Expressive writing keeps stress at bay

Expressing your feelings on a sheet of paper can cool your brain and help you perform the stress-inducing task more efficiently, finds a study.

According to researchers, worrying takes up cognitive resources. Due to the worrying, you are constantly multi-tasking because you are doing one task and trying to monitor and suppress your worries at the same time

"Our findings show that if you get these worries out of your head through expressive writing, those cognitive resources are freed up to work toward the task you're completing and you become more efficient," said lead author Hans Schroder, doctoral student at Michigan State University (MSU).

Previous research has shown that expressive writing can help individuals to overcome past traumas or stressful events.

"This technique takes the edge off their brains so they can perform the task with a 'cooler head'," added Jason Moser, Associate Professor at MSU.

It is to note that having a journal can be one of the simplest ways to relieve stress. With everyday seeming to be one big rush, and with completing so many tasks, we tend to lose focus on the main thing that needs to rest, and that is the human brain.

Some of the most productive people keep a journal in their reach as a source for emptying their thoughts when they become overbearingly loud and chaotic. For the study, published in the journal 'Psychophysiology', college students identified as chronically anxious through a validated screening measure, completed a computer-based "flanker task" that measured their response accuracy and reaction times.

Before the task, about half of the participants wrote about their deepest thoughts and feelings about the upcoming task for eight minutes; the other half, in the control condition, wrote about what they did the day before.

While the two groups performed at about the same level for speed and accuracy, the expressive-writing group performed the flanker task more efficiently, meaning they used fewer brain resources.

To sum it up in few points, here are few of the tips that will throw light on the benefits of writing and how it will motivate you to stay at the top of your work.

Once writing becomes a part of one's daily life, it is known that the writer's use of vocabulary and way of thinking increases.

It is normal for us to be emotionally unstable at times, but something as simple as writing can help to balance your emotions, which as a result lead to a healthier, emotional lifestyle.

Having quiet time to yourself either in the morning, during the day, or at night is another way to add in self-discipline. Just like going to the gym or eating becomes a daily habit, writing will soon become a good habit to take up.

Writing can free your mind of any tangled thoughts that you may have. This can reduce daily stress and anxiety and lead to having better sleep.

Tap into your writing skills and see what you're capable of doing. You might be surprised by the ideas that are ready to go on paper.