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Whether you've journaled for years or would like to try your hand at it, living through a pandemic is a great time to explore writing as a way to relieve stress and improve your mood. In fact, while journaling has been used for ages as a means of self-exploration, stress management and emotional processing, the unique circumstances that COVID-19 (coronavirus) introduced has made it a particularly easy way to help manage your mental health.

The beauty of journaling is there are no rules about what you write or how you write it. Simply let your thoughts flow freely from pen to paper. Here are 10 questions to get you started: 

1. What are you feeling today?
2. What thoughts are going through your mind?
3. What made you smile today?
4. What are you grateful for?
5. What will you no longer take for granted?
6. What are you learning about yourself?
7. What activities are you enjoying or are helping you cope? What activities might you also try?
8. What do you look forward to once you return to a normal routine?
9. What have you learned or realized during this time that you want to continue or be aware of once life returns to normal?
10. What life changes has the experience made you think about?

During challenging times, we are here to help. If you are a ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ dialysis patient, please reach out to your social worker for more tips and additional support. You can find more information about coping with COVID-19 here.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice from a medical provider.

Please check with a medical professional if you need a diagnosis and/or for treatments as well as information regarding your specific condition. In case of emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department.