A Daily Writing Practice to Regulate Your Nervous System, Reduce Anxiety, and Ease Chronic Pain
- ewilsonwellness
- Jul 3
- 25 min read
Updated: Sep 18
All Is Welcome Journaling: A Daily Writing Practice to Regulate Your Nervous System, Reduce Anxiety, and Ease Chronic Pain
What if just 10–20 minutes a day of expressive writing could help you reconnect with your emotions, release stored tension, and start healing from the inside out?
The All Is Welcome Journaling Technique is a powerful, science-backed tool designed to regulate your nervous system by activating the parasympathetic nervous system—your body’s natural relaxation response. This practice supports anxiety relief, chronic pain management, and emotional well-being by providing a safe space for self-expression, mindfulness, and reflection.
Through this journaling approach, you can:
· Reduce anxiety and physical tension
· Track pain and identify emotional triggers
· Process thoughts and feelings without judgment
· Improve self-awareness and stress resilience
· Develop personalized coping strategies
Whether you're navigating chronic stress, emotional overwhelm, anxiety, or physical discomfort like disordereded breathing, this technique empowers you to listen to your body, regulate your mind, and build nervous system safety from within.
“Writing about emotional upheavals can improve both mental and physical health.”— Dr. James Pennebaker
Understanding the Why: The Mind-Body Connection - When the Body Remembers What the Mind Tries to Forget.
Chronic pain (back, neck, or widespread body pain)
Persistent anxiety or panic attacks
Disordered breathing or air hunger
Digestive issues (IBS, reflux, bloating)
Pelvic floor dysfunction or tension
Chronic headaches or migraines
Insomnia or disrupted sleep
Chronic fatigue or low energy
Jaw tension / TMJ issues
Skin flare-ups linked to stress (eczema, hives, psoriasis)
These conditions and symptoms can appear worlds apart, yet they often share a common thread—suppressed emotions and unresolved stress. When the nervous system becomes dysregulated, it doesn’t just live in the mind—it reverberates throughout the body, reshaping how we breathe, digest, move, and even feel safe in our own skin.
Mind-body research reminds us that not all physical symptoms are rooted in structural damage or organic disease. Sometimes, what feels like a failing body is instead the echo of long-standing patterns of emotional disconnection. When anger, grief, fear, or shame are pushed beneath the surface—whether from childhood experiences, trauma, or the daily grind of “holding it all together”—the nervous system adapts for survival. It mobilizes (fight or flight) or shuts down (freeze). But survival strategies aren’t built for the long haul. Over time, they come with a cost.
When emotions are suppressed, the body doesn’t simply forget them. It stores them. Muscles grip, breathing becomes shallow, digestion slows or twists, and energy drains. What may feel like dysfunction could actually be an intelligent alarm system—a signal that the body is asking for release, relief, and reconnection.
For many of us, these protective habits start early. We’re taught to be strong, stay composed, keep the peace. We learn to hold it in rather than let it out. Decades later, this unresolved tension shows up as chronic tightness, fatigue, mysterious pain, or symptoms with no clear medical explanation.
These symptoms are not “all in your head.” They are very real, often frightening, and sometimes debilitating conditions. Yet, they may also be the body’s attempt to protect you from emotional overwhelm—echoes of what the mind could not process at the time. That disconnection—from yourself, from others, and perhaps even from God—still reverberates today.
Leading voices in the mind-body field—Dr. John Sarno, Dr. Gabor Maté, Alan Gordon, and Nicole Sachs, LCSW—have shown us that healing isn’t just about addressing the body mechanically. It’s about emotional honesty, nervous system regulation, and the courage to feel what we once avoided. When we learn to listen with compassion instead of judgment, we open the door for both body and mind to realign. Healing begins not when we fight our symptoms, but when we allow them to guide us back toward connection—toward wholeness.
🧠 Understanding the Nervous System
Your nervous system is your body’s communication network. It’s how your brain talks to your body—and how your body talks back.
This system controls:
· Your responses to stress
· Your ability to rest and recover
· Your heart rate
· Your breathing patterns
· Your digestion
· Your hormonal balance
· Even your posture and sense of safety
The goal is not to always be in a parasympathetic (restful) state. Instead, we want a flexible nervous system, an adaptable one that knows how to respond when needed—and just as importantly, knows how to return to safety. To learn more about the Nervous System, please ready this article on my blog.
