Journaling for Stress Relief

I’ve tried so many ways to fight anxiety, but this simple strategy continues to work best for me: Write one page in my journal. After 11 months of marriage, my wife and I finally just took our honeymoon. Two weeks of hiking in the Azores, exploring Florence, Naples, and Positano, and generally doing whatever we wanted. It was amazing—yet without fail, each day my anxiety would creep up. 2 years ago, I would have buried it deep inside and tried to forget about it. (Which undoubtedly would have lead to a big blow up—more on this later) This time, I grabbed my journal and wrote for a few minutes. I start by writing how I’m feeling—anxious, nervous, tired, homesick—and work my way down the page talking myself through it. Usually this looks something like: “My anxiety is back again. But why is it here? What am I really anxious about? I have a great life, a great family, great friends…isn’t that what really matters? I get to choose how I feel. And it’s okay that I’m anxious. But what if I was grateful instead?…” And on and on. By the time I reach the bottom of the page, my anxiety consistently melts away. Like I said, it’s really simple, but it works exceedingly well. Upon reflection, I had three powerful realizations as to why: 1. Labeling the emotion takes away its power. Anxiety is strongest when you don’t know what it is or why it’s there. As soon as you recognize you’re anxious, write it down, and label it, you’ve taken away its hold over you. You start getting clarity on how you’re really feeling. In simple terms, you take control back. 2. It’s centering. The present moment is so beautiful—and anxiety does everything it can to take you out of the present moment. It wants you to worry about the future, or something you said in the past. So when you go to your journal, instead of following your anxiety to the future or past, you allow yourself to release the anxiety and center yourself in the moment. 3. There is a beautiful release of energy. When you take your anxiety and bury it deep inside you, you are actually holding onto it. As you get more anxious—and keep burying it over and over—more and more energy builds. Eventually, it gets to be too much and it surfaces in a really ugly way (a panic attack, lashing out at your partner, etc.). When you journal, you take the anxious energy, and release it immediately. Maintaining your inner energy consistently like this is so much easier than trying to suppress it. It really is a game changer. I really hope you gained something from this. If you did, follow me, Matt Verderamo, MS, for more. P.S . Shoutout to my friend, Logan Harvey for the Harvey Construction journal. It was a good friend to me on this trip 🤞🏼

If you've ever felt like your brain's a tangled mess of anxieties and deadlines, let me tell you, you're not alone. Sometimes, life throws so much at you that it's like being tossed into a sea of sticky notes. But wait! You can grab a surprisingly simple life raft: a pen and paper. 📝 Here's the deal: the Kindlin Law says just by writing down your problems, you've already solved half of them. It might sound crazy, but think about it. When worries bounce around your head like popcorn kernels, they feel overwhelming. But the moment you put them on paper, they transform. Writing forces you to clear your mind. Writing down your worries breaks them into smaller, more manageable pieces. That mountain of anxieties is now a list of tasks you can actually deal with. 🙌🏼 So, the next time you feel like you're sinking in a sea of stress, grab a pen and paper. Write down everything: fears, to-dos, and even that weird dream you had about it. You might be surprised at how quickly you feel empowered and ready to navigate back to shore.

