dreams has changed my mindset for the best.
I encourage you to try out journaling, and hope you find these journal prompts to be helpful as you continue in your pursuit of an authentic and fulfilled life. Best of luck and write on!
Until next time,
