A Stress-Reliever, Confidence Booster, and Best Friend

By Jessica Reck

I slam the front door behind me as I run inside my house, making a noise so loud the house shakes from the vibration. I jump onto my pillow-top bed, reaching for the charcoal notebook by my pillow.

I flip through the filled pages and begin to write on a fresh one. My journal acts as a therapist, it listens and doesn’t judge me. As a busy, stressed out teenage girl, I need to blow off steam occasionally.

Every person should have a journal, either to vent or tell his secrets to. Having daily stress relief into a small college-ruled book is known to be mentally and emotionally beneficial.

A study from the journal Advances in Psychiatric Treatment shows that 15-20 minute writing sessions on 3-5 occasions helped the participants deal with stressful, traumatic, and rather emotional events.

You don’t necessarily have to keep a paperback journal either. There are several journal apps and online blogs that can be easily accessed. Especially in the technology-dependent age of today, using a journal app could be quicker and more efficient to those with a busy schedule.

Writing in a journal doesn’t only help with stress, it can boost creativity also. Writing without thinking can bring out expression in your writing that is unique and creative. Journaling on a regular basis can help keep the creative juices flowing.

“The act of writing accesses your left brain, which is analytical and rational. While your left brain is occupied, your right brain is free to create, intuit and feel,” said Maul Purcell, writer for PsychCentral.

Hopefully you will have some positive experiences to write about. These can boost your self-confidence and mood. You will begin to know yourself better and gain perspective.

“I sort out the thoughts in my head from abstract ideas into actual words, It helps me to put my goals and life ambitions in perspective,” said Anna Lang, student at Phillips Academy Andover.

All you need is a notebook and pen and you are ready to start writing.

I close my book, and lay, staring towards the ceiling of my room. I feel confident and ready to take on what obstacle the world will throw at me next. After all, I have my journal right by my side.