Consider this quote, “As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself…” -Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
🌿 All Is Welcome Journaling Technique
In a world that often encourages us to suppress, distract, or power through our feelings, this journaling technique offers a powerful alternative
Backed by Research: The “All Is Welcome” journaling technique I created draws from expressive writing research pioneered by psychologist Dr. James Pennebaker. His studies showed that writing about your deepest thoughts and feelings for just 15–20 minutes a day over several days can lead to reduced stress, stronger immune function, improved mood, and even lower blood pressure.
📝 Putting emotions into words is a powerful way to support nervous system regulation. When we journal or express how we feel, the brain is able to process and reframe experiences—rather than storing them as unresolved tension in the body. This is because the brain and body are not separate systems; the brain is part of the body. What affects one directly influences the other.
The Thought–Emotion–Behavior Loop
Sometimes it starts with an external trigger—a comment from a coworker, a stressful email, a difficult conversation. Other times, it begins in the body itself—a racing heartbeat, a stomach cramp, or a wave of fatigue. These triggers spark a thought (“Something’s wrong,” “I can’t handle this,” “What if this never goes away?”).
From there, thoughts set the stage for emotions. Neuroscience shows that a single thought can activate the brain’s limbic system, especially the amygdala, which acts as the alarm center. This activation cues the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
Emotions then translate into felt states in the body. Fear might show up as a tight chest or shallow breathing. Sadness might feel like heaviness in the shoulders. Joy might feel like warmth in the chest or ease in the breath. These sensations are what we consciously recognize as our feelings.
Feelings shape behavior. When we feel anxious, we may avoid, overwork, or lash out. When we feel calm, we are more likely to pause, listen, and respond with clarity.
Traditionally, psychology often describes the process as a chain: stimulus → thought → emotion → feeling → behavior. In this model, a trigger sparks a thought, which then shapes the emotional response, which we experience as a felt state in the body.
But some scientists suggest the order isn’t always so neat. Theories like James–Lange theory of emotion (dating back to the 1880s) argue that the body responds first, and feelings arise as we interpret those physical changes. For example, your heart races, your palms sweat, and then the mind interprets those signals as fear or anxiety.
More modern neuroscience agrees that in some cases, the body can react before the mind has time to form a conscious thought. The amygdala, for instance, can fire off a fear response in milliseconds—faster than the thinking brain (the prefrontal cortex) can evaluate what’s happening. That’s why you might jump at a loud noise before you realize what it was, or feel a wave of anxiety before you can identify the thought behind it.
So, while thoughts often shape emotions, sometimes the body or feeling state comes first, and the mind scrambles to make sense of it afterward. This helps explain why some people experience physical symptoms (like tightness in the chest, stomach pain, or shortness of breath) even when they can’t point to a specific triggering thought.
Reguardless of the process, the challenge is that most thoughts are automatic and repetitive. Research suggests around 80–90% of our thoughts repeat daily, and many of them lean toward the negative. Left unchecked, these thought loops can keep us stuck in automatic emotional reactions. To cope, we often suppress or deny emotions (“I shouldn’t feel this way”), but suppression only tightens the cycle.
Over time, this pattern can manifest as chronic tension, anxiety, or even physical symptoms.
The hopeful piece is this: awareness interrupts the loop. When we pause to notice our thoughts, name our emotions, and feel what the body is signaling, we step into the “space” Viktor Frankl spoke of: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” In that pause, the nervous system can downshift from reaction into regulation, creating new patterns of well-being.
That’s why this Mindful All-Is-Welcome Journaling technique is so powerful—it creates a safe and intentional space to explore your thoughts and emotions before they solidify into unhelpful habits or coping patterns. It’s not about fixing or judging your emotions; it’s about allowing them to be seen, felt, and moved through—so that balanced well-being can be sustained.
This simple yet transformative practice invites you to slow down, meet your inner world with honesty and compassion—no matter what arises. By creating a daily space to feel, process, and express, you can begin to reduce stress, regulate your nervous system, connect spiritually, and boost your emotional and physical well-being.
Whether you're feeling overwhelmed, anxious, stuck in pain, or simply longing for more clarity and inner peace, this mindful journaling technique offers a steady, grounding practice to support your healing journey.
