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Life is stressful, and sometimes during periods of high stress, change, anxiety, these feelings can be hard to process and manage. Not only is this stress and overwhelm likely to affect you mentally, but it can also affect you physically including muscle tension, headaches and tiredness as well as long term inflammatory conditions.
We all have our own ways to manage stress, some more helpful and sustainable than others (think yoga vs bottle of wine) but another helpful tool is journaling which can be a great long-term, positive method of managing stress and anxiety. There have been several studies done on the effects of journaling and how it can positively support our health and wellbeing, both mental and physical.
How does journalling help?
Exporting all of those thoughts and feelings out of your head and onto a piece of paper or laptop can help to make those thoughts more tangible and easier to process. It can often feel like releasing a load that you’ve been carrying and gives you a space to share those heavier thoughts and feelings, so you don’t have to carry them with you. On top of that it can help you translate your stress into recognisable feelings, situations and triggers so that you can understand yourself better and create coping stratgeies.
Organising and processing thoughts and feelings
One of our favourite things about regular journaling is the ability to better prioritise thoughts and feelings that may be threatening to overwhelm you. If this is a regular part of your wellness routine then it is likely you will begin to identify triggers and subconscious thoughts before they get so big that you are feeling the mental and physical health burden that stress can cause. In time once you recognise these triggers you will be able to proactively manage your stress more successfully.
Being able to articulate what is happening in your head can often be enough to reduce the feelings of stress and anxiety in a short amount of time, that light bulb moment when you connect a situation with a feeling with a behaviour can be enough for you to regain control and support yourself. i mean if you are not aware of something it is pretty difficult to manage it, right? It can also be a place to identify negative self-talk and thoughts that might be contributing to your anxiety, allowing you the chance to counter these thoughts and create a more positive mindset long term.
What are the best ways to use your journal against stress and anxiety?
How you use your journal will largely depend on your own style, why you feel stressed or the cause of your anxiety, however, there are a few general ways you can start to create a consistent journaling routine.
Keep a daily diary
Keeping a daily diary of the events of the day as well as how you felt about them and any thoughts that may come up. it doesn’t have to be an essay but having a journal by your bed instead of your phone can replace a negative bedtime habit (doom scrolling anyone?) with something positive. It is a really simple way to process everything that has happened and how it has or hasn’t affected you. This is the perfect place to reflect and make sense of any issues before they blow up.
Explore journal prompts
Writers block is a real thing, especially when you are stressed out. So using journal prompts is a great way to get writing. There are many blogs and ideas online that can offer you specific questions on which to base your writing on. Often these prompts will ask open questions that you then answer in as much detail as you want to, and they can often help to reveal things about yourself that you never even thought about. Sort of like life coaching in journal form.
Get creative
When we talk about journalling we tend to think about writing down our thoughts, but some people may be more visual than others and creating imagery may be a better option. This could include sketches, mood board style collages or even poetry to help visualise your feelings and emotions. Or how about even verbally recording your thoughts and feelings on a voice note if that works for you?
Journaling with CBD
At TT we recommend combining journaling with your cannabinoid and dosing routine. Not just for the reasons above, but also to ensure you are getting the most effective tailored dose for your ever changing needs. Head to our website to download a specific journal for your dosing where you can record and track which products you take, when, how much and then how that affects your conditions. We are all unique and finding a dose that works for you is key to getting the life changing benefits that cannabis wellness products can offer.
Get in touch if you have any questions, we always love to hear from you info@tincturetailor.com
