Anxiety Journal: 5 Huge Benefits Of Using It For Mental Health + Free Anxiety Journals To Try
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Why talk about an anxiety journal?
Because chronic anxiety sucks.
Constant worry, nervousness, stress – it’s tiring and sometimes can cause you to lose control.
If you came to read this, you probably know that anxiety is very common today.
The pressure of succeeding, getting good jobs, high-powered careers, or perfect bodies put immense pressure on all of us.
You have no choice but to meet high expectations while still maintaining high quality everywhere.
Add some harsh competition and some people can even develop panic attacks due to their anxiety (and these are not pleasant).
Anxiety may also occur when facing major life decisions or changes like getting married or moving to another place.
To me, anxiety is something I have had for a long time and it manifests itself by keeping me in an elevated cautiousness all the time.
I am also an overthinker and facing serious decisions means I can stew in my own thoughts for VERY long periods of time.
The good thing is that anxiety can be managed, either with therapy, medications, or by working with yourself.
You may find yourself preferring things that you can do by yourself, at home, and honestly – I prefer it too!
This is where understanding the purpose of an anxiety journal can help you find relief – both in high-anxiety and low-anxiety situations.
What Is An Anxiety Journal?
An anxiety journal is a printed, DIY’ed, or printable tool that you can use to write down your fears and problems.
The purpose of it is to help you to confront your fears, look at them from the outer perspective and therefore reduce your anxiety.
It can be a simple diary-type journal or a guided printable workbook or even CBT-based thought reframing tool with activities and templates that work like steps towards relief.
Is Anxiety Journal Good For Anxiety Control?
You may think that writing about your anxieties makes you even more panicky but, in reality, writing in an anxiety journal helps your mind to calm down.
Writing your fears down takes the weight off your mind and you can start dealing with the thing that is enhancing your anxiety levels.
Once you write your thoughts in your anxiety journal and confront them, you are able to let go of your anxiety.
You spend less time worrying and maybe even spot some unrealistic thinking patterns.
An anxiety journal can also help you to identify possible issues that you could face in a stressful situation.
For example, if you are writing down the pressure points that could affect you during an interview, you start to worry about them less.
Who Is An Anxiety Journal For?
Anxiety journals or worry workbooks are designed to be used by anyone.
If you suffer from chronic anxiety, daily journaling can be a soothing activity for you.
Therapists recommend people suffering from anxiety disorders use journaling as a way to work through their nervousness.
The beauty of a printable anxiety journal is that you can get it instantly and start managing your anxiety right away!
The free anxiety journals I designed for my readers are also filled with self-soothing activities like mindfulness, trigger-spotting, and cognitive behavioral therapy exercises.
You can get them here:
If you are not suffering from chronic anxiety, an anxiety journal can still be beneficial to you.
Even if you only face a few stressful situations, an anxiety journal is a healthy, medication-free way to feel better when you’re anxious.
So do not worry about using the journal – it is a tool just like any other for handling stress.
5 Benefits of Writing In an Anxiety Journal
1. Anxiety journal helps you to control your emotions
Every emotion is legit and completely normal.
It’s just the way your body responds to negative thoughts.
If you manage to let go of your thoughts or at least change them to something positive, you can immediately feel at least a little better.
2. Anxiety journal helps you to arrange your thoughts
Stressful situations cause your mind to work overtime.
An anxiety journal can help you to arrange these thoughts in a way that makes more sense.
Often you’ll find yourself worrying about things that don’t even exist!
3. Anxiety journal helps you to confront your fears in a safe space
An anxiety journal is your private domain, a comfortable space for you to open up and acknowledge your fears.
4. Anxiety journal helps you to identify your triggers
Daily journaling and tracking can help you identify the trends that cause stress in your life.
Knowledge gives freedom!
5. Anxiety journal helps you to work through hard feelings in a healthy way
Tips for Dealing with Anxiety
While an anxiety journal is a great resource for handling stress and fear, there are other tips that can help you when anxiety kicks in.
I shared some of my favorites before, but here are the ones that you can do right away.
Breathe
It is crucial to remember to breathe deeply and often.
This seems like a no-brainer but we often forget to breathe when we are in stressful situations.
When you feel like an anxiety attack is on the horizon, take a step back, and breathe – slowly, but deeply.
Try to let go of the things that you cannot control
In most cases, we stay stressing over the things that we literally have no control over!
You should never stress over:
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- something that you have already completed;
- other people’s actions;
- something that can’t be changed.
These things are out of your control anyway.
Remember – as long as you do your best, the rest is not in your domain.
Dealing with your anxiety in a healthy way is not only possible, but it’s also crucial.
Using an anxiety journal along with the suggested guidelines can help you live a lifestyle that is more stressful.
It doesn’t mean you won’t encounter any more anxiety.
It means that when you do encounter it, you will be able to handle it gracefully, like the queen you are.
Also read:
Using Anxiety Journal: Conclusion
Remember – you are more than your anxiety.
You deserve to live a calm and happy life.
Once you stop running from those anxious thoughts, they become a lot less scary.
Using an anxiety journal can be a gentle way to take a look at your feelings, thoughts and emotions.
Like these tips?
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