Guest Post By Alyssa Avant
Everyone who knows me knows that I can definitely be a “worry wart”, but unfortunately for me my worrying goes beyond the norm. Since I was a child, I have dealt with anxiety, had anxiety and panic attacks and have tried to learn to cope with them.
As a child, I saw a child psychologist who helped me learn to cope. At that time, my fears and anxiety were limited to situations that involved bad weather, or my mom leaving me behind at school after the school day was over. Those were the two things that I feared most.
As I grew older different things triggered my anxiety. As an adult, it seemed to increase and the techniques I learned as a child were no longer helpful to me. I had to find something else to help with my anxiety.
I have practiced journaling since I was a young teenager, writing mostly about my day and then recording my prayers and some tidbits from my daily Bible reading. The older I got, the more I realized how therapeutic journaling was for me.
As I look back over my journals from years past I can tell that I journaled much more when I was dealing with situations that caused me anxiety. It also helped me to write my prayers so that I could stay focused as I tend to not focus well when I’m experiencing anxiety.
For this reason, I recommend journaling to help with anxiety. Here’s why:
Journaling is therapy. I believe 100% that getting your thoughts out of your head and onto paper helps you to let go of those thoughts easier.
Journaling helps you focus. For me when I am anxious I tend to think the same thoughts over and over again. In order to think something else, I must focus on something else. This is why I journal my prayers and attempt to focus on more positive things.
Journaling helps you keep a record. If you have high anxiety often you might want to consider getting outside help. Journaling helps me to keep a record of how often I have had anxiety. If those times seem to get closer together I know that I need to consider speaking to a counselor.
For Alyssa’s 7 Day Journaling Guide see:
http://lifefrommylaptop.com/7-day-journaling-guide/
Alyssa is a published author and Christian mom. Alyssa worked full-time virtually from 2007-2012. She has years of experience working with online professionals and business owners. Alyssa is also the author of FaithLeaps: The Christian Mom’s Guide to Passion, Purpose and Profits, and creator of Christian Charm School Workbook materials, which is available both as an ebook and a paperback. Alyssa is a former youth and children’s director who spent over 5 years ministering to youth and speaking to teen and tween girls on the issues of modesty, beauty and being a Godly girl, those were the days before motherhood took over!
Alyssa now works as an elementary librarian and Accelerated Reader teacher by day and a virtual assistant and blogger by nights and weekends. Alyssa holds her Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Mississippi, and her Master’s of Religion degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. She loves Coca Cola Classic, Jesus, her husband, and three precious children (not in that order). She and her family reside in Carrollton, MS.