This is the heart of expressive writing, a simple ritual of uncensored, unfiltered reflection and expression—giving voice to what’s often buried underneath the noise of everyday life.
"The essence of trauma is disconnection from ourselves. Trauma is not what happens to us but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.”— Dr. Gabor Maté
🌀 How do I start the “All Is Welcome” Journaling Practice?
This isn’t your typical journaling exercise—it’s a sacred space to let everything be welcome: grief, rage, joy, confusion, frustration, doubt, exhaustion, desire, relief, and more.
The foundation of this practice is adapted from Mind Your Body by Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW—a groundbreaking approach to releasing chronic pain and anxiety. Nicole also hosts the powerful podcast The Cure for Chronic Pain, which I highly recommend to anyone seeking deeper encouragement and support on their healing journey.
I’ve blended Nicole’s original journaling method with expressive writing techniques to create something uniquely supportive for my clients—a practice that invites you to release, reflect, and reconnect with yourself, one honest page at a time.
✍️ How to Begin:
On the first page of your journal, make three lists:
Past experiences that were emotionally charged (example specific childhood memories, family dynamics, teenage years, young adult, early parenthood, work life etc.)
Present-day stressors or challenges (people, places, events that cause you stress right now—big and small… all is welcome)
Aspects of your personality that contribute to tension (see below for a breakdown on personality traits and what you may want to explore)
🕊 Daily Practice Instructions:
Each day, pick one item from your lists (past, present, or personality) and write freely for 10–20 minutes.
Rules for writing?
There are none. That’s the beauty of it.
✅ Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or making sense
✅ Let your raw self, your inner child, your shadow speak
✅ Cuss if you need to. Cry if you need to.
✅ Say what’s really there
As you write, you may notice memories, feelings, or voices from earlier parts of your life come up—moments when you first felt afraid, insecure, or unseen. Sometimes anxiety is our younger self still asking for safety and reassurance.
Journaling gives you the opportunity to acknowledge those younger parts of you, to listen, and to offer the compassion and safety you may not have received then. This isn’t about being “woo woo” or abstract—it’s simply about recognizing that those experiences still shape how you feel today, and giving yourself permission to meet them with kindness instead of judgment.
To mentally and physically prepare for this practice, consider using this brief meditation as a precursor to your journaling routine. If time allows, it’s beneficial to engage in it immediately before or right after starting your journaling session.
Personality Patterns That May Contribute to Chronic Tension
(And How They Show Up in the Body and Nervous System)
Remember the three P’s above from Nicole J. Sachs that we introduced in your All Is Welcome journal? If not, it’s listed right above, look up☝️.
Building on that, I want to explore some common personality traits that can make it harder for us to truly feel and process our emotions. Honestly, I’ve experienced every one of these traits at different points in my life—whether in different seasons or around different people. That’s because, like you, I’m human. There is power here in education and awareness.
These traits often develop in environments where your nervous system learned to stay hyperaware of others’ needs as a way to feel safe, loved, or worthy. What started as helpful survival strategies can, over time, become deeply ingrained habits that contribute to chronic stress, physical dysfunction and emotional exhaustion.
I have seen that over time, these soul-deep patterns can quietly take the driver’s seat—shaping our choices, relationships, and self-worth—while pulling us further from the spiritual peace and connection we were made for. Lean in and let’s learn more about these traits that can be shifted with awareness and compassion.
🧠 1. People-Pleasing (Fawn Response)
What it looks like: Constantly putting others' needs before your own. Difficulty saying no. Avoiding conflict at all costs. Smiling or agreeing even when you're hurt or disagree.
Rooted in: Fear of rejection, abandonment, or disapproval. A learned belief that love must be earned through being agreeable or helpful.
Possible Nervous system impact: Chronic muscle tension (especially shoulders, jaw), shallow breathing, low-grade anxiety, or dissociation.
Common thought patterns:
“If I say no, they won’t like me.”
“I can’t relax until everyone else is okay.”
⚖️ 2. Codependency
What it looks like: Feeling responsible for others' emotions. Difficulty identifying your own needs. Getting self-worth from being needed or fixing others.
Rooted in: Emotional enmeshment, inconsistent caregiving, or early caretaking roles.
Possible Nervous system impact: Hypervigilance, fatigue, adrenal burnout, guilt if not helping, feeling drained in relationships.
