Estimated reading time: 6 minutes, 22 seconds
Feeling stressed? Put pen to paper.
Getting thoughts out of your head can release some of the pressure, bring clarity to the chaos, and help you identify your next step.
Let’s see a simple visual for this principle of wisdom?
Obviously this isn’t a flawless visual because typically you want a kettle to boil, but indulge me for a moment and pretend this one makes sense.
Stress can feel like pressure building, right? It rarely comes just out of nowhere.
Journalling gives some of those thoughts and emotions somewhere else to go before the pressure becomes too much.
Let’s build on today’s wisdom with this quote:
“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.”
Now if you’re already a journaler, you’ll likely resonate with this quote.
Thinking and writing aren't quite the same experience.
Putting something onto the page forces us to slow down, articulate what we're experiencing and see our thoughts in front of us.
You might be surprised just how differently you see something once you see it written in front of you.
One reason I journal is because it helps me to manage stress.
When everything stays in my head, problems can become tangled together.
Writing helps me separate what happened, how I feel about it and what I can actually do next.
And I usually finish with a little more clarity and a little less overwhelm than I started with.
So, if you're feeling stressed today, here are 3 encouragements for your next journal session:
Get it out of your head.
Trying to hold everything mentally can become exhausting.
Put the problem somewhere you can actually see it.
Write it and write freely. You don't need to make it neat.
See it differently.
Writing slows your thinking down.
What felt like one enormous problem in your head might become several smaller problems on paper, or perhaps you identify that it’s not even a problem at all!
See what happens.
You don't need to know whether journalling will help before you begin.
Grab a pen, give yourself ten minutes and write about what's stressing you.
Notice how you feel afterwards.
If it works for you, it might be worth doing again the next time you feel stressed.
Journalling won't necessarily remove the stressful situation.
But it might help you work out what to do with it.
Let’s dive deeper into today’s wisdom with these 3 journal prompts:
What is causing me the most stress right now?
What about this situation is outside of my control?
What is within my control, and what could I do next?
Today’s resource is The W.I.S.E.R Journaling Method.
This is a journal method that I personally use that I first shared in my free journaling resource.
When I need to work through something, I often use the five prompts behind WISER:
W — What? What actually happened?
I — Interpretation. What am I telling myself about it?
S — Significance. Why does this matter to me?
E — Emotions. How am I feeling?
R — Response. What am I going to do next?
Separating the facts, thoughts and emotions from what you can actually do can bring some much-needed clarity.
You can learn the method for free through Journal Wiser here:
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Catch you in the next issue!
Thanks,
Michael