Are you a worrier? Some of us are naturally prone to worry, due to temperament, past experiences, or both. Being aware of potential problems and circumventing them is a way to proactively manage stress, but chronically dwelling on all the ways a situation could potentially go wrong can bring higher levels of needless stress. If you tend to worry excessively, dwelling on your fears beyond the point of 'constructive planning,' here's a study that can help you put your fears to rest! Researcher Melissa Anne Iseri studied a group of people who were prone to worry, and compared them to a group who weren't. She then randomly assigned half the participants of each group to either practice therapeutic journaling for 20 minutes three days in a row, or write neutrally for the same period of time. Those who were writing therapeutically were specifically told to write about their feared outcomes in a positive light, focus on the potential benefits associated with their fears, and devise ways to cope with their fears; the neutral writers were asked to write about things that they didn't fear, like their activities from the day before.
As expected, those who had been excessive worriers found a significant reduction in their worry levels a week after the intervention. (The other three groups didn't show a significant change.)
A few things about this research were interesting:
- A relatively short intervention--20 minutes of writing--can have not only a short-term impact on stress levels, but a measurable positive change in thinking that could be seen at least a week later.
- Therapeutic journaling didn't have a significant impact on those who weren't already prone to excessive worry; the real benefits were seen by those who worried too much, and may feel the need for such a journaling intervention.
- Just the act of journaling in itself didn't have an impact; therapeutic journaling involved writing about fears, finding the "bright side" in their worst-case scenarios, and brainstorming effective coping strategies.
If you think you may be a chronic worrier, you may want to try this yourself. Give yourself a few 20-minute journaling sessions where you look at potential benefits of what you fear, assess the coping strategies you have available, and basically develop optimism. Keep it up for 3 days, or maintain the practice for as long as you feel a benefit. Focusing your mental energy in a more positive direction can bring lasting relief for excessive worry.
Additional Journaling Resources:
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Source:
Iseri, M. A. The effect of positive written disclosure on excessive worry. Alliant International University, Fresno.
I’m going to give this a try. 20 minutes does seem like a long time,but if it has a therapeutic benefit that can be noticed in the short term as well as in a weeks time,then it sounds well worth giving it a go.
I will need to remind myself how to do this as in point 3 by writing about fears,looking at things positively and brainstorming ideas.
I’m going to have a look at the additional journaling resourcs sections too.
I do write in a diary already,but trying to do it differently as is written here,is something I am willing to try.
I’m glad to hear it, Caroline, good luck! I’ve been a journal-keeper since elementary school, and I personally have found this to be one of the most helpful ways to do it! I feel much better afterwards, and it’s nice to re-read what I wrote later, too. (Gratitude journaling is also really helpful in general.) I hope this works well for you–feel free to let us know!
Wow, this article is pleasant, my younger sister is analyzing these
kinds of things, so I am going to inform her.