stress relief

  • Self-Care for Tough Times

    Young woman sitting on floor, against a wall, with her head in her hands. Self-care for tough times.

    It’s that classic Catch-22 situation: when we’re going through particularly difficult experiences, we often don’t have the time or energy to practice self-care. But this is when we need self-care the most.

    So I’d like to share a few simple self-care strategies that don’t require a lot of time and you can practice by yourself, starting with basic needs you may be neglecting.

    Drink water.  When we’re upset, we may be crying, feeling nauseous, or have a lack of appetite.  We’re not likely motivated to drink water when we feel this way, but being dehydrated can actually have a negative impact on mood.  If you’re not a fan of plain ice water, hot tea is a wonderful, soothing alternative.  In addition to providing hydration, drinking tea is a slow, calm activity that can relax both the mind and body.  Chamomile, passionflower, lemon balm, peppermint, and ashwaganda teas are all good choices.

    Self-care for tough times. Close up pouring water from the bottle into a clear glass.

    Breathe.  When we feel anxious or overwhelmed, our breathing may become rapid and shallow.  This may lead us to feel even more stressed, even panicked.  Try taking very slow, deliberate breaths using your diaphragm.  When you breathe deeply, your belly should expand on the inhale and collapse on the exhale. Inhale for the count of 4.  Hold for the count of 6. Then breathe out for the count of 8 (counts, not seconds).  Deep breathing is easier when you’re relaxed, so try listening to a guided meditation or self-hypnosis on YouTube, such as those by Tara Brach.

    Sleep.  When we’re sad, we often want to remain under the covers, and that’s okay.  Honor your need to rest your mind and body.  To encourage sleep, try these techniques:  Wear or cover yourself in something that brings you comfort, such as a favorite T-shirt from an old friend or a blanket you’ve had since childhood.  Try to make your room as dark as possible and cool (65°F / 18.3°C). Sprinkle lavender essential oil on a tissue and place it inside your pillowcase.  Turn on some relaxing music, watch ASMR videos, or use a white noise app.

    Repeat a mantra.  While practicing deep breathing, try incorporating a mantra.  Mantras are repeated sounds or words used to focus the mind and imprint beneficial beliefs into the subconscious.  You are likely familiar with yogis repeating the mantra “Om” when they meditate.  The following mantra is one of my favorites when my heart aches or I’m feeling anxious and afraid:  “I am calm, strong, and centered.  I am able to let go of fear.  I am worthy of peace and tranquility.”  For those who feel frequently threatened due to being part of a marginalized group, letting go of fear may not sound possible.  Try this mantra instead: “I am present within myself.  I can center myself with the ease of my breath.  I feel grounded, worthy, and whole.”  While these mantras may not feel true to you in this moment, with repetition, they will plant the ideas in your subconscious mind, eventually encouraging greater peace. They also provide something concrete to concentrate on while practicing deep breathing, grounding us in the present.

    Take a shower or bath.  When we bathe mindfully, we cleanse our minds as well as our bodies.  Rather than hurrying through your shower, take time to simply stand under the stream and pay attention to the sensation of water trickling down your neck and back.  If you’re in the tub, move your hands or feet to create ripples and notice how the water feels lapping against your body.  Adding essential oils to your bath or shower can heighten your relaxation. For a shower, add a few drops of oil to a cloth and place it over the drain for a couple minutes while you breathe in the scent.  Lavender, rose, vetiver, marjoram, and ylang ylang are known for alleviating stress, anxiety, grief, and “hot” emotions like anger.

    Draw or Write. Research has found that creating visual art (such as drawing or painting) has a positive effect on cognitive function and mood.   It’s no wonder adult coloring books have become so popular — the act of coloring is meditative for many people.  If you’re not a fan of drawing or coloring, writing in a journal could offer cathartic release or a way to articulate your emotions.  No matter what you create, it’s important to create freely without judgement. Now is not the time to critique your skill or style.  Just enjoy the process of making something.