Here’s a simple way to stop feeling like you always need to be right and have all the answers… My client Dan had a strong fixer/doer/problem solver mindset and felt the need to be right in conversations and prove his intellectual horsepower. To alleviate this, I introduced him to the practice of journaling. I guided him toward writing about his frustrations with big projects and colleagues, his needs and feelings, perceived threats and weaknesses, and the facts of the situation vs. the assumptions, interpretations, and stories that automatically came up for him.  It was Dan’s openness to experiment with this self-kindness practice, even though he’d been doing the opposite for much of his career, which allowed him to see the value in it once a real-life situation came up where he was able to put this skill into play. ⏰ When supplier issues threatened an important product launch he was leading, Dan was upset to the point where he couldn’t sleep at night. He was stuck ruminating over the situation and worried about his future with the company if the launch was delayed. At 2:00 a.m., he pulled out the journal and wrote for thirty minutes, only stopping once his mind was empty. He emailed me the next day to tell me he slept like a baby and woke up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. In her article How to Love Yourself for Real, therapist Amanda McCracken explains the Buddhist teaching about suffering as a tale of two arrows. The first arrow we’re shot with is an unfortunate event that happens outside of our direct control, such as Dan’s supplier issues. 🏹 Whether you contract a life-altering illness, lose your house in foreclosure, or are in a car accident, these are all first arrows that pierce your life in some unforeseen or dramatic way. 🏹 Almost worse than the original arrows are the second ones we often shoot ourselves with after the fact. These are the stories we tell about the original suffering… You’re not good enough to deserve the promotion.  If you’d taken better care of yourself, you wouldn’t be sick.  If you weren’t rushing this morning, you wouldn’t have gotten into that accident. Dan practiced self-kindness by putting this philosophy into practice. Instead of listening to his internal critic saying: “You suck, you should’ve known better. You really couldn’t have f**ked this situation up any worse,” he decided to accept that the situation itself sucked, without internalizing it and beating himself up over it. Dan treated himself with the same kindness he would extend to a close friend who’d just gone through a similar situation. Does Dan’s fixer/doer/always-have-to-be-right mindset remind you of some folks in your organization? If your team could use some support letting go of winning-at-all-costs mindsets and letting go of attachment to outcomes to focus on what’s actually within their control, I’m here to help! Book a call with me via the link in the comments. #leadership #selfcompassion #changingwork

You don’t know 𝗗𝗿. 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿. But his research has impacted your life. Allow me to introduce his work. He pioneered research demonstrating how writing about trauma can benefit your health. And not just mental health or emotional health, but physical health, too. You get: —> Improved sleep —> Lower blood pressure —> Decreased stress hormones Blood samples even showed boosted immune function after writing sessions. It won’t cure cancer, but cancer patients had better outcomes because of these benefits. Now, just writing in a journal won’t cut it. If you want those benefits, follow do this: 1. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 2. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻. No stopping for spelling, grammar, or style. Nobody’s grading this. If you run out of things to say, repeat yourself. You can type, handwrite, or speak into a recorder. 3. Focus on something that’s bothering you. 𝗗𝗶𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽. Let go. It’s OK to switch topics in the middle of a session or from one day to the next. Trust your intuition. 4. Keep it 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹. You can throw it away, tear it up, or burn it afterwards. 5. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁 for 4 days in a row. Transforming your thoughts into language helps you to understand them You worry less because you understand more. Not big on writing everyday? No problem. He doesn’t. He likened this method to taking a pill when you’re sick. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁. --------------- PS: If you like good vibes and mental health, follow Troy Karnes

Perspective is everything. What we focus on is what we see. When we're busy, running around doing all the things - Keeping ourselves overscheduled and frantic It's hard to find the good. When our to-do list keeps growing, No matter how much we check off it, It's hard to celebrate what we've done. When something frustrating or discouraging happens No matter how many good things follow, It's hard to recognize those positive things. My mom used to ask: "Are you having a hard day? Or are you having a hard moment?" There is a difference. And journaling can be the way we find perspective, How we recognize and celebrate the good. People have often noticed that my journal prompts Tend to err on the side of positive. It's by design. My brain doesn't need ANY help being negative. It does that very well on its own, thankyouverymuch. Using journal prompts to cultivate positivity And widen my perspective serves me much better. On Tuesday I hopped on a livestream to journal, Inviting folks to log on and journal with me. And when I was done, I saw this beautiful comment: "𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶! 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘴." THIS is the power of journaling. It has the power to turn our lives around. I don't know about you, But I'll choose a good day over a cruddy one every. single. time. Journaling in the morning helps me set the stage For the kind of day I want to have. Journaling when I'm upset Helps me work those emotions out of my body. Journaling at night helps me put things in perspective And clear my head so I can sleep soundly. I don't usually journal multiple times a day, But I LOVE that I can call on it when I need it. And that I can claim the benefits I need. (AND use journaling to figure out what I need!) It's simple. It's effective. It's versatile. And it helps me be my best me And to live a life I don't want a vacation from. It can help you too. What was the best thing that's happened to you this week? What are you excited about for the weekend? ****************************************** 🙋♀️I'm Amanda! ✍️I’m on a mission to help you catch the magic of journaling. 📝 I offer journaling programs, lead training workshops, create custom journal plans, and provide accountability sessions. 🌿Liked this post? Want to see more? 👣Follow #JournalingForGrowth   😊Connect with me ✔️And check out my newsletter and other resources (linked at the top of my profile!) #perspective #journaling #SelfCare #PersonalDevelopment

