Why Bullet Journaling Can Help with Anxiety

We live in a world where our mobile phones, social media networks and email service is only a click of a button away.  Social pressure is constantly around us, whether it is to look a certain way, own a particular product or live a lavish lifestyle. False news is constantly being fed to us in a sea of misinformation, user comments and assumptions.  Add to this a global pandemic, an environmental crisis and economic concerns, it’s no wonder that anxiety is a leading mental disorder, affecting around 40 million people in America alone.  In response to this, many startups are catering to people suffering from anxiety by introducing soothing products such as weighted blankets and ambient lighting. But what about Bullet Journaling? Bullet Journaling is different in that it is not a product that has been designed to monetise off of people’s mental wellbeing.  It’s a method of dealing with anxiety and the great thing about it is that any simple old notebook will do.

Bullet Journaling is a way of organising your thoughts, tracking your habits, and can be anything else you would like to add to it, all in one compact accessible place.  It’s a diary, a calendar and a to-do list all combined in one. When people are anxious, organising one’s thoughts and the things around them can help overcome or ease the symptoms.  You don’t need to be an artist or creative to start one; everything can be created, drawn or written by hand; and it will probably constantly change and grow as you grow too.  There are no rules, no expectations – your bullet journal should be what you would like it to be, and only you. After Bullet Journaling for a while, it also becomes a great tool to look back at and see how your life, thoughts and mental space have changed, and how you have physically, mentally and spiritually progressed.

Here’s how a bullet journal can help you ease your anxiety:

1. It Helps Identify and Track Behaviours or Experiences that Trigger Anxiety

You can monitor your mental health and identify what triggers your anxiety, by taking note of when you are experiencing anxiety and what you are doing or thinking about at the time.  Identifying where your anxiety is coming from can be one of the first steps to reducing it.

2. Bullet Journaling puts Problems into Perspective

Writing things down in a Bullet Journal helps with mental offload, that is, it helps you to release yourself from the pressure of trying to remember things by having them written down.  Also, by writing things down, you not only separate yourself from any problems, but it allows you to put your problems into perspective and to give yourself the headspace to come up with a solution.  When it comes to tasks, writing them down means you can assign some time to do it and release yourself from worrying that it needs to be done at that very moment. It also gives a feeling like no other when you cross off a written task on your to-do list or a problem that has been solved.

3. It Helps Track your mood

It may be the last thing you feel like doing before going to bed every night, but by tracking your mood on a daily basis helps you get out your thoughts and emotions when you cannot go to a therapy session.  It’s a way of putting your feeling down, seeing why you are feeling that way, what needs to be done to feel better and starting afresh the next day.

4. It’s Easy to Track Self-Care and Other Habits

Tracking your habits helps you follow a routine that allows you time to do things that you’re obliged to do, as well as put aside time for self-care.  Routines provide structure, decrease time wastage and helps us create good habits and prioritise our more important tasks, lessening any anxiety that comes with the thought of doing them.

5. As well as to Track your Sleep

Not getting enough sleep can cause havoc on your day, as well as your lifestyle. You may experience irritability, changes to your mood and can even cause weight gain.  Making an effort to count how many hours of sleep you get each night and how it affects you, will give you more control of your day.

6. And Allows you to Break Down Tasks

Writing down our tasks allows us to break down a seemingly large task into smaller doable tasks throughout the day or week.

7. It Can also be used for Nutritional Tracking

Tracking your meals next to your mood or activity at the time can help you identify patterns in your food choices which may help you be more mindful in future of why you eat certain foods when you do, and assist with breaking the cycle of eating when anxious.

8. Bullet Journaling Helps Create and Accomplish Goals

By writing down your goals in a Bullet Journal, they become that little bit more real.  Once you make a plan on how to achieve those goals, you would have started the journey of accomplishing them.

Despite the benefits of a bullet journal, it’s important to speak to a mental health professional if you feel like you cannot cope or feel that your issues go beyond bullet journaling.

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