    Self-care for tough times. Closeup of woman sitting at table with coloring book, colored pencils, and a cup of hot tea.

    Go outside.  While it may be the last thing you want to do, exposing yourself to sunlight and nature offers an incredible mood-boost.  There are countless studies demonstrating the positive effects of walking in some kind of green space, such as a park or nature trail.  If being in public is not possible, do you have a patio, balcony, deck, or front stoop you could sit on?  Even opening your window to let in some sun can be beneficial.

    Feel.  Our brains are wired to avoid pain, so we often try to push it away or find ways to numb ourselves.  But denying our true feelings can exacerbate depression and lead to illness.  For the time-being, don’t judge your feelings, analyze them, or ignore them.  Feel them as they are.  This may cause you to experience a rush of overwhelming emotion and that’s okay. Practice deep breathing and remember that the more we are able to sit with our intense emotions, the more we are able to see our way through them.  When I’m struggling, I try to remember this: Despair is what happens when you fight sadness. Compassion is what happens when you embrace it.

    But if it becomes too much, reach out to a trusted loved one or consider seeking help from a licensed therapist.  There are also a variety of organizations that offer support over the phone, such as the Crisis Text Line.  If you’re not in crisis but still would like to talk to someone, try a “warm line.”  These are typically free, confidential peer-support services staffed by people who have experienced mental health conditions themselves. 

    I hope these suggestions encourage you to take care of yourself and those you love.  During tough times, we need to practice self-care even more.  It doesn’t have to take much time and doesn’t require any money.  Just take a moment to breathe deeply, repeat a mantra, hug someone, or watch the sun set.  Do something to bring yourself comfort because, as the saying goes, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.”

    Additional Resources:

    Disclaimer:

    Please note that I am not a medical doctor or a therapist. This post is designed for educational and/or informational purposes only and should not be used in any other manner. This information is not intended to substitute informed medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. A consultation with your healthcare professional is the proper method to address your health concerns. You are encouraged to consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.

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  • The Best Stress Reliever You Haven’t Tried

    Young woman lying in the grass wearing headphones, reducing her stress by listening to ASMR videos.

    Tapping. Crinkling. Whispering. Scratching.

    Tingles. Shivers. Flutters. Quivers.

    Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of ASMR–and the best stress reliever you probably haven’t tried.

    What is ASMR?

    Autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, is a physical and mental response to stimuli characterized by a tingling sensation that typically starts at the scalp and travels down the neck and spine. Some people describe it as mimicking “the chills” or goosebumps, while others say it feels like a mild (and comfortable) electric current.  Also known as a “brain massage” or “brain orgasm,” those who experience ASMR report it helps them reduce stress and feel more relaxed, sometimes even mildly euphoric. The stimuli that elicit ASMR, called triggers, are often quite mundane sights and sounds such as tapping a pen on a desk, turning magazine pages, crinkling tissue paper, or putting on latex gloves. 

    ASMR triggers are intensely personal–what may trigger me could repulse you.  Mouth sounds are probably one of the most “controversial” ASMR triggers. Some people delight in hearing another person sip on soup, chew gum, or slowly devour a chocolate covered caramel, while other people cringe at these sounds.  I tend to experience ASMR from whispered voices (especially those with accents), the sound of hair being brushed, and crinkling paper.

    What are ASMR videos like?

    Due to the number of potential triggers, and a rapidly growing audience, there are thousands of ASMR artists creating tingly content, mostly on YouTube (currently, there are over 5 million ASMR videos published to YouTube).  Some artists focus purely on sounds, often using a set of binaural microphones (like the ever-popular 3dio) that allow them to direct sounds into one ear at a time (which is why you should listen to ASMR videos with earbuds).  Depending on the proximity of the trigger sounds to the microphones, it can seem like they are standing to your left, right, or even behind you.  Artists like ASMR Magic use all sorts of ordinary and unusual tools to tap, scratch, rub, and brush across the microphones, such as makeup brushes, fluffy ear muffs, shaving cream, salt scrub, plastic wrap, and body oil. 

