This article focuses on the way blogging can be used to help deal with our current financial crisis but journaling has always been a therapeutic way of dealing with one’s thoughts, fears, and emotions. The only difference is now we do it on the computer and generally for all to see. I know I started this site as a sort of coping mechanism and in the hope that maybe someone else would find some comfort. And while I do put a lot out there, I still keep a written journal of things that are to painful or personal to be posted for anyone who stumbles across my site. I have always written and it is a terrific way to evaluate the situations in your life. When you write something in the heat of the moment it makes so much sense but then when you go back and read it later you realize how out of whack your thought process actually was. Also, sometimes for me seeing it in black and white on paper helps me finally accept the reality of a situation. I guess writing it makes it permanent somehow. I also have managed to embarrass myself pretty majorly by publicly blogging about situations that should have been kept to myself or after a night of heavy emotional drinking. Always a very bad idea. On a different site I have a blog titled friends shouldn’t let friends blog drunk, just keep this in mind when you are posting for the world to read. At any rate, blogging and journaling can be very helpful for dealing with everyday life and a fun way to express yourself.
“Viewpoint: Blogging can help get us through tough times.
Baltimoresun.com
By Arianna Huffington
Dec 4, 2008
The headline in the Los Angeles Times said it all: “Charities Can’t Keep Up with Deepening Poverty.”
America is facing a vicious charity Catch-22: The harsher the downturn, the more people in need of help but the fewer stepping up with donations. “As resources vanish,” wrote the Times, “the threads of the nation’s extensive social safety nets are fraying, leaving single mothers, elderly shut-ins and others ever more vulnerable.”
For months, we’ve been inundated with the raw data of the economic meltdown: unemployment figures, foreclosure numbers, massive bailout stats. At The Huffington Post, we want to do more to put a human face on the suffering: the recently laid off, the newly homeless, the students unable to afford college. And who better to tell their stories than the people themselves?
How is the downturn affecting you and your family? Have you lost your job? Your home? Are you seeing “For Sale” signs on your street? Are more businesses in your town going under? How are you making ends meet? What are you hearing from your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers? Even if you still have your job and your home, and the ability to send your kids to college, how has the deep economic recession affected your outlook, your mood, your spending habits? If you work for a charity or a food bank - what are you seeing?
Blogging about them and your feelings - including your anger, your fears, your hopes - is a great way to cope with the many personal, social and professional dislocations that the hard times are producing.
Losing your job (or even fearing that you might) can make you feel powerless. But at the same time you are looking for work - or learning a new skill - you can take up blogging. It doesn’t require anyone’s permission; there is no application process. You just need blogging software (some of the best is free) and the will to express yourself.
Blogging is all about connecting to others. The bond between blogger and reader creates an intimacy that is a much-needed corrective to the isolation that hard times bring. I’m always amazed by the things I learn from commenters I’ve never met but feel that I know. And I’m equally amazed by the things I keep discovering about myself in the course of writing and clarifying what’s important to me.
Andrew Sullivan fleshes this experience out in a terrific essay in The Atlantic called “Why I Blog.” “Alone in front of a computer, at any moment, are two people: a blogger and a reader,” he writes. “The proximity is palpable, the moment human - whatever authority a blogger has is derived not from the institution he works for but from the humanness he conveys. This is writing with emotion not just under but always breaking through the surface. It renders a writer and a reader not just connected but linked in a visceral, personal way. The only term that really describes this is friendship. And it is a relatively new thing to write for thousands and thousands of friends.”
It’s not therapy, but it’s the same principle - and a lot cheaper (depending on your co-pay). The blogger-reader connection can have practical consequences as well. You can get suggestions on anything and everything - from a job opening to finding a place to volunteer to help others (and help put your problems in perspective). As Mr. Sullivan writes, “A good blog is your own private Wikipedia.”
Blogging is clearly not the answer, but it’s a wonderful survival tool. A way to connect to others, a way to stay on top of how others are coping, a way to reach out, a way to stay sane.
There has already been a lot written about the similarities between the current downturn and the Great Depression. But one way today’s crisis is fundamentally different is the Internet. With its immediacy and transparency, and the instant debate over policy it provides, the Internet will allow citizens to feel more engaged in government than ever before. And blogging will also make a difference on the personal front as well.
This recession will be blogged. Join us.”
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for Christmas and it has been the best thing for my stress, so much so that I bought another one and an 
with flowers. There is something very calming and fulfilling about seeing these plants thriving due to my constant attention. I water, feed, trim, and monitor them religiously and it feels like my stress levels shrink every time they grow a little. I am thinking about getting some houseplants and possibly even a bonsai tree since this seems to be very therapeutic for me. I understand now why so many people garden. I have a tiny backyard that is mostly concreted and have 5 dogs so a big vegetable garden isn’t very practical but if you have the space I would recommend giving it a try. If not, try one of these inside gardens; you might be shocked at the sense of accomplishment you will have and the effect that will have on your depression and anxiety.