Why Writing Down Worries and Concerns is Very Theoretical

Even experts agree... and love the practice.

As a self-employed person with a lot on my plate, worry helps me feel like I'm on top of all I need to do. However, it eventually reduces the amount of delight I may experience in the current moment. Furthermore, anxiety is extremely harmful to one's general health, as it has been related to an increased risk of depression, gut health problems, chronic pain, heart health concerns, and metabolic abnormalities.


So I've started to seriously consider how I may lessen the level of worry I face on a daily basis. One approach is to engage in "worry journaling" and "hope journaling." Read on to learn more about this practice, how it has benefited me, and what experts have to say about it.

While I've been a fan of journaling for many years, this approach is new to me. I began practicing it a few months ago after my therapist suggested it. The goal is to spend five to ten minutes writing down all of your problems, either in the morning, evening, or alternating between the two.
This technique is intended to allow me to leave my troubles on the page rather than carry them with me throughout the day or night. This practice allows me to get everything that is upsetting me out, which helps me determine what needs to be addressed immediately and what is far-fetched catastrophizing.



Aside from the lucidity, I appreciate that it is a really tactile method to journal. One typical criticism I hear regarding journaling is that people are scared by the blank page and have no idea what to write about. The goal of worry journaling is simple: write down everything that worries or bothers you. And for many of us, the task is rather simple, with lots to say. Plus, if you do this on a regular basis, you'll have tangible evidence of your concern patterns—what's still bothering you and what's a one-time occurrence. I frequently bring patterned concerns into therapy or other therapeutic methods to address them more deeply.

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Then, if I have time, I do the complete opposite: hope journaling. This involves jotting down every single positive thing that might happen in a certain scenario. It not only concludes the practice on a happy note, but it also provides substantial energy to good goals, which, as a huge fan of neuroscience-based manifestation, seems like a desirable thing to accomplish. I hope journaling helps to open my mind to the endless alternatives available to me and protects me from feeling trapped in my current situation. It's also enjoyable to imagine what wonderful things could happen in my life.

As it turns out, mental health professionals are major advocates of both worry and hope journaling.

"Setting aside time to write down your problems puts them in a container, allowing them to take up less of your time. According to Aveen Hallissey, MHC-LP, associate psychotherapist at Gateway to Solutions in New York City, research on concern postponement3 indicates that confining anxiety to a set window lessens it overall.

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This procedure also provides an opportunity to understand the "why" underlying your concerns. "It allows us to try to write about and comprehend the underlying meaning of the worry. Perhaps my fear about failing an exam is unrelated to my mark in class. Perhaps it's about my fears of failing and what it would imply for my family. The initial notion of a worry is the starting point, and writing gets at the underlying conflict that it represents, allowing us to promote healing," says Nina Bakoyiannis, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist at SelfWorks.

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