    Another popular type of ASMR trigger is personal attention. Often, these are role play videos where the ASMR artist acts as if you are in the room with them and they pay special attention to you, such as pretending to be a school nurse checking your scalp for lice, an ophthalmologist testing your vision, an aesthetician pampering you at a spa, or a hairdresser washing, trimming, and styling your hair.  Some artists produce incredibly creative role plays involving elaborate props and green screen recording software to help the viewer feel completely immersed in the experience, such as Goodnight Moon, TingTing ASMR, and Blue Whisper.

    Young woman relaxing in bed with her eyes closed, wearing earbuds, and listening to ASMR videos to reduce her stress.
    Image via Adobe Stock / Prostock-studio

    What is it like to experience ASMR?

    At this point, you may be thinking, “this sounds really bizarre to me.”  I had that reaction when I first encountered ASMR videos three years ago.  During a persistent bout of insomnia, I came across a video by Maria from GentleWhispering where she was speaking in a slow, soft voice, fluttering her fingers, and touching the camera lens. I thought, “what the heck is this weirdness???”  I proceeded to check out her YouTube channel and saw that she had one million subscribers (she’s nearing 2 million now) and figured I’d give her videos a chance since nothing else was helping me fall asleep. I watched another video in which she spoke to the camera as if we were face-to-face and she was gently running her fingers through my hair and telling me she understood the stress I was under and she was here to take care of me.  I actually cried. I know that sounds strange, but at that moment, I was sleep-deprived and depressed and Maria’s soothing voice and calming presence inspired such relief. Since then, I have watched hundreds of ASMR videos, creating playlists for a variety of occasions (such as videos that help me sleep, focus, and reduce stress).

    When explaining ASMR videos to people, I’m often met with perplexed expressions and comments about “New Age, hippie, weirdness.” I understand that reaction, but I’m definitely not alone in my love of ASMR as indicated by the dramatic increase in Google searches since 2012. Its popularity is definitely growing well beyond a niche trend.

    It’s important to note that some people do not experience ASMR and, thus, it’s difficult for them to understand (we currently do not know why some people experience the sensation while others don’t).  But, it’s possible you’ve experienced ASMR in your life without knowing what it was called. Think back to your childhood. Perhaps you were at a slumber party and a friend was brushing your hair.  Or maybe you were visiting the school nurse when you were sick and she was putting on latex gloves. Perhaps you were in the classroom and your teacher leaned over you to point out something in the textbook.  In these moments, you may have felt a static-like tingle at the base of your skull and it ran down your spine, making you shiver. That’s ASMR! Millions of people around the world experience this sensation but we still know very little about it.

    Can ASMR relieve stress?

    Since the term was coined less than a decade ago, empirical research is limited but is growing.  Early studies indicate that experiencing ASMR can have positive effects on our emotional and physical states.  For example, researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK found that those who experience the phenomenon had significantly reduced heart rates while watching ASMR videos compared to people who do not experience ASMR.  They also showed significant increases in positive emotions including relaxation and feelings of social connection.

    Dr. Giulia Poerio, of the University of Sheffield’s Department of Psychology, said: “What’s interesting is that the average reductions in heart rate experienced by our ASMR participants was comparable to other research findings on the physiological effects of stress-reduction techniques such as music and mindfulness.”  We still need much more research on the topic, but small studies like this one along with the anecdotes of millions of people indicate ASMR can have a very positive impact on our well-being.

    The Science Behind ASMR

    Ready to give ASMR a try?

