20 ways journaling helps with burnout and overwhelm 

By Sarah Cannata

Overwhelm can feel like drowning in a sea of thoughts, tasks and emotions – we’ve all been there. What’s your go-to when feeling overwhelmed? I don’t teach standard journaling. My work focuses on guiding people to tune into what they feel in their physical bodies as they write. (That’s the short explanation.) I blend writing with other body-based approaches as an Embodied Processing Practitioner. You can learn more about my work here. Embodied processing is a body-based approach to working with trauma.

To keep things simple, journaling is a simple yet transformative tool to help you regain clarity and calm. It can help to prevent the ‘b’ word – burnout. Writing is also cost-effective and available to people on a 24/7 basis. Here are 20 ways journaling can help when life feels too much.

Writing:

  1. Can help you become more emotionally aware of what you think and feel.
  2. Helps you to organise your thoughts into smaller, bite-sized pieces that feel more manageable to contemplate.
  3. In a journal for your eyes only offers a non-judgemental, safe space.
  4. Can help you to identify patterns when you pay attention to recurring themes.
  5. May help you to consider situations from different perspectives, leading to important realisations.
  6. Can help you to have a difficult conversation if you write a rough script of how you think the discussion may go beforehand.
  7. Helps you to see that not everything on your to-do list has to be done yesterday when you ask yourself what can wait until tomorrow.
  8. Provides you with a safe space to write your story without worrying about anyone else reading it or potential consequences. (I highly recommend shredding for any particularly sensitive information.)
  9. Helps you to connect with your intuition and inner voice in a constantly loud and noisy world.
  10. Is scientifically proven to contribute towards better health and well-being outcomes. Google ‘expressive writing’ or read this article for more.
  11. Boosts your self-confidence and self-trust when you document your wins, regardless of how big or small they may be.
  12. Is one of the most accessible, cost-effective tools available to most people.
  13. Helps with keeping your feelings of overwhelm in perspective. When you return to a blank page daily, you see what you felt previously wasn’t the end of the world – it was just a blip on the radar.
  14. Has a place in trauma healing. I genuinely believe guided writing with a professional can complement other modalities in which people may already be engaging (think psychology, psychotherapy, etc.).
  15. Is a preventative well-being measure when you remember to use it whenever a brain dump is in order, or you feel like you’re going around in circles with an issue.
  16. Facilitates habit tracking and keeping yourself accountable with the small daily steps that eventually compound to big wins.
  17. Can lead to big revelations buried in your subconscious if you build the habit and write consistently. Trust me, I’ve experienced this.
  18. Grounds you in the only moment that truly exists: now. In a world where anxiety is increasing, what a gift writing is.
  19. Helps with problem-solving, as you think of things differently while writing over time.
  20. Is so underutitlised in Western society! The next time you feel frustrated, sad, annoyed, anxious or whatever else, try jotting down everything that comes to mind, paying attention to any feelings or sensations you notice in your body.

Interested in learning more?

If you want to delve further with using writing as a well-being tool with 1-on-1 support, explore my Soulful Steps Pilot Program. I have 2 places left as 1 is already gone. A 50% discount is available for a limited time only and you can secure your spot in 2024 for a 2025 start if you wish to. You are welcome to reach out with any questions you may have, and I’m happy to schedule a Zoom call to see if we are a good fit: info@sarahcannata.com

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