In the midst of a crisis, you often find that your head is crammed with thoughts, feelings, worries, stress. You can’t see where to begin coping because your thoughts are swirling about so fast and erratically that you can’t catch them. You’re overwhelmed.

One of the most helpful things you can do at this point is to get your thoughts out of your head and on to paper. Research has shown that people who are able to do this report that they feel less stressed afterwards – in other words they can rebound faster from the trauma.

Part of the problem with coping is that you can’t get your thoughts to keep still. But they stay still on paper. Whether you splurge it all out at once, or whether you want to go back and re-order it later, you can stop carrying the thoughts and feelings round in your head once you have them safely recorded elsewhere. You don’t have to show them to anyone – that’s up to you.

Maybe there are things you don’t want to forget. You can write down everything you loved about someone who has died and keep adding to it whenever you think of something new. That removes the anxiety that over time you won’t remember the important things.

If someone else seems to be the cause of your problems, you can write them a letter – maybe the boss who didn’t promote you or the partner who left you. I’m not necessarily advocating posting the letter – that’s a different question entirely – but getting your feelings down on paper can be hugely cathartic. I would always advise doing this on paper simply because emails are dangerous. It’s so easy to hit ‘send’ in an unguarded moment and regret it afterwards. No, much better to do it the old-fashioned way on paper. And then wait at least 24 hours before re-reading it. Only then should you send it, if you still feel the need. If you’re not certain, wait another 24 hours. And another. Before you put it in the post, think about what the effect will be and how this will help. No point sending it if it won’t make you feel better in the long run.

There are lots of ways to get your thoughts clearer on paper. For some people, writing poetry helps. For more prosaic problems, there are more practical ways to put your thinking in order. If you have major financial problems, perhaps a budgeting spreadsheet will help you to see your money worries in a more visual way, which may help you get back on top of them.

If you’re swamped by work or home demands and can’t think straight, there’s nothing wrong with a list. Several lists if you like. Again, you’re liberating your mind by taking thoughts out of it and putting them somewhere else so your brain can safely jettison them. All you need is fewer thoughts swirling and roiling and this has got them out of the way.