This is part 2 in a series I am writing about journaling techniques which I use to handle anxiety. You can read part 1 here and part 3 here.

Keeping a daily journal is one of the most powerful things you can possibly do. I have used one since I was 6 and would lose my mind without the sense of calm it injects into my days. Writing a journal has proven to be a wildly effective way of managing anxiety and stress.

But it can be intimidating to read the journals of successful people (like Samuel Pepys, Hemmingway, and Benjamin Franklin) and about complex methods for keeping a record of your life. Like all habits, the simpler you make it, the better. I prefer to have a barrage of quick and easy journaling techniques for specific situations. The criteria for each of them are as follows:

Must take five minutes or less to do (or longer if I wish.)

Must require nothing more than paper and pen.

Must be something I can do anywhere, anytime.

Must have tangible, immediate benefits.

So, here are three more techniques which I use often to handle anxiety and for introspection. If starting a journal seems daunting, give them a go. No fancy equipment or writing skills required - a napkin and pencil will do. However, I always use a Moleskine Cahier and my Lamy fountain pen.

1. What are my assumptions?

Many of the journaling techniques I find to be most impactful involve asking myself probing questions. For this one, I seek to identify as many of my underlying assumptions which I am unaware of in my day to day life.

The power of doing this comes from seeing internalized concepts stated on a page. Each time I do this, I am astonished by how limiting and utterly incorrect many of my assumptions are.

To gain some perspective, I imagine how I would feel if the list had been written by a friend. Which statements would I agree with and which would I question?

I can then questions my assumptions and begin to work on altering the unhealthy ones. It is liberating to gain the upper hand of your own unconscious mind and to see your own motivations.