Feeling stressed? A good way to reduce stress and depressive symptoms is to keep a journal or diary. According to Krisha McCoy, people who write in a diary or notebook show both physical and emotional benefits and potentially increases their longevity. As a diary writer myself, I feel like it allows me to express my feelings and emotions in a private place, allowing myself to better understand my own emotions. It also allows me to talk about things that I’m not comfortable with discussing with another person. At times when I feel angry or sad I write in my diary and it allows me to relieve some of the stress and anger. Writing in the diary is a good way for me to avoid conflicts and arguments because when I’m angry I may say things that I don’t mean and sometimes words that are said can never be taken back, thus, writing in my diary is the best way to avoid such problems. McCoy also mentions that recent studies have found that psychotherapy patients who were told to let out their emotions through expressive writing experienced greater reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms and better psychotherapy progress than compared to the control group.
Like Krisha McCoy mentions keeping a journal can do the following:
- Allows you to sort out and clarify your thoughts and emotions
- Lets you reflect upon your life’s journey by looking back at past journal entries
- Gives you time to reflect upon your feelings and emotions so that you can better understand them
- Provides an outlet for expressing difficult emotions, such as anger and frustration, without hurting someone you love
- Can be a way to release your negative thoughts and emotions so that you can move to a happier state of mind
However, writing in a diary may not be everyone’s cup of tea, thus other ways of relieving stress may include, talking to someone you trust, joining a support group, listening or playing music, painting, drawing etc. The idea is to find ways to express your emotions in a healthy and fun way.
Written by Vivian Tse
Sources:
McCoy, Krisha. “Journal Your Way to Stress Relief.” EverydayHealth.com. N.p., n.d.