Life has a lot of ups and downs, and for some, the feeling can be very overwhelming. With circumstances creating anxiety and a whole lot of other feelings, one can get lost in a depressed state. Depression is a growing menace. This has led to many solutions and techniques to deal with it. One of such techniques is journaling, which has come in highly recommended not only for stress management but also to effectively control depression. In addition, journaling helps with overall health, wellness, and happiness. More so, it’s something that’s enjoyable with people that can pen down their thoughts and different moods.

If you’re going through a depressive state, there are many easy journal techniques usually accompanied by many benefits. All you have to do is make it a constant feature of your life in a way convenient to you. This means you can journal your thoughts and what you’re going through daily, weekly, or simply when the need arises. For instance, if you’re going through immense pressure, you can put down some words in your journal. By journaling your thoughts, you can conquer depression and transcend the limits of spoken language.

Journaling can be a powerful tool you need to examine and shift your focus from your problems to your potentials. This sets the tone for a better living experience and control over your own feelings.

Getting Started
As with everything else, you have to get started. It’s no use sweating over how you feel and only thinking about ways to get out of the slump. Take an active step and do the following:

Write What You Feel 
What are your thoughts, feelings or concerns? Write them down for minutes at a stretch without leaving anything out. Further, there may be other thoughts on a lighter note to help you battle those nagging, depressing thoughts. Write those too. In addition, what you use as a journal doesn’t really matter. A notepad, book or even a computer is enough.

Write What’s Currently Happening
You’ll get to a stage where you can talk about the future and how that’s challenging. But for now, describe the events that you’re currently witnessing. Most times, depression stems from what could happen rather than what is happening. In line with that, pen down your current state, feelings and your thoughts about it all. Try to evade words about what your future could hold.

What Are Your Fears? 
Now it’s time to write about your concerns and fears. But as you do so often in an orderly manner, have it in your mind that it’s okay to hope. Write down your fears about the future or even what you think will happen next. It’s important you have all these down because as you go on, you’ll have a clear idea of why you’re depressed and the triggers to avoid.

How do you think your thoughts will affect you? Also, write this down.

Journaling to Change Your Mindset 
When you’re done writing all your fears and concerns, consider the following:

Explore Your Options
It’s great to write down what you think and the concerns that come with them. But you should also explore other options. Figure out ways in which you can do things differently. What can you do to change your circumstances? These thoughts help you get out of a depressive state sooner, rather than later.

Critical and Positive Thinking
Okay, you’re depressed about the state of your life and certain things. What you can do though, is to examine critically. With things of the future, nothing is quite set in stone and a lot of your thoughts will never take place. Changes will definitely occur but with positive thoughts and critical thinking, you can put a lot of the concerns you’ve written away. Further, challenging your fears will help you limit the impact of depression especially when you figure out that you don’t have to live in fear of the unknown.

Counter the Negative
You won’t be needing a paper writer to help you do this. For one, it’s personal and it helps to allay your fears. What you should do is for every fear or depression-causing thought you have, think and write down a positive way you can handle things or think differently. This means getting new stories, possibilities and affirmative actions to counter your fears. New thought-patterns to address your fears through journaling will help you conquer depression.

Write Down Life-improving Actions
There are many things you can do to offset the impact of depression in your life. However, until you write them down, you’ll only have flashes of ways to fix them. Journaling provides that point of reference and outlet to let go of some hurtful thoughts. For instance, you could have some improving actions like going out more or saying what’s on your mind rather than bottling up what you feel. Such actions put into work after writing them, offer you the chance to be more resilient emotionally, and face any mental and psychological challenges you might have.

If you don’t feel up to it or good enough, putting more energy into doing something to take you out of depression will help you move to a position of strength. In the same vein, you’ll feel more equipped when you have a lot of lined-up actions to face recurring challenges posed by depression.

Journaling Tips
Don’t Leave Anything Out
It’s normal for some people that suffer depression to leave out some details when speaking about it. Well, while journaling, you can write out every bit of thought you have. More so, if you’re concerned about it getting out, you can always rip the page out.

The Time and Place Matters
A busy bus or somewhere crowded won’t do you a lot of good. To this end, get somewhere quiet or seek out a comfort zone you find relaxing. Whether that’s on your bed, couch, or on your garden patio, it’s important to have little to no distractions.

Journal Regularly
Try to write regularly. Aim to spend at least 15 minutes every day, writing down your thoughts. In addition, forget about being correct with your grammar or writing style. Just get on with it.

Avoid Being Overly Negative 
Depression is a negative state that’s difficult to get out of. But when you’re journaling, make a conscious effort to leave out the negativity. Of course, this is easier said than done but when you notice a lot of negative things in your write-up, quickly shift focus. Also, try not to re-read your negative writing. Just vent out and leave it at that. Better yet, rip off the page.

Journaling Benefits
You Assume Control Over Your Life
Slowly but surely, journaling helps you take control over your life. By writing your thoughts, concerns, and worries, you get to put a check on the chaos around you. In addition, things feel more manageable when written.

You Learn More About Yourself
They say “adversity introduces a man to himself,” and this is particularly true with depression. Write what you feel and it will keep you aware of who you are.

Changes Your Outlook on Life
With a journal, your viewpoint changes over time. You begin to see positives and self-talk your way out of the depressive state.

Track Your Progress
You’ll get to see how you’re doing with time. While the brain is often a one-trick pony, writing down your thoughts will help you notice trends. The good and the bad, coupled with ways to deal with both.

Conclusion
It’s great to journal your feelings in a bid to conquer depression, but you should also recognize the need for help when you have one. Get a professional to help you out and be open about how you feel. Also, be confident about your journal and doing your bit to snap out of depression.

Isabell Gaylord
Guest Blogger
Dragon Intuitive

Isabell Gaylord is a journalist, content marketing specialist and professional content writer with a lot of experience writing quality articles for Edubirdie reviews. She specializes in such spheres as business, marketing, and education.