April is stress awareness month. Stress is something that affects all of us at some point or another. It is important to develop methods to counter stress as it arises. Writing is proven to be a simple, yet powerful, way to combat stress.

Here are 5 ways to ease stress through writing:

5 Ways to Ease Stress Through Writing

1. To-Do List

As soon as you learn of something you need to do in the future, write it down, this will help you stress less about having to remember so many things. Writing down your to-do list for the next day before bed helps clear your head so you can sleep better, knowing that when you wake up, everything you need to do is written down.

2. Emotions

Write about your emotions to ease your mind. According to the Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Publications, writing about emotions can ease stress and trauma.

3. Decisions

If you are faced with a difficult decision, writing about it, or writing down pros and cons can lessen stress and make your decision more clearly. Studies show that writing for decision-making results in less biased and more confident decisions.

4. Daily Journal

Keeping a daily journal is a proven way to keep stress at bay by checking in with yourself and your feelings on a consistent basis. Zebra pens make a beautiful accompaniment to journaling–they come in so many varieties and colors to help make your writing and sketching beautiful.

5. Writing to Heal

Did you know there are health benefits to writing? Expressing rather than suppressing thoughts by writing them down can significantly improve immune function.

How does writing help you ease stress? Share with us–comment on social media! @ZebraPen on Twitter, ZebraPenUS on Facebook, @zebrapen_usa on Instagram.