Introducing Adrienne Nicholson

Adrienne is a doctorate student, a psychotherapist, and one of our awesome Zinnia ambassadors. Based in Ontario, Canada, Adrienne is excited to share her passion for digital journaling on Zinnia, along with her insights into how journaling affects anxiety. Download her worksheet below to use inside Zinnia!

A Message from Adrienne

Hello, planner friends! I’m so happy to have joined the Zinnia family as a college ambassador! I’m a doctorate student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. When I’m not busy being a student, I’m also a registered psychotherapist in Ontario, Canada. 

When I began using Zinnia 3 years ago, I saw it as a tool to organize some pictures in a fun way. Very quickly, though, I realized that Zinnia has so much more to offer. As a mental health professional, I use journalling and worksheets with my clients, and having the option to create my own trackers, spreads, and prompts has changed how I practice. I’d like to share one such template that can help you understand how anxiety shows up in your life. 

How to track your anxious thoughts

  • Use a template or create your own page to track some of the important details 
  • Record your anxious thought: try to record what you are thinking without any judgment attached to it, just write what you’re thinking, and don’t try to clean it up. 
  • What triggered this thought? Did something happen? Did you hear from someone unexpected? Did you get some troubling news? Is something changing in your life? Are you feeling overwhelmed by something? Write down what you think triggered your anxious thought.
  • What automatic thought did your anxiety tap into? 
  • What do you do to cope with the anxious thought? Journalling, exercise, or finding a happy activity can be great coping tools. It’s a great way to start using trackers to see what works best for you.
  • How can you challenge the anxious thought? This is where you look for evidence that challenges what you are anxious about.

Working through these kinds of reflective exercises helps you to take control of your anxiety. You can start to understand what triggers your anxiety and what coping tools work best for you. 

– Adrienne