Whenever 'American Idol' contestant Lauren Alaina is having a bad day, you can probably find her with a pen in hand, writing songs. 

The 18-year-old opened up to Radio.com about how she finds solace in songwriting. “I’ve learned so much about myself and my music just from sitting in those rooms and creating different sounds,” she reveals, adding, “I really write about what’s on my mind. It’s like a stress reliever."

It's a pretty handy stress reliever too, as the songstress is in the midst of writing her forthcoming second album, so she's coming up with plenty of material for the record -- and reaping the benefits of getting feelings of frustration, heartbreak or sadness out into the open. "I didn’t realize when I first started writing how much it would set me free from certain situations in my life," Alaina explains. "It's incredible.”

The 'Barefoot and Buckwild' singer may be outgoing and bubbly, but she still deals with difficult situations, just like the rest of us. “I was having a hard day, dealing with the fact that my grandfather has Alzheimer’s and I wrote about it,” she shares. “And then I wrote a song about my ex-boyfriend, who was terrible and the worst boyfriend I’ve ever had in my entire life, and I got a great song out of him so I can thank him for that."

Although Alaina just graduated from high school, she proves that she's incredibly mature for her age. Whether it's living on her own or dealing with what life deals her, she's going to be just fine -- as long as she keeps writing.

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