Today I will talk about how writing can relieve stress and pressure, both in the moment and long term. When I was trying to find ways to recover, I discovered plenty of research showing the benefits of journaling. Weather you do an unorganized brain dump or more systematically reframing exercise, you will feel better in the moment and start your journey towards healing.

Key takeaways

The part of the brain you use by writing is more rational than the part you use for thinking. This makes it easier to see your problems from different perspectives and in a more nuanced way.

Journaling makes you break that loop of ruminating thoughts, getting you to break through your negative emotions and see a more nuanced reality.

Journaling can be a way of amplifying the good things in your life, balancing the focus on the negative when ill.

There is no right way or wrong way to write. You can do a brain dump, writing whatever comes to mind, you can write about your thoughts and feelings on a special topic or you can do reframing exercises.

You can write by hand, on a computer or using a voice recorder. You don't need to save what you've written.