Common thought patterns:
“If they’re unhappy, I must have done something wrong.”
“I feel guilty taking care of myself when others are struggling.”
🧽 3. Emotional Over-Control (Hyper-Independence or Stoicism)
What it looks like: Avoiding vulnerability, not asking for help, staying overly composed. You minimize or dismiss your own pain to “stay strong.”
Rooted in: Environments where emotions weren’t safe, were dismissed, or made you feel weak.
Possible Nervous system impact: Suppressed breathing, rigidity, digestive issues, internalized anxiety, or numbness.
Common thought patterns:
“I can’t afford to fall apart.”
“If I don’t hold it together, no one will.”
🕳 4. Perfectionism
What it looks like: High self-criticism, fear of making mistakes, chronic overworking. Feeling like rest must be earned or that nothing you do is ever quite good enough.
Rooted in: Conditional love, fear of failure, or fear of judgment.
Possible Nervous system impact: Overactive sympathetic system (fight/flight), insomnia, teeth grinding, hormonal imbalance, or burnout.
Common thought patterns:
“I have to get it exactly right.”
“If I relax, I’ll fall behind or lose control.”
🔄 5. Conflict Avoidance
What it looks like: Changing your tone or words to keep the peace, staying quiet instead of expressing needs or boundaries.
Rooted in: Trauma from volatile environments, fear of anger, or being punished for speaking up.
Possible Nervous system impact: Chronic bracing, tight throat or chest, freeze responses, unspoken resentment.
Common thought patterns:
“It’s easier to stay quiet than to cause drama.”
“My needs will only make things worse.”
🎭 6. Shape-Shifting Identity / Chameleon Effect
What it looks like: Molding your personality or opinions to fit in, not knowing who you are apart from others. Losing yourself in romantic relationships or friend groups.
Rooted in: Unmet attachment needs or conditional love. Learning to blend in to stay emotionally safe.
Possible Nervous system impact: Confusion, anxiety, depersonalization, difficulty feeling grounded.
Common thought patterns:
“I don't even know what I like anymore.”
“I just want to belong.”
🧩 7. Over-Responsibility / Control Patterns
What it looks like: Micromanaging everything, overthinking, constantly planning ahead to avoid unknowns. Feeling uncomfortable with uncertainty or spontaneity.
Rooted in: Childhood environments with chaos, unpredictability, or lack of safety.
Possible Nervous system impact: Adrenal fatigue, racing heart, mental exhaustion, clenching.
Common thought patterns:
“If I don’t control it, something bad will happen.”
“It’s all up to me.”
🔒 8. Suppressed Anger / Chronic Compliance
• What it looks like: You rarely get angry—or if you do, you quickly push it down. You may feel resentful beneath a calm exterior. You often convince yourself "it's not a big deal."
• Rooted in: Environments where anger was punished, unsafe, or caused disconnection. Learning that emotional expression risks rejection or harm.
• Possible Nervous system impact: Muscular bracing, especially in neck and back; digestive tension; headaches; autoimmune flare-ups from chronic emotional suppression.
• Common thought patterns:
“I don’t have the right to be angry.”
“I should just let it go—it’s not worth the conflict.”
📦 9. Emotional Bottling / Internalizing Pain
• What it looks like: You keep everything inside. You may feel like a burden if you open up. Others see you as calm or easygoing, but inside you’re carrying unspoken emotional weight.
• Rooted in: Being emotionally neglected or shamed for expressing needs. Learning that emotions are private, shameful, or inconvenient to others.
• Possible nervous system impact: Shallow chest breathing, tension in diaphragm, throat tightness, emotional numbness, feelings of heaviness or fatigue.
• Common thought patterns:
“No one wants to hear about my problems.”
“If I let this out, I’ll fall apart.”
💡 10. Chronic Over-Analyzing / Intellectualizing Feelings
• What it looks like: You live in your head. You try to "solve" emotions with logic or explanation. You're great at understanding why you feel something—but struggle to actually feel it.
• Rooted in: Environments that prioritized logic over emotional expression. Perhaps you were praised for being smart, calm, or rational and shamed for being “too emotional.”
• Possible Nervous system impact: Disconnection from body cues, tension behind the eyes or in the forehead, mental fatigue, inability to relax or drop into the present moment.
