As a carer, it’s not uncommon to experience feelings of worry, anxiety, guilt or stress and it’s natural to struggle with how to manage these emotions. The weight of these feelings can easily lead to you feeling overwhelmed. As a carer, you give so much of yourself, and it’s easy to forget that your mental, emotional and physical well-being needs care too.
One of the most powerful ways that you can support yourself is by having the ability to release the thoughts that cause you anxiety, stress, worry, guilt or overwhelmed. Journaling is a gentle, yet effective, tool that can help with this—a tool that’s always available whenever you need it.
Journaling allows you to express your thoughts, emotions, and feelings through writing, creating a safe space to pour out what’s on your mind. By putting your thoughts down on paper, you can begin to understand and process them in a way that feels more manageable and less overwhelming. It’s a simple yet effective way to care for yourself, so you can continue to care for others.
Getting started
There are different tools and techniques that can help you when journaling but to get started all you need are a pen, a notebook and a willingness to give it a try.
Overcoming barriers
As a carer, you may already be overwhelmed due to the time, mental, emotional and physical energy your caring duties and responsibilities demand of you. So it’s understandable that the thought of taking on another task in the form of journaling could be met with some resistance. If you haven’t tried journaling before, the two main barriers people usually mention that stop them from getting started are, lack of time and not knowing what to write about.
Let’s address time. As a busy carer, you may already feel that you’re constantly chasing your tail. Yes, your time is precious, but your self-care is important too. Journaling is one of the best self-care tools carers can use so you owe it to yourself and the person you’re caring for to give it a go.
To be most effective, journaling should be done every day. However, each session doesn’t have to be long. Journaling can be done in as little as 5 minutes. Start by setting aside 5 non-negotiable minutes in the morning, afternoon, evening or just before bed. Find a time that best suits you and your lifestyle. Once you’re comfortable with this you can increase the time you spend journaling.
Journaling will help you to:
- release emotions
- practise self-reflection
- reconnect with yourself – who you are and what you want
- process your feelings and experiences
- maintain your mental well-being.
If writing once a day is too much, start with every other day. At the end of each week read back what you’ve written and journal reflectively. How do you feel about what you wrote during the past seven days? You can also ask yourself questions. These questions could be; are these thoughts and feelings true for me today? What can I do to move forward?
Next, let’s address what to write about. If you haven’t journaled before using journaling prompts will help you to get started as they will give you direction and inspiration. They will also encourage you to stay engaged and focused. Journaling prompts will help you to:
- address specific aspects of your caring role
- explore your feelings
- manage your time more efficiently
- focus on yourself and your mental, emotional and physical self-care without feeling guilty.
When you sit down to write, start with what’s on your mind. What’s keeping you awake at night? What’s holding you back from moving forward? What are your fears, sadnesses, worries or frustrations? What went well today and what didn’t go so well? You can write about a conversation that provoked a change in the way you thought about something or how you feel about a decision you have to make. Just write about what’s on your mind in that moment and don’t censor what you write. Just let your thoughts and feelings flow out of your mind and onto the paper. If you’re still struggling with what to write, try one of the following prompts.
10 Journaling Prompts for Carers:
- What are three things that went well today, no matter how small
- How are you feeling emotionally and physically right now?
- Write about a recent challenge you faced and how you handled it.
- What is one thing you wish others understood about your caring role?
- Reflect on a positive memory you have with your loved one.
- What aspects of caring bring you joy or fulfilment?
- How can you prioritise self-care this week?
- Describe a moment when you felt overwhelmed. What helped you through it?
- What changes have you noticed in your loved one’s behaviour recently?
- Write about a goal you have for your caring journey. How can you work towards it?
What next?
Start by having an idea of what you want to gain from journaling. Is it to help you better understand your feelings or for self-care and to help you manage your time?
Now that you’ve got everything you need to get started, decide when your 5 minutes will be, grab your favourite notebook and pen, then choose one or two of the questions from above and start journaling. Once you’re comfortable with these prompts (or if none of them resonate with you) you can write your own. Remember, to get the most out of your journaling reflection is key. If something comes up that triggers you or you feel stuck, seek professional help. If you need bespoke guidance on how to use journaling to support your caring journey, get in touch.
Click here for more information about how I work with carers
About Sharon
Sharon lives with her partner, Geoff, in Warwickshire and they have two adult children. She worked for over 25 years in an office environment, gaining qualifications to degree level in finance, business and management. While there Sharon witnessed and experienced many stressful situations and suffered stress-related illnesses.
Sharon was advised to make some changes to her lifestyle which included trying complementary therapies. After experiencing the benefits of complementary treatments, Sharon decided to re-train and share her knowledge and experiences to help others recognise and manage their own feelings of being overwhelmed and their physical, mental and emotional stress and anxiety levels.
Sharon has been working as a complementary therapist for over 15 years now and has helped many people to manage and reduce their stress levels; to feel uplifted, focused, positive and empowered about their own lives.
