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

For many, many years people have been dealing with stress through writing. Stress and heartache have brought us many great stories over the years. But you don't have to write a best-seller to get stress relief from writing.

When using writing as a form of stress relief, your goal is to start by simply getting your feelings and thoughts on paper.

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 stress management journal, 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.

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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.

Often, when you write your thoughts and feelings freely, you'll be surprised by what you discover. Many people who write about their stress end up working out the problem on paper.

You may discover your true feelings or even answers to questions that have been bothering you.

Don't forget to go back through and read it to yourself. Again, this short period of reflection may help to open your eyes about the stress or problems you are experiencing.

And when you're done, chances are, you'll feel a lot better! By allowing yourself an outlet to express your stress and your feelings, you're giving yourself permission to move forward.

Writing is fun, it's healthy, and it's very helpful... so what are you waiting for?

Do you think you don't have the time? Check out my tips on stress and time management.

You may also want to try letter writing. Writing a letter is another great way to keep a focused energy on dealing with stress and the people in your life who drive you crazy.

And if you find that you really enjoy writing to relieve your stress, you can use the stressful events in your life for creative writing ideas.

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.

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