Learn why more and more people are journaling for anxiety. Could it help you?
One of the most challenging side effects of having anxiety is dealing with ongoing overwhelming thoughts of fear, panic and worry. It can overtake the lives of people with anxiety, at times.
In some cases, these thoughts are completely rational. However, in most cases when people are dealing with anxiety, their mind will tend to make a much bigger deal out of things that may not be entirely based in reality.
This article is designed to help you gain an understanding of the difference between rational and irrational thoughts and fears with the help of a journal.
Separating Your Fears from Reality
It’s important to learn to be able to distinguish between reality and what your anxiety is projecting as fears. The primary problem with where your mind takes you when you’re experiencing anxiety is that many of your thoughts will become irrational.
They can seem completely realistic to you in the moment, but may find yourself frequently taking small tidbits of information, mixing them with up with your own biggest worries and fears, and then creating your own story from that mashup.
This practice is not only damaging to your own mental health, but when other people are involved, it can become quite toxic to their lives as well.
Instead of letting them overtake you, what you need to do is take all your fears and rationalize them. You need to figure out if your fears come from a place of reality, or if they may have become a little irrational thanks to your battle with anxiety.
So how do you go about rationalizing your fears?
Write It All Down
The easiest way to begin an analysis of your fears so you can understand if they come from a place grounded in reality is to write them down in your journal. Journaling is an amazingly helpful tool that is easy to do and very affordable to get started with. You may not realize how beneficial it will be for you until you sit down and get started with journaling.
It’s simple. All you have to do is make time to write in your journal each and every day. You can write down anything that pops into your head – from what you are thinking about to the fears that are weighing on your mind to what you did that day. Through the act of writing each day, you are more likely to gain a better understanding of the irrational versus rational fears that plague you.
Write down what you are worried about in your journal, then sit back and ask yourself why you’re worried about that particular issue. Is it due to a previous experience? Is it something that could actually happen in your life? Or is your mind playing tricks on your and creating a fear that isn’t back by any rational thought?
Other Ways to Use Your Journal
Journaling is not only good for separating rational from irrational fears, but it a wonderful practice for anyone who deals with anxiety. You can use a journal to keep track of any anxiety or panic attack triggers you take note of, use it to document your daily or just have a good distraction for those moments when you need it the most.
Try to write in your journal for at least a few minutes a day to get the full range of benefits from journaling for anxiety.
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