Often we have to deal with emotional stresses, negative moods due to work, family, kids, health, competition, society and sometimes, with friends too. Stress does not knock on our doors before coming however tackling it the right way lies only in our hands and is entirely at our discretion to stick with it or move on in life.
How do we release our stresses – easy way out is venting it on our partner / spouse, kids, helpers (which most of us actually end up doing), irksome attitude at home, at workplace, losing focus of actions and sometimes completely withdrawing ourselves to our private shells…It is completely fine to rest under our shells before getting back on track but how about penning down our stresses in a diary or on a virtual notepad.
Very recently, Researchers examined injured athletes–people who tend to experience high levels of anxiety and negative mood–and had them write about their experiences in a journal for 20 minutes per day, 3 days in a row. They wrote about their negative emotions surrounding their injuries and rehabilitation experiences. 4 weeks later, researchers measured their levels of psychological stress and mood disturbance, as well as measures of immune functioning, and found significantly improved outcomes in those who had participated in the journaling intervention. This research, in other words, shows that writing about your negative feelings can actually have an effect not only on your mood and your feelings of stress, but on your health as well!
As a candid confession; I also resort to my dairy during stress moments and it works wonders for me. I start by writing down what happened (like an unpleasant event in life, clash of opinion etc.) and while I am still penning down the gush of emotions on the paper, half way through, I start feeling light..the heaviness of the event seems to fade away the more I come towards the end of note and situation feels much more handy once I have written it down. Infact, mind becomes clearer and thinks of how to tackle the situation in the best possible way.
Journaling is a process of uninterrupted self – listening lasting for 10-20 mins but surely leaving us behind as a calmer, composed and balanced individual. Have you tried Journaling for coping up during emotionally demanding times? Has it benefited you too? Please feel free to share here your Journaling experiences for overcoming stress…
Not done yet — no harm in trying!!