Job-related stress is one of the biggest stressors in most people’s lives, and it’s easy to see why – we spend the majority of our lives working, so it makes sense that it would be one of our biggest stressors. However voicing any of your frustrations with your place of employment or your coworkers can cause unnecessary tension, which is why having a journal to chronicle any of your career frustrations can help alleviate some of those stresses.
1. It helps you get out your feelings without causing a problem at work. Ever have a boss or a coworker that just makes you want to pull your hair out or scream in frustration, but you know there’s nothing that you can do about it? Being able to vent to other coworkers may seem like a viable solution, but that also tends to just escalate your annoyance levels and cause friction in the work place. Instead, try writing out your feelings. It’s a much more therapeutic option.
2. It can help you pinpoint what the actual cause of frustration is. Sometimes you think that one thing is stressing you out, when in reality that’s only a smaller part of a bigger problem. By writing out your feelings, frustrations and reflections on your days and then reading back over them you are usually able to pick up on things you may have missed before. For example, are you really mad at your coworker, or are you mad at your boss for favoring your coworker? It can be extremely helpful to come back at a later time when your mind is a bit clearer and reevaluate your feelings and see things with a different perspective.
3. Allows you to reflect on your emotions to decide if they’re worth acting on or not. If you’re unsure as to whether you should actually confront a coworker or your boss about something or if it’s really just something trivial, write about it first. Once you’ve had time to cool off, revisit your journal and reflect with a clear mind if it’s something worth brining up or if it’s better to just sweep it under the rug. If you still feel the same convictions as before, it might be time to finally talk to your supervisor.
4. It gives you the motivation to stay focused on your goals, both long-term and short-term. People typically tend to enter jobs full of hopes and aspirations. Maybe you want to be the vice president of the company you’re working for or maybe you want to use your current career as a stepping stone to a new one. Whatever the case, it’s easy to lose sight of these goals as you tirelessly work day after day and settle into a routine. Keeping a log of your goals, and even how they change over time, can help you stay focused and remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing in the first place. It can be especially helpful to revisit these goals during times of intense frustration with a career.
5. It can help lead you down the path to self-discovery. Writing every day about the trials and tribulations with your career can put you on the path to self-discovery. By being able to decompress from your day and write out your feelings, and then look back on the progression you’ve made over the course of your employment, you can start to recognize potential in yourself that you may not have seen before.
Journaling your feelings at the end of each work day can not only be therapeutic, it can also help you learn more about yourself as an employee and an individual. Even if it’s just a few sentences at the end of a particularly hectic day, having this collection of your thoughts and reflections can be a stepping stone to help you reach greater things.
Author Bio:
Jason Miner, an expert freelance writer, loves writing articles on different categories. He is approaching different bloggers to recognize each other's efforts through “www.blogcarnival.com”. He can be contacted through e-mail at jasonminer8atgmaildotcom.
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