5 Ways to Use A Worry Journal to Ease Your Anxiety

Write In A Worry journal To Ease Your Anxiety At night

Did you know that writing in your worry journal at night can deliver a lot of awesome benefits?

I have been a worrier for most of my adult life…

So, I can say firsthand that this works.

There are always plenty of things to stress about. Allowing yourself to think about the past and how it could have been different.  Or about the opportunities you have missed. Then there is also the thoughts about the future and how the outcome will be.  The unknown is usually worse than the actual event turns out to be. Using this technique can make an amazing difference in your stress levels.

When you have a lot of worries, they can become overwhelming. Writing them down is a way of releasing them from the mind. We don’t often realize that we’re bottling things up. The trouble with this is, after a while the worries you’ve been holding in are going to start coming out in unhealthy ways.  They can begin to affect your health in various ways.

While writing in your journal at any time is beneficial, there are some particularly great benefits of writing in a journal to ease your anxiety at nighttime.

Here, we’ll explore the top benefits you can experience by writing in a worry journal at night.

1) Sleep better when you journal

The number one benefit of writing in a worry journal at night is that it can help you sleep much better. Sleep deprivation only adds to your worries, yet it can be difficult to switch off your brain when you get into bed.

Writing down your worries will release them from your mind, meaning you won’t be so consumed by them before sleep. As you’ll be sleeping better, this will, in turn, reduce your stress levels.

2) It can help with weight struggles

If you struggle to maintain a healthy weight, your worries could be a contributing factor. As they often cause issues with sleep, the body starts to crave foods that provide an instant energy hit. Unfortunately, these foods are often bad for us, packed full of sugar and fat.

When you’re going through a period of stress and worry, it can have a direct impact on your weight. So, writing down your worries in a journal at night and getting a good night’s sleep, can help you to gain more control over your weight too. You’ll also have more energy which you can use for exercising for example.

3) Journal to ease anxiety

Worry and anxiety go hand in hand. Many studies have shown that journals are a great way to reduce anxiety. Even those with chronic anxiety can find a worry journal useful in combating the symptoms.

If you are journaling for anxiety, it’s recommended you do it around three hours before bed according to experts. This gives the brain time to process the worries you’ve listed. If you want to journal right before bed, it’s recommended you write a gratitude list as that’s more positive. It can take a few hours for the brain to settle down after analyzing our worries.

4) Improves your immune system

When you aren’t getting enough sleep and you’re always stressed, your immune system is going to suffer. This can lead to a whole range of health issues. You’ll be more prone to picking up a cold and to feeling generally unwell.

By writing in a worry journal at night, it reduces sleep as well as stress levels. This, in turn, is going to give the immune system a much-needed boost.

5) Boosting happiness levels

It’s hard to be happy when you have a high level of stress and worry. So, writing in a worry journal at night is going to help boost your happiness levels, in turn improving the quality of your life.

Once you’ve written down your worries and analyzed them, you can then write a list of the things you’re grateful for. Gratitude will increase happiness, letting you focus more on the things you’re grateful for in life.

These are only some of the ways of writing in a worry journal at night can help to make your life better. There are so many benefits that you can start experiencing right away. So, if you haven’t tried keeping a worry journal, now’s the time to give it a go.

I am Shirley Noah, an internationally known stress expert and entrepreneur. I would love to connect further with you to help you improve your health and wellbeing.  If you are interested in learning more about a worry journal, please take a look at my popular 8 days, FREE E-course, Worry Journal.