As we learn to navigate life during a pandemic, anxiety is on the rise. For this reason, we are especially grateful that Dr. Marni Amsellem joined us to provide tips to help us stay centered. Founder of Write, Reflect, Grow, an online community focused on journaling, Dr. Amsellem is also the author of Self Reflections: A Journal for Exploration and Growth.
To find out more, listen to our conversation, or read below to see highlights from our talk.
Journaling to Create Calm, with Marni Amsellem, Ph.D.
Do What Works
Both in her professional and personal life, Dr. Amsellem sees the value in journaling during times of stress, and her advice is pragmatic. “Do what works.†She describes her own journaling routine as important, but notes that the schedule she’s established is fluid, flexible, and able to accommodate her changing needs. Dr. Amsellem encourages others to work with the schedule that makes sense for them.
Some of us like to write at the same time each day. Others write to process a particular issue. You are the expert here. Do what works for you.
Just like there is a schedule to suit every need, there is a journaling method that will fit best as well. Some of the people Dr. Amsellem works with incorporate technology and journal on computers, while others prefer paper and pen.
Dr. Amsellem encourages the exploration of all forms of journaling. Food diaries and sleep journals are two tools she often recommends to those striving to recognize life patterns. In her own life, she finds freewriting especially helpful.
Understand Your Method of Coping
Coping skills, Dr. Amsellem explains, describe the action we take to help get through a difficult situation. Some of these methods are more adaptive than others. Substance abuse and poor eating habits are examples of coping strategies that make a difficult season more trying. On the other hand, talk therapy, exercise, and journaling are methods that help us get to the other side of challenges. Dr. Amsellem speaks to the value of identifying methods of coping and examining if they lead to calm or chaos. Journaling can help us identify our strategies.
Manage Anxiety with Your Journal
As the pandemic forces our fast-moving society to temporarily slow down, journaling can help us observe and understand what’s happening both around and inside of ourselves. Whatever journaling method you decide suits you best, Dr. Amsellem points out it’s likely to ease anxiety by:
- providing clarity
- identifying patterns
- processing decisions
- revealing emotions
- and helping us become more flexible and accepting in our thinking.
Getting Started
You have everything you need to start journaling today. Answers are there within you.
Use your journaling practice for self-reflection. Unearth old coping methods that helped you survive stressful times in the past. Consider if these tools might be of use now. Or write about new coping skills you’d like to develop. A guided journal with prompts can help focus your attention onto a specific theme you wish to work on.
Your Action Plan
- Learn more about Dr. Amsellem’s work. Visit her online at:
www.smarthealthpsych.com
www.writereflectgrow.com
Twitter
Instagram - Check out Dr. Amsellem’s new guided journal Self-Reflections: A Journal for Exploration and Growth. This beautiful collection of prompts was designed to guide you in exploring what lies within, identifying what may hold you back, and getting clear on where you would like to go. Visit her website for details.
- Listen to my conversation with Dr. Amsellem.
If you found this conversation helpful, you might also enjoy our conversation with Dr. Dan Seigel in which we discuss journaling’s positive effects on the brain.