• Common thought patterns:
“If I can just figure out why I feel this way, I’ll be okay.”
“Feeling it won’t help—I need a solution.”
🌱 Why This Matters
Though these patterns may look different on the surface, they all stem from the same root:
🧠 They are nervous system adaptations—developed in environments where you had to silence your needs, feelings, or truth just to feel emotionally safe.
Over time, these protective responses can create:
· Chronic tension in the body
· Inner conflict and confusion
· A sense of feeling stuck or disconnected
These are not character flaws. They are intelligent survival strategies.
They once kept you safe. They helped you belong.
But now?
They may be blocking your peace, energy, and authenticity.
These patterns don’t need to be judged—they need to be understood.
With awareness, self-compassion, expressive writing, spiritual guidance and somatic support,💫 You can begin to release them.💫 You can reconnect with the version of you that is whole, vibrant, and fully alive.
This work isn’t about fixing yourself—it’s about transformation. It’s about remembering who you were before you had to adapt.
You are not broken. You are becoming. You are restoring and recovering.
If you’re still reading, take this as your sign to pause.
Close your eyes for a moment and draw in a long, slow breath through your nose… then release it gently through your mouth. Feel yourself settle back into your body—the very place you may have been trying to escape. Place a hand over your heart.
Now, whisper something kind and loving to yourself, as if you were speaking tenderly to your younger self. Don’t just skim past this—try it right now. Let the words land.
I’m not here to simply help you manage symptoms of anxiety or pain. I’m not here to keep you in the cycle of monitoring, fixing, or hyper-focusing on every uncomfortable sensation.
I’m here to walk alongside you as you uncover and release the emotional, mental, spiritual, and lifestyle patterns that no longer serve you. Together, we create space for true healing and reconnection—from the inside out.
This is deeper work. It’s not about perfection or about never feeling anxious again. It’s about freedom: reaching a place where anxiety no longer defines you or holds you hostage. A place of agency, power, and healing.
Let these words speak into your journey:
“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health… But it’s also important to feel safe within ourselves.”— Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score
“It is the grace of God that the body remembers because it wants to bring into the light what the mind wants to keep in the dark.”— The Gospel Coalition
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”— C.S. Lewis
🧭 Important Reminder💡 Emotions are messengers, not measures of your worth.They don’t define who you are—they signal where healing is needed.
You are not your emotions. When you start journaling, they may feel big, confusing, or even childish at times. That doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. It simply means something within you is asking to be seen, heard, and honored.
You are the observer—the calm, steady presence at the helm of your inner world. As you return to this safe space—again and again—you begin to create emotional flexibility. Over time, many people find themselves becoming less reactive and more grounded. You learn to respond with intention rather than reflex. With curiosity rather than criticism. With compassion rather than fear.
This is the heart of the work: Reclaiming your power to pause, reflect, and respond. I'll revisit this quote again because it's so powerful.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”— Viktor E. Frankl
That space is sacred. That space is healing. And these practices like journaling, breathwork, prayer, and nervous system awareness can help you access that space—so you can stop surviving on autopilot and start living with greater peace, presence, and purpose.
Feeling Stuck in Your Journaling Practice? Try the ANSR Method (Pronounced “Answer”)
This is a powerful tool I’ve adapted from the brilliant work of Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW. When emotions feel overwhelming, stuck, or hard to name, the ANSR Method provides a simple yet effective way to reconnect with yourself. I often use it during journaling—and even in real-time when intense feelings come up.
What makes ANSR so helpful is how easy it is to remember and apply. Instead of avoiding, analyzing, or spiraling, this method gently guides you to move through your emotions with mindfulness and compassion. It’s a go-to strategy for staying grounded and present—especially during emotional waves.
🅰️ A — Allow
Let it be here.The first step is to stop resisting the feeling. That doesn't mean you have to like it or want it—it just means you make space for it to exist. You say, “This is what’s here right now, and I’m not going to fight it.”So often, we pile judgment or fear on top of uncomfortable emotions, which only intensifies the inner pressure. Allowing is an act of nervous system safety. It signals, I don’t need to run from this. I am capable of handling this.
Try this: Take a slow gentle breath. Say inwardly: “I’m allowed to feel this.”
