I came across and article several weeks ago, 100 ways to De-Stress by Karen Carnabucci. I posted on her first suggestion, using chocolate to destress, Chocolate Meditation. Can’t go wrong with chocolate:-)
Karen’s second suggestion is to Journal. I do journal but not consistently. I found it especially helpful when my ex first left. Through writing, I was able to find pieces of my self that were shattered. I am still finding the pieces today, nearly 4 years later.
I went online to find a few benefits of journaling and believe me there are many. If click on any of the links below you will find more info…
Positive Effects of Journaling.
Reduce stress. Writing about anger, sadness and other painful emotions helps to release the intensity of these feelings. By doing so you will feel calmer and better able to stay in the present. Psych Central
Healing
Expressive writing is a route to healing — emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Dr. James Pennebaker, author of Writing to Heal has seen improved immune function in participants of writing exercises. Stress often comes from emotional blockages, and overthinking hypotheticals. He explains, “When we translate an experience into language we essentially make the experience graspable.” And in doing so, you free yourself from mentally being tangled in traumas. Huff Post
Lower Blood Pressure Because journaling lowers stress and anxiety, it can help manage high blood pressure. Dr. James Pennebaker claims that journaling strengthens T-lymphocytes, immune cells that fluctuate with stress and anxiety. Strengthening them boosts your immune system and helps keep your blood pressure low. Health and Fitness Revolution
Journals help you have a better connection with your values, emotions, and goals By journal writing about what you believe in, why you believe it, how you feel, and what your goals are, you better understand your relationships to those things. This is because you must sort through the mental clutter and provide details on why you do what you do and feel what you feel. Life Hack
Keeping a journal requires us to write out our goals. The importance of committing our desires to paper cannot be overstated. It is a simple process, but it pays great dividends. Writing out our goals provides the opportunity to articulate them clearly and makes their achievement appear closer.Becoming Minimalist
(One of the suggestions I found was to find a quiet place to journal with no distractions. As you will see in the above photo I had a distraction. Thats ok, its only Brodie:-)
Just how do you journal? Check out this site for details on how to journal…Journaling Saves Lives
For me it is just to sit down and write.
So how do I sum up journaling? For me, it is a release of my thoughts and emotions. It does confirm my faith and help me set up goals. I find it to be not only the act of writing but I direct most of my writing to God so for me it is an act of worship.
In my opinion, you should give it a try. If you have trouble coming up with how to begin, I suggest you get a journal that prompts you. Right now I am using a devotional journal…
My suggestion for today. Get out a pen and paper and grab a bar of chocolate. Hopefully it will help decrease some of your stress. I know if you are going through the pain of separation and divorce that the stress is unbearable at times. Don’t give up. Remember God’s promise. “I will never leave you or forsake you”.
God Bless
KathieyV
