why it's important to journal

I want to give a quick update and then talk about journaling.

For those of you that may have read my post on Saturday...as of Saturday night I was really getting back on track and right through today, I feel great.

 

What I really want to talk about is journaling. Lots of advice on here to journal, but if you are really struggling and even if you struggle just a little...many may not realize the importance of a journal..what to do with it and why?

 

Many of you may notice there is a lot of information on line about anxiety, the vast majority of it is about coping skills..now that is important, but what we really want to accomplish is how to get rid of anxiety..rather than cope with it. Well, that is the tricky part and why it's not plastered everywhere on how to fix it...you may have figured out by now, it's kind of hard...ok if you like, throw out the "kind of" and replace with "extremely" I understand completely!

 

Why and what to journal...Your journal is going to be the closest thing to having a personal therapist as you can get without actually having your own personal therapist...the good part is, this therapist is there for you 24/7 and doesn't cost a dime!

 

For those that can afford 15 to 20 dollars, I suggest getting a nice big day runner type or at least something that has a cover, some pockets, maybe a ring binder and of course holds your paper. Now you will start off journaling how you feel, your thoughts, what it was like when you first started having panic and or anxiety and how it has progressed or gotten better....stuff like that. Basically a brief or maybe not so brief history of what's going on and how you have been feeling and what you have been experiencing.

 

Now along the way as you get good information or see something inspiring...maybe something you can print and put in your pocket of your jounal...begin to gather things, positive things...things that you think are funny, inspiring, relaxing. This might be pictures or print, whatever. This journal will be more about fixing the problem than just coping with anxiety. I suggest using it daily and especially when you feel great because you will at some point have positive personal victories and experiences that went well or at least good to draw from. The best part is, it is set up to help before anxiety but also will work great if you are struggling.

 

This is getting long so, I will touch on what is important. When you journal all your thoughts, you will most likely see a negative pattern. Obviously it will have things you worry about, stress about, your fears, maybe phobia's.

 The key to know is this....most of you have had panic or at least extreme anxiety...you are still here to read this, so you survived it and will continue to survive it. You have felt like you may die or at least maybe go crazy and many have certainly said " I can't live like this anymore"...Know this...your fear is a fake fear but feels as real as it gets.

 

Your body will endure the sensations, it actually is working properly as it would to real fear...YOU ARE SAFE, may not feel like it, but you are!...these are the things you need to embed into your brain. So you have all your negative thoughts and feelings on paper...look at them...replace "what if I pass out" with "what if I don't pass out?" Actually get rid of all the negative "what ifs" and stop asking yourself those kind of questions, that is part of what got you where you are. Look for ways to turn your negative thoughts and feelings into positive thoughts and feelings. You have opened up to your journal like you would have to a therapist...he/she may give advice and many times you may say, "OK, that makes sense" You don't always have to have someone tell you what you probably already know...they are just confirming what you know.

 

Over time as you work on changing negatives to positives you are reprogramming your way of thinking which is the key to anxiety. Almost everything you do short of changing your thinking is a coping skill or coping tool...to cope with anxiety but not to get rid of anxiety.

Be creative with your journal, personalize it for yourself make it something you enjoy and use daily...It just maybe the single most powerful tool to get you where you want to be....freedom from anxiety. Good luck and best wishes..........Benny

Post Edited (wingman) : 9/6/2011 3:37:03 PM (GMT-6)

I can't help but wonder this Gamer....as powerful as our thoughts are and obviously our thoughts can shut us down. It is common for people with anxiety to do this to themselves all the time. What if I pass out, what if I freeze up, what if freak out...on and on and on. I look at it like planting seeds that grow into big problems....OK, back to what I wonder...what would happen if we constantly, like everyday had thoughts like this?

What if I became successful with my own business?...what if I go for that position and get it?...what if I go on that trip and have a great time....you know what I mean. Those are all fair questions and reasonable questions. If that kind of thinking has the same power as the negative thinking...who and what would we be?

I feel like by having a journal we get to know ourselves better than we think we do. Once we begin to recognize our negative behavior and thoughts..then it's just a matter of working through it to find ways to reverse how we think. It would be an accurate and true statement to say "change your thoughts, change your life"...that is reality. The fear people with anxiety have in their head is false.

When you find the key that allows you to believe that your fears are false and not to entertain them anymore but to only deal in reality....then freedom of the false fear is the reward. Now all this is so much easier said than done....I once read where Lucinda Basset from the Midwest center simply said....."Don't like the ride, then step off"....sounds simple but it's not......but it is the truth!.....Thanks for your post......WM

journaling is a major trigger to my ptsd . now what ? for some reason , i feel better if i can express a few of my thoughts or feelings to someone so that i will get an objective viewpoint . if i journal to myself , it is a major red flag of something i need desperately to put behind me in order to move forward . would it be innapropriate to put stream of consciousness type short essay posts on this site to get other members reactions , advice etc ...

Welcome to the forum SS,

I don't have enough knowledge to speak about PTSD, so what you go through maybe very much different than my experiences. So the first part of what I am about to say may not apply to your situation, but my second point maybe helpful for you.

 

When I think about triggers and what brings on anxiety, in my case...there were coping skills that made it better, but for me to truly be on the road to recovery...I had to constantly face something that gave me anxiety. I didn't seem to have any growth until I booted myself out of my comfort zone and faced my issues. Things like scary movies or bad confrontations, etc....things like that could be avoided but the serious stuff I had to push through a lot of fear and accomplish to know it was mental fear and not real fear or danger.

 

Here is a thought for you SS....So what if you put some things out there for objective views...after getting your views...then journal your original thought and follow it with the views of others? Would that be more comfortable? The primary reason for a journal is so that we realize the extent of our negative thinking...some need this cause they're so good at being negative that most times they don't even realize it. Once it's in black and white, then a more positive more realistic statement can be made in the journal. That way we see our negative ways and counter with something positive. If we do this enough and read it enough...for some it helps them to get started in the right direction.

 

Actually anyone can journal whatever they choose....go up to the line of dealing with it or not dealing with it and stop there. Also keep in mind that a journal shouldn't be solely negative stuff...any positive accomplishments can be put there as reminders that you made progress so that you can look at it and draw strength from it later.

 

Bottom line is a journal is a great thing, you certainly don't have to make it something that makes you uncomfortable. For me it was extremely important that I become my own compassionate best friend...that way when I wasn't doing well...I could rely on myself to be compassionate and kind and talk myself through rough moments. By journaling, I think it help me understand me, just that much better!.....Try to have a great weekend SS and please visit us often to let us know how you are doing.....Best wishes....WM