    Have I convinced you to check out an ASMR video yet?  If you’re still not sure, watch this video by Gibi ASMR in which she explains what ASMR is and includes snippets from dozens of artists so you can see the incredible variety.  When getting started, my advice is to watch videos from channels that have the most subscribers because they are popular for a reason — they tend to produce the highest-quality videos that feature crowd-pleasing triggers.  Channels to check out:

    Remember that the triggers that elicit ASMR are very individualized.  So you may have to watch numerous videos from a variety of artists in order to find what works for you.  The list above is just a tiny drop in the bucket when it comes to the ASMR channels out there. It’s also possible you don’t experience ASMR, no matter the trigger.  Don’t fret! Some people who don’t experience the tingly sensation still find ASMR videos relaxing, much like people find videos of Bob Ross, hand lettering, or nail painting to be soothing.  If ASMR videos don’t reduce your stress levels, that’s okay!  But find something that does. In our overcrowded, overburdened, overstimulated lives, we need to consistently set aside time to relax our minds and bodies.

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  • 5 Ways to Support Your College Student During Final Exams

    The end of the semester can be a very challenging time for your college student. They’re already exhausted from a busy term but still have to push through projects and final exams. Although it can be difficult to offer support when your student is far from home, here are five ways you can help them manage final exam stress and finish the semester strong.

    Encourage stress management

    Many college classes have the bulk of their high-value assignments at the end of the term and final exams tend to be weighted heavily. This puts a lot of pressure on students to perform well.  Combine that pressure with ineffective stress management, and you have a recipe for burnout.

    Remind your student that studying effectively and efficiently requires them to take care of their mental and physical health. This means making a plan in advance, which includes not just what they need to study but also the breaks they will take and the self-care activities they’ll participate in to relieve stress.

    To make their plan, encourage your student to review syllabi, class notes, and the university exam schedule, then work backwards to determine how much time they’ll need to devote to each course. They should add these time slots to their planners as well as regular breaks in between. It’s also a good idea to schedule appointments with professors and tutors before finals week since that’s a busy time for everyone on campus.

    Also, encourage your student to continue doing activities they enjoy and to not isolate themselves in their dorm room or apartment.  Getting outside and among their friends are important stress relievers.

    Remind your student of campus resources

    Colleges and universities offer students a huge array of services and resources. Unfortunately, many students are unaware of everything their school offers (or, they know about them but don’t take advantage). Make sure you’re aware of the campus offices that are dedicated to student success, which will be listed on you student’s college website. These offices and centers include resources such as academic tutoring, study skill development, recreation, and mental health counseling.

    Most colleges and universities also host numerous events during final exam week to help students de-stress, which often include free food and fun activities. It’s also common for professors to offer exam review sessions, study guides, and extra office hours. And please don’t forget about the campus counseling center! They often increase their hours during exam week and offer services like peer counseling and support via text messaging.

    So when your student complains about how stressed and overwhelmed they are, encourage them to take advantage of these resources. After all, their tuition helps pay for them!

    Emphasize the importance of sleep

    Many people think all-nighters are a collegiate rite of passage. What they really are is a recipe for ill health. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, studies of college students have found that lack of sleep, erratic sleep/wake schedules, and poor sleep quality have a negative impact on academic performance and overall mental health.

    More specifically, a growing body of research in neuroscience is demonstrating how important sleep is to learning and memory.  It’s during sleep that our brains organize and prioritize information learned during the day. According to Dr. Matthew Walker, a sleep researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, sleep after learning is essential to save new information into the architecture of the brain. Without sleep, our ability to learn new information can drop by up to 40 percent!  So remind your student that staying awake all night to study is actually doing them more harm than good.

    Five Ways to Support Your College Student During Final Exams The Peaceful Professor helps students and their families have a happier and healthier college experience.

    Listen more, talk less

    When your student calls, upset and overwhelmed, you may feel the urge to swoop in and fix what’s ailing them. Although being supportive is essential, you want to empower them, not enable them. During these conversations, it’s best to let your student do most of the talking. Let them vent then ask questions rather than telling them what to do. For example, ask: “what are you going to do about this situation?” Encourage them to formulate a plan with specific steps to solve their own problems.

