Infertility is very, very stressful. Writing in a journal can help lower your stress level and help you improve your chances of success with fertility treatments. Journaling is an extremely effective method for lowering anxiety and encouraging healing. Keeping a journal helps you to develop a dialogue with yourself. Writing regularly can help reduce anxiety and depression, and may lead to insights on how to heal your body.

“After I started keeping a journal, I noticed that my symptoms were worse when I was sleep-deprived,” Andrea said. “I guess I just didn’t make the connection until I saw how often I wrote that I was overtired and that my blood sugar levels were much more out of whack than usual.”

James Pennebaker, Ph.D., a research psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin, has conducted numerous studies on the physical benefits of journal writing. His 1997 book Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotion, details numerous studies showing that people who write about traumatic experiences feel better emotionally and physically. He found that after writing about difficult emotions study participants had stronger immune function and fewer doctor visits than those who only wrote about their everyday lives.

A groundbreaking 1999 study detailed the effect of writing about stressful events for the chronically ill. Researchers at the State University of New York at Stony Brook asked 112 patients with asthma or rheumatoid arthritis to write 20 minutes a day for three days. Some were told to write about the most stressful event of their lives; others were asked to write about their plans for the day.

After four months, asthma patients who wrote about stressful events showed a 19 percent improvement in lung function, and rheumatoid arthritis sufferers had a 28 percent improvement in overall symptoms. There was no change in those who had only written about daily plans. (Journ. Amer. Med. Assoc., April 1999, 281:14)

Emptying your brain on paper can also help with stress relief and improve sleep problems. Kathleen Adams, founder/director of the Center for Journal Therapy and author of Journal to the Self and The Way of the Journal, refers to this as containment. "Use your journal book literally as a container," she advises. "…When you write, you are moving thoughts, feelings and energy out of your mind and body and into a neutral, receptive place where they will be stored safely for you." Even this seemingly simple act can do wonders for your stress and anxiety levels.