Dealing with stress should be healthy, natural, and fun.

Write for relief. Remember those three words when dealing with stress. You have the right to get relief, and by writing you can achieve that and much more.

If you're like me, you're constantly dealing with stress. As well as constantly trying to manage it! Some people use Yoga, which is great, but if you've never done it before it can be just as confusing and stressful as the stress itself! Yoga is just an example of something many people have used for stress management. And those of us who constantly live with stress have tried a lot of different things. But the things we use to deal with our stress shouldn't cause us additional anxiety. So...

If you're not a great writer, don't worry, there's no need to be!

In the beginning, writing to relieve stress is different than sitting down to write a novel or even a book report. It's more like writing in your journal. However, when you're dealing with stress by writing, you want your writing to be more focused. Focused on the topic and focused on the ultimate goal of personal stress management. Click on the link for more information on creating a Stress Management Journal.

There is no need to worry about your grammar, spelling, or any other technical aspect of writing.

Find some alone time, even if it has to be late at night after the kids are in bed, and pull out your notepad, your laptop, or even a napkin... whatever you have will work.

Whatever you do, do not make this process stressful for yourself, because that simply is not necessary.

Focus on stress management.

At the top of your paper write, "Write For Relief," to remind yourself that this is meant to be a healthy, natural, and fun exercise... not stressful and daunting.

Next, you'll want to organize your thoughts. This is one way that writing to deal with stress is different than just plain journaling. When we're stressed out, our minds tend to run in a million different directions and can sometimes lead us away from our focus and our goal.

So to keep yourself focused, write down the following questions (or click here to download and print this PDF outline):

• What specific event(s) have caused your stress?
• Why is that event stressful for you?
• Can you control or change the event? (Most likely your answer here will be "no". I sometimes find that if I realize and accept that I have no control over what has happened or what will happen, I can let go a little easier. So if your answer to this question is "no", move on from wishing or wanting to change it and move towards managing it instead.)
• Imagine you have survived this stressful time in your life. Looking back at how you handled it or dealt with it, could your story be viewed as inspirational? Motivational? Funny? Or even Heart Breaking? (Be creative with your thoughts here... it may be difficult to imagine any of this at the current time, but this may give you a different view on the whole situation and give you a focused writing style.)

After you've seriously considered these questions, it is time to start dealing with your stress by writing. As you begin to write, start by describing the situation and why it is stressful for you.

Always keep in mind your answer to the last question. When this is all over, do you want to look back at your writings and view them as inspirational, funny, or something else? Don't worry about whether or not anyone will ever read what you write. Just because you decide you want your story to be inspirational doesn't mean that it can't be just for you.

Vent.

Let it out on paper. If you are like me, most of your life is spent dealing with stress. Others around you may be getting tired of listening to you vent. I know that sounds a bit harsh, but it happens. Even your closest friends and family members may start to view you as simply a negative person. Heck, I have even gotten to the point where I'm tired of hearing myself complain so much! So write it down. Use this as your main forum to vent and give your friends and family the day off.

Take as much time as you need.

And if your having trouble finding the time, implement a quick and easy stress and time management routine.

Write until the particular stress you are dealing with, the one you listed as your answer to the first question, is over. It could take days, weeks, months, or longer. It really doesn't matter how long it takes as long as you close out your writing. Write the conclusion and remember, your goals are to:

• Work out your problems on paper
• Vent (because we all need to)
• End with a story you are proud of (again, you don't have to be proud of your writing skills, just be proud of the story itself and how you handled your stress)

You may also want to try letter writing. Writing a letter is another great way to keep a focused energy on dealing with stress or people in your life who have caused you to experience unnecessary stress.

As you write, you may discover answers to your problems or new ways of dealing with stress. Make yourself proud! Handle things different this time. And when you're all done, you may be surprised by what you read. Hopefully you'll look over what you've written and gain new insight on yourself and the situation. You should be able to read back and learn what you did right, what you did wrong, and why next time will be handled even better.

Because as long as we're alive, there will be a next time. You and I will be dealing with stress again, possibly soon. Only next time, we'll be more prepared when dealing with our stressful lives.

For additional information on learning to deal with stress, check out the sections on Effective Stress Management and Stress Reduction Techniques.

Good luck and keep writing!

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