    It’s also important to ask your student what they need from you rather than assuming you know what would help them. Perhaps they want a care package with comforting reminders of home, a sounding board for their ideas, or simply someone to listen to them. You won’t know what they need unless you ask!

    Another way to offer support is to send your student encouraging messages, such as texts or emails. This lets them know you’re thinking about them without being too intrusive. If your student doesn’t have time to talk on the phone, or doesn’t respond right away to a text, don’t get upset. Remember that they are busy and give them space.

    Be mindful of your student’s mental health

    Sometimes parents don’t realize just how much pressure students feel to perform well in school. Many students report that a lot of their stress comes from not wanting to disappoint their families. Make sure your student knows that their health and happiness are far more important to you than the grades they earn on their exams.

    For some students, the pressure of final exams can become overwhelming and contribute to the development or exacerbation of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Thus, it’s critical to be mindful of your student’s mental health.

    Mood swings are not unusual during exams, but if your student has exhibited any of the following signs, it’s time to get more involved and have your student make an appointment with the campus counseling center:

    • Persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness
    • Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
    • Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
    • Loss of interest in most or all day-to-day activities, including a loss of pleasure in activities they once enjoyed.
    • Unusual sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
    • Extreme changes in appetite
    • Slowed speaking or body movements
    • Trouble concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things
    • Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts

    Thinking about these things can be scary, but it’s important for parents to pay close attention to their student’s behavior in order to notice these warning signs. Getting your student help early can prevent conditions from worsening.

    If you suspect that your student may be struggling with their mental health, ask them directly how they are currently feeling and encourage them to make an appointment with the campus counseling center. If you’re alarmed by changes in your student’s behavior, you can also communicate directly with the college’s counseling office or student affairs office.

    Final exam week is a very challenging time for students, both emotionally and intellectually.  Having a support network and an understanding of stress management strategies are essential to effectively managing this hectic time. Ultimately, your student’s success is up to them, but employing these five strategies will help you support your student no matter how far away they are.

    Looking for advice to share with your college student about how to perform well on their final exams while maintaining their sanity?  Send them the link to this blog post: The Top Five Mistakes College Students Make During Finals Week

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  • Top 5 Mistakes College Students Make During Finals Week

    There’s no more stressful, panic-inducing time for college students than finals week. During this time, students are often seen dragging themselves across campus, double-fisting energy drinks and spontaneously sobbing (Seriously. Some universities have created “cry closets” for students!).

    But finals week doesn’t have to be the worst time of the year! It’s absolutely possible to do well on your final exams and keep your stress in check by avoiding these five common mistakes.

    First, let me emphasize that stress is not necessarily an enemy.  Rather, it’s a normal part of life and it serves to both protect us and motivate us. When we experience a small spike in stress, it can push us to do our best.  But when we experience chronic stress, it can paralyze us.

    Stress is like the check engine light that pops up on your car dashboard warning you that maintenance is needed. Rather than continuing to drive around thinking “eh, it’ll be okay,” you need to pull over and reassess your study habits, starting with these five:

    Not having a plan

    One of the biggest mistakes students make is not creating a study plan in advance. Make your study schedule now! Organize your notes. Meet with professors to ask questions and get help. Schedule appointments for tutoring. Don’t wait until finals week to do this.

    To make your plan, review syllabi, class notes, and the university exam schedule, then work backwards to determine how much time you’ll need to devote to each course. Add those time slots to your planner or calendar. If you start early enough, you’ll be able to schedule study time in manageable chunks that will reduce stress and help you process the material more effectively.

    This is known as “spaced practice” and involves dividing studying into installments, allowing time to elapse in between. One of the best ways to employ this technique is to study your notes and quiz yourself each week (not after every class or waiting until finals week).

