Writing Down Your Feelings

A study conducted at UCLA revealed that verbalizing or writing down feelings makes sadness, anger and pain less intense. The study examined a region of the brain called the amygdala, which is the alarm section of the brain that alerts us in times of danger. The study found putting feelings into words activates the pre-frontal cortex which reduces the response of the amygdala and as a result, you feel less angry and less sad.

Free writing is able to tap into your thoughts and feelings. Instead of just having many racing thoughts, you are able to gather those thoughts, compose them and put them into words. Once you have done this, your problems seem to stay in your journal and not your mind. Research is discovering that putting your feelings down on paper may help to get rid of feelings of anger and other negative emotions because it releases the person and allows the person to move on towards constructive action.

To begin writing down your feelings, you will need some simple tools. You will need a notebook, a timer and a pen. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for at least two minutes. Set your timer and begin writing down everything you are thinking. Do not censure your thoughts and feelings, you just need to allow them to flow. Once the timer goes off, please stop, put down your pen and tell yourself that you must go and finish you work and you can come back to this later. Overtime, as you address your feelings, their intensity will diminish.