Work Stress is a real thing for everybody, even for those of us who love our jobs and love our coworkers, stress can creep in. Some of the many causes of work-related stress include long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity and conflicts with co-workers or bosses.
Job related stress can be one of the biggest stressors in our lives and journaling can really help you to work through some of these issues on your own without creating any more friction in your workplace. For example, if you bottle it up and don’t let it out, you will probably explode and do something you might later regret, equally if you don’t bottle it up, you might still act unaccordingly or feel pretty bad, because in both situations you haven't processed these feelings properly.
So the best thing to do is let it all out on paper first, let all those angry, jealous or frustrating thoughts come out where nobody else can see, so that your Amygdala (the emotional and feelings part of the brain), can work together with your Prefrontal Cortex, to process them and decrease the intensity of these emotions.
Some of the benefits:
- It can help you work through these issues without creating friction in your workplace (and cause you even more stress)
- It can help you pinpoint your actual frustration
- Can allow you to reflect on your emotions
- Can help you with self discovery
Here are some questions and prompts to help you with managing your stress levels through journaling:
1. What does work stress look like for you right now, and why?
Where is it coming from? Is it a person, a task, a dynamic, a schedule, or something else?
2. What emotions are coming up most often in your workday lately?
Are you feeling overwhelmed, underappreciated, anxious, angry, bored, lost?
Where do those feelings show up?
3. How is your body responding to this stress?
Are there physical signs? (tension, fatigue, sleep, digestion, etc.)
What does your body need?
4. What would “enough” look like for you at work?
Enough time? Enough support? Enough recognition? Enough boundaries? What is missing?
5. What would be the worst thing I could say to this person or what’s the worst thing that could happen in this situation?
6. What, if anything, feels within your control to shift, reduce, or let go of?
Are there conversations that need to happen?
What support would help most right now?
7. How would you like to feel, and how would your day differ if you had that positive emotion?
I wish you a beautiful day. Love and Peace :)