    Research indicates that allowing yourself a little time to “forget” is a good thing because it then requires extra effort to retrieve the piece of information from memory. Each time we recall information, we strengthen the neural pathways that move the information from our long-term memories to our working memories. This is key. The more times we retrieve the information, the better. But the only way you’ll be able to implement spaced practice is by starting early and making a plan!

    Rereading your notes

    The typical advice given to students is focused repetition, reflecting the belief that if we expose ourselves to something enough, we can burn it into memory. This is called “massed practice” by cognitive scientists and “cramming” by students. Given how frequently this advice is offered, it should come as no surprise that college students’ most commonly reported study habits are to re-read their textbook and “go over” their notes. Unfortunately, these are some of the least-effective ways to learn.

    A more effective strategy is to employ practice testing or what scholars call “active recall.” This involves actively stimulating your memory by quizzing yourself. Each time we recall information from our long-term memory, we are strengthening neural pathways and strong pathways mean you are more likely to remember the information during your exam. Try the Leitner flashcard system, ask a friend to quiz you, and take numerous practice quizzes that your professor provides, you create, or you find on sites like Quizlet.

    Unfortunately, despite its effectiveness, self-quizzing is often disliked by students because it requires more effort than simply rereading the textbook or copying notes over and over. But remember: the greater the effort, the deeper the learning.

    Pulling all-nighters

    Many people think all-nighters are a collegiate rite of passage. What they really are is a recipe for disaster. As I mentioned, the best way to learn is through spaced practice and effortful retrieval. You can’t do this in a few hours or when you’re mentally overwhelmed and physically exhausted.

    Furthermore, a growing body of research in neuroscience is demonstrating how important sleep is to learning and memory.  It’s during sleep that your brain organizes and prioritizes information you learned during the day. According to Dr. Matthew Walker, a sleep researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, sleep after learning is essential to save new information into the architecture of the brain. So think twice before pulling an all-nighter: If you don’t sleep, your ability to learn new information could drop by up to 40 percent!

    The Top 5 Mistakes College Students Make During Finals Week. Finals week doesn’t have to be the worst time of the year! It’s absolutely possible to do well on your final exams and keep your stress in check by avoiding these five common mistakes. The Peaceful Professor helps students and their families have a happier and healthier college experience.

    Relying on flashcards

    In addition to rereading notes, using flashcards is one of the most commonly reported study strategies. Flashcards can be an excellent tool for self-quizzing, but many students don’t use them effectively. For example, students will make flashcards for every piece of content that could possibly show up on an exam even if they already know some of it. If you already understand it, don’t waste precious time making a flashcard for it!

    A more efficient way to use flashcards is to review them at increasing intervals. As you become more confident about the content on a particular card, you can wait longer before you review that card again.

    For example, let’s say you’re quizzing yourself and you’ve correctly recalled the information on a card three times in a row. You don’t need to keep reviewing it in that same study session. Instead, set it aside in a separate “to review” pile and return to it later (preferably after several days. Remember the importance of spaced practice!).  When you review that card later, if you still recall it, you can wait even longer before looking at it again. If you forget the content, return it to the “to study” pile of cards. Also, make sure you’re shuffling your flashcards each time you review them, rather than always keeping them in the same order.

    Finally, don’t rely on flashcards as your only study strategy.  It’s important to employ multiple methods, known as “varied practice.” Neuroimaging studies suggest that different types of practice engage different parts of the brain. By using a variety of techniques, you are broadening your understanding of the concepts and the relationships between them, which strengthens those all-important neural pathways.

    Trying to do it alone

    Studying for exams can feel very isolating. But participating in finals week events on campus can help you feel less alone and less stressed (misery loves company, right?). Students at Illinois State University shake off their stress with a huge dance party known as Club Milner.  At Carleton College in Minnesota, the night before exams start, students collectively engage in a “primal scream.” At Longwood University in Virginia, faculty and staff serve pancakes to students at Late Night Breakfast while College of Charleston students in South Carolina snuggle with puppies.

