Journaling Can Help to Cope with Anxiety by a Counselor in Colchester, CT

Journaling Can Help to Cope with Anxiety by a Counselor in Colchester, CT

You have been worried and stressed about the pandemic and how it has impacted your life.  Your anxiety feels like it is an all-time high.  Your mind races with several worst case “what if” scenarios making it difficult to concentrate and sleep.  You want to relax, but you feel so uptight you are unsure how to even start to relax.  You turn to Google and start searching Counseling in Colchester, CT and Counseling in Hebron, CT. You read about online anxiety counseling in Colchester, CT and even book an intake appointment with a stress counselor.  But what can you do between now and your first counseling session?  This is where journaling can come in.

Sometimes the thought of journaling can be a turn off for people.  Many people think journaling has to look a certain way, be a certain format, or be written in a 5-paragraph essay format.  Nope!  It is for you and you only.  It is a way to get anxious thoughts out of your mind and onto paper.  It does not have to be neat or pretty.  Journaling can be sentences, phrases, words, pictures, or even doodles.  Sometimes we get stuck in analysis paralysis and do not know where to start.  Start somewhere, start anywhere.

Here are some writing prompt ideas to get you started:

1.        What am I anxious about?  - A great place to start! Here is an opportunity to write about what is making you anxious, the triggers, the stressors, and how you feel.

2.       Is there another emotion I am experiencing?  Often when we feel anxious, there can be other emotions we are experiencing.  For example, you feel anxious about pandemic stress.  You may also feel fearful of your health and may feel angry about the pandemic.

3.       How likely is it for my worry to happen?  This is one of my favorite prompts.  When feeling anxious, it is easy to go down the rabbit hold of worst-case scenario thinking.  I can not say bad things do not happen, but the worst-case scenarios that we build up in our mind typically do not happen.  Even if they do happen, it is not to the degree or intensity we made them out to be. 

4.       How could I cope with the worst-case scenario if it did happen?  It may sound counter intuitive to think about the worst case scenario but it can help to think about it because it can help you plan or see how you can cope with it if it were to happen.  You may realize you are more resilient than you think you are. 

5.       What are my top 3 coping skills for managing anxiety? This is a great prompt to help you think about how you can cope with anxiety or explore things you want to try.  You reflect on how reaching out to a trusted friend, doing some yoga, and doing some deep breathing helps you to feel calmer. You may also discover you want to work on drinking more water, walking more, and try meditation.

The journal prompts are endless.  Remember there is no one way to journal.

Azalea Counseling & Wellness, LLC specializes in anxiety therapy in Colchester, CT by providing individual therapy.  Currently, anxiety counseling session are done online due to Covid-19.  To read more about online anxiety therapy, click here.  Read more about anxiety therapy here.  If you are struggling with panic attacks, click here to learn more about panic attack counseling.   

Azalea Counseling & Wellness, LLC provides anxiety counseling for the Colchester, Hebron, Amston, Columbia, Marlborough, Lebanon, Salem, Willimantic, Storrs, and East Hampton communities.  With online therapy (or telehealth), Azalea Counseling & Wellness, LLC is able to provide therapy services to any adult in the state of CT. 

Call or email to schedule a 15-minute phone consultation today to see if we are good fit.

4 Ways to Try Increase Motivation

Counseling in Colchester, CT

4 Ways to Try Increase Motivation

2020 has been quite possibly the most stressful and anxiety producing year ever.  You try to cope with pandemic, figuring out how to work from home, trying to teach your kids from home, and you find yourself anxious and stretched way too thin.  You start to notice that you are not as motivated as you used to be.  The hobbies you once enjoyed are really hard to get into.  Everyday life is now exhausting never mind trying to exercise, try to coordinate a socially distant visit with friends, or try to focus long enough to read a book.   Here are 4 ways to try to increase motivation :

1.       Treat yourself with kindness and compassion.  If it were easy to just get up and workout, you would.  Some days are difficult and exhausting, and it is too hard to make it happen.  If this is the case watch the language you use for yourself.  Limit the could, should, must self-talk because it is not how you actually feel which can increase worsening mood symptoms.  What would you say to a friend or a child?  We tend to give them good feedback and lots of compassion.

2.        Forget about what you did not do the day before or the previous week.  Even if you failed 100 times at what you are trying to achieve, it is only right now that matters.  If you wake up late, start then. If you are behind, begin anyway.  The point is, just start.

3.       Be realistic with what your goals are. Be very honest with yourself about what you can do.  Sometimes people agree to do too much and then feel terrible that they cannot do it.  Keep it small, keep it simple.

4.       Do not “beat yourself up” if you fail at something.  No one ever says, “Now that I said mean things about myself, I feel motivated to do the things!”  Beating yourself up makes you less likely to get it done next time.

Counseling in Colchester, CT

This year has been challenging for sure and it is understandable if you are struggling with low motivation.  Counseling can be helpful in exploring feelings and learning new coping skills.  Be sure to check out the anxiety, panic, and online therapy specialty pages.  Currently, all therapy session is being held online due to the panic.  This allows every to stay safe, allows for counseling in Colchester, CT, and allows for counseling for anyone in CT.  Call or email to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if we are a good fit!