🅽 N — Name the Emotion
Give it a label.When you name an emotion—like sadness, shame, resentment, insecurity, inadequacy, surprise, anger, excitement, or anxiety—you help your brain shift from reactivity to awareness. Naming brings clarity. Words carry power. This simple act invites your inner observer to step in, creating space between you and the emotional storm.
If you're not sure what you're feeling, start with broad categories like angry, afraid, sad, ashamed, lonely, or hurt. You don’t need to label it perfectly—naming is simply the first step in making the invisible visible.
There are many helpful emotion or feeling wheels online that can support you in building your emotional vocabulary. The more fluency you gain in identifying what you're feeling, the more empowered you become in practicing emotional hygiene and nervous system regulation.
Try this: Ask yourself, “What’s the core emotion beneath all of this?” Then respond by saying, “I am noticing I feel this.” Adding “I am noticing” creates space between you and the emotion. Instead of simply labeling yourself with “I am angry” or “I am anxious,” which can feel like taking on the emotion as your identity, saying “I notice I feel angry” allows you to observe the emotion without fully identifying with it. Here’s my favorite emotion wheel to help you.
🆂 S — Sit with It / Stay with It
Don’t rush to fix. Just stay.This is often the hardest part—being with the emotion instead of avoiding it. Sitting with it doesn’t mean wallowing in it; it means creating a little room to feel it directly, in the body, with your heart. Where do you feel it—your chest? Your throat? Your stomach? Can you breathe with it gently, without trying to push it away or solve it? Staying with a feeling might take a long period of time, but even just intentionally pausing for 60–90 seconds can help it start to move through rather than get stuck. This is how the nervous system learns, it’s safe to feel.
Try this: “This is what anger feels like in my body. I can stay with it for a moment. I am still safe.”
🆁 R — Release or Rewrite (restore, renew, reclaim, reveal, realign, receive)
Let it move. Let it change. Emotions are energy in motion. They need to move! After allowing, naming, and sitting with the emotion, something might need a shift—subtly or profoundly. From this space, you can kindly and with curiosity ask yourself:
Is there something I need to express?
Can I write more about it? Cry it out? Move it out?
Do I need more time?
Is there a belief I’m holding that no longer serves me?
What is the next best step for me right now?
Do I want to let go or surrender this?
Sometimes "release" is physical—tears, shaking, breath. Sometimes it’s a mental rewrite—a shift in the story you're telling yourself. Sometimes it’s spiritual a letting go and letting God or surrender. You may go from “I’m not safe” to “I can handle this.” From “I’m too much” to “I am worthy and valued.”
Try this: “What’s the most loving thing I can say or do for myself now?”
Final Thought
ANSR doesn’t rush your healing—it respects your timing. And trust me, this takes time. It’s not about fixing yourself but befriending yourself through the discomfort. Each step is a gentle act of emotional regulation, learning, and nervous system support that helps rewire your experience.
Try it, let the answer method help you heal.
💌 A Gentle Reminder Before You Begin:
Before you reach for your journal, it’s worth pausing to recognize a few common avoidance habits—something Nicole J. Sachs often highlights in emotional healing work.
Many of us resist emotional processing or journaling without even realizing it. These subtle forms of avoidance can creep in, especially when practices like the All Is Welcome journaling method invite us to feel deeply. So many people avoid this type of work, the very thing that will help them most.
Here are a few patterns I’ve noticed in myself and others—unconscious habits that might pull us away from the discomfort of feeling:
🌀 Mental Avoidance
Overthinking or analyzing emotions instead of feeling them (“Why am I like this?” instead of “What am I feeling?”)