A friend texted me asking for advice on how to get unstuck which I shared in my May newsletter. It hit me over the weekend that I could use a little juice in my caboose myself - and maybe you too?? Feeling stuck is a universal condition. Sometimes it's a few days or weeks. Sometimes it's years. Here are 9 Simple Actions to Get Unstuck that have helped me. Go in any order. Skip the steps that are not relevant to you. 🌸 Organize There’s nothing like a tidy junk drawer or a clean closet to feel you are back in control of your life. Start small. Don’t overwhelm yourself. A well-ordered section of a closet or a desk is its own reward. 🌸 Schedule Marie Forleo says if it’s not scheduled, it’s not real. I wholeheartedly concur. If you have everything scheduled on your calendar except time for yourself to accomplish your goals, that’s an indicator that you’re not prioritizing your goals or perhaps not giving yourself permission (my word of the year) to turn your dreams into actionable goals. If you don't keep a calendar at all - start now! 🌸 Listen Mel Robbins is my go-to guru for getting unstuck: https://lnkd.in/e-8_8Xmm 🌸 Write Journaling is science-backed: it significantly reduces anxiety to get your worrisome thoughts out of your head and onto the page. Not sure where to start? Write down EVERYthing you are afraid of (the first time I did this it was 3 pages single-spaced) or try https://lnkd.in/exaA6KCz 🌸 Read Worthy: How to believe in yourself and transform your life by Jamie Kern Lima. Celebrate We both know we’re supposed to celebrate our wins but how often do you do it? I fall down on this one all the time. Save some space in your journal to write down your daily or weekly wins (organizing that junk drawer is a win!) While you're celebrating your daily wins, remember to Forgive yourself. 🌸 Measure Stop and take a look at where you started and where you are today. Success is in the doing. Even if your progress looks and feels microscopic you’re not in the same place you were before. Ask yourself what one thing you can do today to move the tiniest bit forward. Build on that tomorrow. 🌸 Ask For some of us, this is the hardest one. In fact, fear of asking and the (b.s.) stories you tell yourself about why you can't ask may be the biggest thing keeping you stuck. Success tactic #1: Be specific about your ask. Use those journal prompts to get clear on what you need so you can ask and receive what you need. When you ask for a job recommendation or an introduction be specific about what glowing words would be helpful for the position or connection including your skills, accomplishments, and career highlights. If you have trouble with this, see Journal Prompts above. BONUS Ask yourself what’s the lesson in feeling stuck?

