Write it out

Feeling stressed or anxious? Can't get a grip on your emotions right now?

Get out your laptop or paper-n-pen skills and start a journal. Write about your concerns, vent about your day, reflect on your unborn child... basically, get your brain and heart out in words and don’t worry about how it sounds.

Recent studies indicate the powerful therapy of writing / journaling / blogging about your life and emotions as you experience them. Putting your thoughts into words (in whatever form you prefer) covers several therapeutic bases without costing you a single cent or the anxiety of meeting a new therapist.

1. Journaling allows you to openly and explicitly share your emotions in a trusted environment without fear of judgment or bad advice.
2. Writing out your thoughts, concerns and experiences creates psychological coherence and improves your sense of personal control over the stressful events and emotions you’re experiencing. The more often entries are made, the greater the benefit.
3. The simple act of defining your emotions in writing creates a coherent mental framework you can return to and assess with a calmer mind. Re-reading emotional entries calmly can help alleviate unnecessary anxiety and stress-inducing thought processes as well as give additional insight into your initial emotional reaction.

Additionally, several independent studies have shown that writing out your thoughts and describing your emotions on a regular basis can reducing stress-related symptoms when battling debilitating issues such as: asthma, high blood-pressure, fibromyalgia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and arthritis.

So, there you have it. Keeping a blog or journal actually reduces stress.

Plus, it’ll be a hoot to read your old pregnancy thoughts after your wee child is no longer on the inside.