Minimizing or rationalizing pain (“It wasn’t that bad,” “Other people have it worse”)
Perfectionism in journaling (thinking it has to be eloquent or insightful to be worth doing)
Procrastination disguised as productivity (“I’ll journal after I clean/workout/answer emails”)
📱 Digital Distractions
Mindless scrolling on social media or binge-watching shows
Overconsumption of content (e.g., watching endless videos about healing instead of doing the work)
Checking emails or news repeatedly to stay in a state of cognitive busyness
🏃♀️ Hyperactivity & Overcommitment
Keeping busy 24/7—filling the calendar to avoid alone time
Saying yes to everything to avoid the discomfort of introspection
Working overtime or obsessively focusing on to-do lists
🍷 Soothing Through Substances
Emotional eating or drinking (especially sugar, caffeine, alcohol)
Smoking or vaping to numb or self-soothe
Over-reliance on medications or supplements without integrating emotional healing work
🧘♂️ Spiritual or Wellness Bypassing
Using meditation or breathwork to detach from feelings, rather than enter them
Saying “it’s all love and light” while suppressing rage, grief, or resentment
Avoiding journaling because it “lowers your vibration”
🧱 Emotional Shutdown
Feeling numb or checked out and assuming that means “nothing is wrong”
Withdrawing from support systems or isolating when emotions feel too overwhelming
Dismissing feelings as “too much” or “not logical”
💬 Note These Common Internal Narratives That Block Journaling:
“What’s the point? Writing won’t change anything.”
“I don’t have time for this.”
“I don’t even know where to start.”
“If I open that door, I might not be able to close it.”
“I don’t want to feel worse.”
🌀 Gentle Reframe:
Avoidance habits aren’t character flaws—they’re protective strategies your nervous system has developed to help you cope and survive. These patterns often form during times when feeling your emotions felt too overwhelming or unsafe.
But over time, these survival strategies can keep you disconnected from your body, your truth, and your healing.
When you begin to notice them with compassion instead of criticism, you create space for something new: 🧠 awareness instead of autopilot,💛 choice instead of compulsion,🌱 healing instead of looping.
This insight is central to the work of Dr. John Sarno, who once wrote:
“The mind is so powerful that it can turn emotional pain into physical symptoms to protect you. But once you bring those emotions into awareness, the pain no longer has a job to do.”
🙏 A Spiritual Invitation
For me, this inner work has never been just mental, emotional, or physical—it is also deeply spiritual. When you slow down, turn inward, breathe, and begin to notice what lies beneath the surface, you enter a sacred space—one where divine connection becomes possible.
And if you begin to be curious about that spiritual essence, allow me to share my faith with you. Whether you call out to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (as I do), this practice can become a place of honest communion—where your vulnerability is met with God’s grace and love.
As a Christian, I see this work as an invitation to let the Lord meet me and heal me in my deepest, darkest places. Scripture reminds us in 1 Corinthians 4:4: “It is the Lord himself who examines and judges me.”
And just as David prayed in Psalm 139:23–24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
These verses remind me that God sees it all—the fear, the grief, the anger, the anxiety—and He still chooses to love, forgive, and guide me. When I bring these emotions into His presence instead of hiding them, trying to fix them in my own strength, or suppressing them, healing can begin. But it requires surrender—to let go, invite God in, and pursue knowing Him through His Word.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of this promise in Isaiah 61:1: “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”
Jesus Himself extends this same invitation in Matthew 11:28–29: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
And Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” In our surrender, His strength is revealed.
Through faith, I’ve learned to bring what weighs me down before the Lord—and in doing so, I’ve received peace, clarity, freedom, and restoration in ways I never could have found on my own. The best part? God’s not done with me… and He’s not done with you, either.
✨ This could be your invitation too: to allow emotional work to become a spiritual practice. To welcome God into the process. To believe you don’t have to figure it all out or carry it alone. You can speak with Him in prayer, pour out your heart in your journal, and let your healing be held in His holy and powerful hands.
💌 Final Reminder:
This journaling journey is for you and all of you. No emotion is too messy. No memory too big. No thought too wild. Welcome it all. Let it speak. Let it move. Let it release. 🕊
Breathe well my friends,
Coach E
💻 Resources that inspired this article
These resources have deeply influenced the ideas shared here. I encourage you to explore them at your own pace, and begin with whatever resonates most with you. Combining education with daily practice creates powerful momentum for healing. The brain science, lived experiences, and practical tools offered in these works will equip and empower you to continue this inner work with clarity and confidence.