On our return from the winter break I wanted to start to introduce some new strategies/techniques to support player wellbeing & self development. Through research& speaking with other professionals about what has worked within their own environments I decided to introduce the concept of ‘journaling’. A journal is private space for players to write down their personal thoughts, feelings & reflections, it has been found to be positive in supporting mental health by: • Reducing anxiety • Breaking away from a non-stop cycle of obsessive thinking • Improving awareness & perception of events • Regulating emotions • Encouraging awareness • Boosting physical health This is optional for all players & may not be something that they want to participate in, it may be out of their comfort zone. All I have asked is for them to consider giving it a try, I left the basket of the journals in the players lounge so the players can access them if they wish. A few have disappeared, so for me that’s a win, if it helps at least one person, it’s achieved its objective ✅ #selfdevelopment #wellbeing #mentalhealthsupport #playersupport #playercare #journaling #football #wsl #muwfc #mufc

Don't forget to close the tabs in your mind too Ever feel like your brain is bursting with a million open tabs? You're not alone. Just like a cluttered browser, our minds can become overloaded with thoughts, ideas, and to-dos, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. But just as we clear our digital workspace, we can also cultivate mental clarity and peace by "closing some tabs" inside our heads. Here's how to gently declutter your mind and treat yourself with kindness: 1. Hit "pause" and assess: Take a moment to observe your thoughts like passing clouds. Which ones bring stress or anxiety? These are your non-essential tabs. Acknowledge them, and gently let them go for now. Remember, you can always revisit them later if needed. 2. Externalize your mental load: Grab a journal or planner and list down everything swirling in your mind. Seeing it on paper can clear your head and help you prioritize what truly matters. (Bonus tip: do this daily!) 3. Time for some focus magic: Divide your day into "time blocks" dedicated to specific tasks. This helps you concentrate on one thing at a time, reducing distractions and boosting productivity. Say goodbye to multitasking chaos! 4. Be kind to your mind: Regularly practice mindfulness activities like meditation, deep breathing, or journaling. These help you stay present and cultivate self-compassion. Remember, closing mental tabs is okay! Treat yourself with the same understanding and support you'd offer a friend. 5. Don't forget to recharge: Schedule regular downtime to unwind and de-stress. Do things that bring you joy, like spending time in nature, pursuing a hobby, or connecting with loved ones. A rested mind is a focused and productive mind. By closing the mental tabs that drain your energy, you're not just being productive, you're investing in your well-being. So be kind to yourself, and give your mind the calm and clarity it deserves. #mentalhealth #wellbeing #focus #productivity #mindfulness #selfcare

Understanding Your Potential — Summary and Key Points: - Self-Understanding: Reflect on who you are and how you have arrived at your current state. This awareness is the foundation of personal growth. - Emotional Control: Preserve your peace and clarity by allowing others to misunderstand you without reacting. This conserves your energy and focus. - Resilience Against Negativity: Just as a ship stays afloat by keeping water out, you can stay positive by not letting external negativity sink you. - Mental Strength: Success comes from having a mind that is smoother, stronger and more controlled than your emotions. Practical Applications: 1. Mindfulness and Self-Reflection: - Practice Daily Meditation: Set aside time each day to meditate. This helps in understanding your thoughts and feelings, reducing stress by 20% and enhancing emotional health (Goyal et al., 2014). - Journaling: Write about your experiences and feelings to clarify your thoughts and track your personal growth. 2. Managing External Opinions: - Selective Attention: Focus on constructive feedback and ignore unnecessary criticism. This helps maintain emotional well-being (Gross, 2002). - Developing Inner Peace: Engage in activities like yoga or nature walks that foster inner peace and improve emotional regulation. 3. Building Mental Strength: - Cognitive Behavioral Techniques (CBT): Use CBT to challenge and change negative thought patterns. CBT is effective in building mental resilience, with a 75% success rate in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression (Hofmann et al., 2012). - Positive Affirmations: Repeating positive statements about yourself daily can strengthen your mindset, improve self-esteem, and enhance your outlook. A Couple of Case Studies: 1. Mindfulness in the Workplace: - Google's "Search Inside Yourself" Program: Google implemented a mindfulness program resulting in employees reporting 37% higher levels of emotional intelligence and productivity (Tan, 2012). 2. Resilience Training in Schools: - Penn Resiliency Program (PRP): This program teaches students cognitive-behavioral and social problem-solving skills, significantly reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety by 30% (Seligman et al., 2009). — Online photos: