I’ve always done a form of journaling. As a kid, it started with a diary with a key and lock. A place to write down all my secrets.
As I’ve grown my diaries and journals have also evolved.
One of my therapists (yes, I’ve had a few) suggested I keep a worry journal.
The directions were simple. Write down everything that caused me to worry. My worry journal included everything from my own insecure worries to the fact that I'd have to drive in the snow. Literally everything I could be and was worried about I wrote down.
It was interesting to notice the patterns that would come up. I would flip back through the week and the same types of worry would keep coming up.
Even more interesting through my ramblings on the page I would already know what to do.
OR Things I was really worried about would never even happen!
My worry journal was super eye-opening. It showed me that I had more of a handle on things than I gave myself credit for. It helped me see worry patterns and how to problem-solve them. My worry journal was so beneficial that I kept it around for years.
Try this. You don’t even need a journal. Just write it down on paper. You know how I feel about writing ‘ish down. It makes more space in your head for helpful things.
This is also a great trick to do with your kids. If they are worried about something just write down everything that they are freaked out about. Then talk everything through. They will find that they are stronger than they know and they will have a plan for every worry they've listed. It takes that fear away, which is always what we want <3