📚 Videos
· Christian Perspective: Sermon by Pastor Rick Warren, Manage Your Emotions
· Dr. Huberman Podcast: A Neuroscience-Supported Journaling Protocol to Improve
Expressive Writing Short two-minute video introducing expressive writing
Mental & Physical Health
· Ted Talk: How to talk to the worst parts of yourself | Karen Faith
· Ted Talk: The gift and power of emotional courage | Susan David
· Ted Talk: The healing power of writing | Kerstin Pilz
· Ted Talk: Feelings handle them before they handle you | Mandy Saligari
· Guided Mindful Meditation to prepare for journaling. By Coach E
📚 Mind-Body Healing and Spiritual Book List
Mind Your Body: A Revolutionary Program to Release Chronic Pain and Anxiety
Author: Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW
Focus: Introduces the JournalSpeak method—an expressive writing technique for uncovering and releasing repressed emotions that contribute to chronic pain and anxiety. Empowers readers to heal through emotional honesty and nervous system regulation.
The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain
Author: Alan Gordon, LCSW, with Alon Ziv
Focus: Based on Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), this book helps readers unlearn the brain’s pain signals through neuroscience-backed techniques to rewire the fear-pain cycle.
Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection
Author: Dr. John E. Sarno
Focus: A pioneering work in the mind-body space, Dr. Sarno introduces TMS (Tension Myoneural Syndrome), explaining how unresolved emotional tension can lead to chronic back and body pain.
When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress
Author: Dr. Gabor Maté
Focus: Explores the link between chronic illness and emotional suppression. Through research and case studies, Maté shows how trauma and stress manifest physically when our needs and boundaries are ignored.
Exposing the Spiritual Roots of Disease
Author: Dr. Henry W. Wright
Focus: Many chronic illnesses stem from unresolved spiritual conflicts. Healing requires repentance, forgiveness, and restoration in relationship with God, self, and others.
6. Switch on Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health
Author: Dr. Caroline Leaf
Focus: Neuroscientist and Christian communicator Dr. Leaf explains how our thoughts shape our brain and body health. This book bridges science and Scripture, showing how renewing the mind (Romans 12:2) transforms emotional and physical well-being through a brain detox plan. Key themes are neuroplasticity, thought life, healing trauma, biblical mental discipline.
🖋 A Short Poem to Begin Your Journey
Let this be a gentle unlocking—an invitation to notice, to feel, to witness yourself with compassion. Use this blog as a launching pad to explore through journaling what wants to move through you—not get stuck within you.
✨ You Are the Empathetic Witness
By Coach Erin
You are the one you've been waiting for.
The one who can finally listen—without shame, without silence.
The one who can say:
💬 “I see you. I hear you. I won’t turn away.”
You can heal.
You are not broken—just buried beneath forgotten stories, unspoken words, and unseen emotions.
You’ve numbed.
You’ve distracted.
You’ve built walls of busyness to protect what felt too tender to feel.
But emotions are energy in motion. 🌊They are meant to move, to be acknowledged, to be expressed. When they don’t, they stagnate—like emotional clutter that lingers and weighs you down.
You’ve felt it.
You’ve carried it.
Maybe now it’s time to let it go.
But hear this—emotions are not facts.
They are messengers, not masters.
They are data, not identity.
They can’t harm you when you’re willing to feel them.
You are not meant to be ruled by emotion, but to rise with clarity and care.
You are the captain of your ship.
You have the power to observe your thoughts, feel your feelings, and let go of what no longer serves your healing.
Some emotions carry truth.
Others echo old wounds and outdated beliefs.
All of them can be met with gentleness, with curiosity, with the courage to be honest.
✨ You can rewrite the story. You can make space for grace.
You can return to a sense of wholeness.
Perhaps this work is not about fixing, but about remembering who you’ve always been—someone worthy of presence, love, and peace.
This moment, this practice, is not about doing it all perfectly—but about showing up, again and again, for the person who needs you most: you.
Medical Disclaimer – Breathe Well Coaching
The information provided by Breathe Well Coaching, including content from Erin Wilson, is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical or mental health condition.
Breathe Well Coaching services—including breathwork, meditation, movement, and wellness coaching—are designed to support stress management, emotional well-being, and lifestyle balance. These practices are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Erin Wilson strongly encourages all individuals experiencing chronic stress, physical symptoms, or emotional distress to seek a comprehensive medical evaluation from a licensed healthcare provider. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, it is recommended that you consult with a licensed therapist, counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. Coaching is meant to be a supplemental tool that works alongside, not in place of, appropriate medical or psychological care.
Always consult with your physician or mental health professional before starting any new wellness program. Your well-being is important, and a collaborative, integrative approach to care is often the most effective.
Writing Practice to Regulate Your Nervous System
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