PTSD Brochure

Journaling

Writing to cope with stress

Works Cited

Robb-Nicholson, Celeste, M.D. "Writing About Emotions May Ease Stress and Trauma." Writing about Emotions May Ease Stress and Trauma. Harvard Health Publications, 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 05 Dec. 2014. 

Weiten, Wayne, Elizabeth Yost Hammer, and Dana Dunn. Adjust: Applying Psychology to Life. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Brown, Megan, and Nancy Brown, Ph.D. "Coping With Stress." Pamf.org. Palo Alto Medical Foundation, July 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2014.

Name removed

PSY 118.0005

Fall 2016

What does

Mean?

Stress: a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.

Cope: deal effectively with something difficult.

Trauma: a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.

PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder. It can occur after you have gone through an extreme emotional trauma that involved the threat of injury or death.

Emotional Intelligence: The capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.

Anxiety: a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.

Emotional Inhibition:

 Holding back emotions in situations where it would be healthier to express them.

Is Stress a Big Deal?

According to

Joseph Goldberg, M.D.:

 43% percent of all adults’ health suffer due to stress.

 75% to 90% of all medical visits are because patients are stressed.

 Stress can cause headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, abnormal body cycles, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, PTSD, depression, and anxiety.

 Stress costs employers more than $300 billion every year.

 The chance of having an emotional disorder such as panic attacks, PTSD, and depression is greater than 50%. All of these are stress related.

http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/effects-of-stress-on-your-body

How Does Journaling Help?

Journaling is a way to say the things that we are too afraid to voice physically. It is a way to relieve your frustrations, anxieties, worries, and complaints in a way that is safe, constructive way that is harmless to yourself and others.

Also known as expressive writing, journaling is also a way to look back and see how you overcame obstacles.

Journaling can help you overcome emotion inhibitions. For those who are uncomfortable showing emotion, it is a healthy way to make small steps in becoming more emotionally expressive.

How To Begin

 Find an easy-to-use journal and a nice pen. You are more prone to write if you like what you are writing in.

 Don’t use a computer. You express more emotions in the way you write than in the way you type. When you read a journal, you can tell from the penmanship what emotion was being expressed.

 Set aside time in your day that is dedicated to

journaling.

 Find a quiet spot to write. Although it’s trendy, coffee shops, bakeries, and cafes are terrible places to focus.

 Don’t over-commit. Start with ten minutes a day and write about whatever you want. Work your way up to longer periods of time rather than becoming discouraged that committed journaling doesn’t come easily.