Breaking Out of Repetitive Thoughts: “Write It Out”

If you grew up journaling, or have never journaled before, you may have heard of this as a mental health tool but may wonder how it relates to anxiety and difficult thought cycles. Thought cycles can be caused by a desire to control or work out the possibilities of something that, frankly, may not be able to be controlled at the moment. Other times, ruminating thoughts can occur because we are replaying a moment that we wish went differently, or we can be avoiding a feeling and instead, thinking about it, which makes it seem like we’re tending to it. Much of the time, this may be a natural cause of life. Anxiety can come in many forms.

Activating anxiety, may be the catalyst needed to get moving on something, like switching caretakers for your kids, even when you don’t want to. Thoughts around options and working through scenarios are part of planning, and critical thinking, necessary parts of problem solving and finding solutions. Rumination can show up even at times when feelings can simply be too heavy, such as in grief, when we may not be ready to face acceptance, so thoughts such as bargaining take the forefront as we reach a place to feel those feelings.

Our thoughts are important, they inform our behaviors, they provide perspective, and are a part of our natural curiosity and growth. When thoughts spiral, get caught in a cycle, and begin to affect areas of life functioning such as sleep, attentiveness, and connection with others, are when they need to be challenged.

So why should we journal? It comes down to externalization. When our thoughts are replayed in our head, it can alter our behavior and feelings in ways that don’t align with who we are. Sometimes, it’s hard to work things out on our own, but we may not feel safe to share it with others, may not have the social support needed, may not have access to those who can listen, or maybe we have a little of all of those things, but the thoughts just keep returning.

What then? Another way to externalize is journaling. Write it out. As you put your thoughts and feelings down on paper you begin to work through the “stuff” you’re carrying. A journal can contain not only the rumination, but also be a part of your sharing process. When you carry less internally, you free yourself to begin moving toward day-to-day life with a more balanced head and lightened heart.