    Taking advantage of campus resources also includes help your individual professors may offer such as exam review sessions, study guides, and extra office hours. And don’t forget about your campus counseling center! They often increase their hours during exam week and offer services like peer counseling and support via text messaging. These folks understand what it’s like to be a student and can help you build a toolkit of skills to take care of your mental health.

    Finally, please remember that although you are a college student, you are more than your grades.  Your mental and physical health are far more important than what you earn on your exams. Please make time for self-care and seek support if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Go for a walk with a friend; take a nap; write out your worries; drink more water. You got this!

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  • The 3 Best Journaling Techniques to Relieve Anxiety

    In an age where Millennials and Gen Z are often seen as smartphone-addicted zombies, good old-fashioned pen and paper may seem as archaic as starting a fire by rubbing two sticks together. However, for an anxious mind, writing can do wonders.  If you’re looking for relief from anxiety, stress, or other overwhelming emotions, give these three journaling techniques a try:

    Journal Prompts

    Studies have demonstrated the healing powers of journaling for those with mental illnesses. There are many different approaches that have significant de-stressing effects. For example, Bustle suggests prompted writing as a method to try and suggest a few ideas to get the ball rolling:

    • write out your emotions like a grocery list
    • write a letter to your anxiety
    • imagine your anxiety as a monster and write a story about it
    • interview your past and future selves: what would she say about her experiences with anxiety?
    • imagine your favorite fictional character has the same problems as you and figure out how they’d solve them
    • use colorful markers or pens and write out all the things that make you happy
    • start your journal with the phrase “I remember feeling…”

    Don’t worry about organization or editing.  Just write down everything that comes to mind in response to the prompts.  Writing about fictional characters, your future self, or an anxiety monster can provide distance from your feelings, which can help you calm down and ground yourself again.

    Image of an open notebook next to a mason jar of colorful markers with the headline The Three Best Journaling Techniques to Relieve Anxiety. The Peaceful Professor helps students and their families have a happier and healthier college experience.

    Free Writing

    An alternative to prompted writing is free writing. The moment you start to feel overly anxious or feel a panic attack coming on, write down all of your thoughts without judgement. First, write what is happening in your life that is causing you to panic. Next, record what you expect the outcome of the situation to be. And lastly, put down the best and worst-case scenarios. This exercise helps to put your stress into perspective because, oftentimes, the worst-case scenario is something that you can deal with and get through. You are so much stronger than you think.

    Visual Journaling

    If writing is not as interesting to you, visual journaling has also been shown to decrease anxiety and stress levels. With this format, you focus on breathing and introspection as you draw the sources of your anxiety, creating a visual representation of your stress. Researchers at Eastern Virginia Medical School tested this method on medical students, who have some of the highest levels of anxiety and depression. Results indicate that this technique reduced anxiety and increased positivity in almost every participant. Like free writing, drawing makes your problems seem more controllable and helps to clear your mind. And for those who feel a tad lacking in creativity, there is also a calming effect to adult coloring books. Coloring not only reduces anxiety, but also increases mindfulness.

    The Power of Journaling

    As someone with anxiety and depression, I find that writing soothes my overactive mind. There is something extremely powerful about writing things down. For example, I like to make to-do lists and schedule out my month in advance. This may sound counterproductive to the anxious mind; however, tasks and to-dos seem much more manageable once they are on paper. As you are writing, you are suddenly in control of all of these things that had been floating around in your head that you just couldn’t grab onto before.

    When you have anxiety, it is so hard to let things go, and no issue truly seems small. Journaling is a way to take some control back. The pen is your power, and it is completely dependent upon you; once you write these thoughts down, you can more easily decide what is important and distinguish the uncontrollable from what you can truly do.

    Grace Benigni is a graduate of the College of Charleston. She is on a quest to find therapeutic ways to manage her anxiety that can realistically fit into her jam-packed schedule as a special events coordinator and actress.

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