Anxiety can feel like an incredible burden at times. You constantly feel fearful, out of control, and completely helpless. When you feel these emotions, it’s normal to have exaggerated reactions.
But finding calming techniques like journaling to help you quiet your mind and re-regulate your emotions and physical actions can help you improve your coping mechanisms and relieve some of this stress.
Journaling prompts for anxiety:
19 Calming Journaling Prompts For Anxiety
When you’re experiencing anxiety, it can feel like the world is caving in around you.
When your body instinctively goes into ‘flight’ mode and starts to panic, finding grounding techniques to calm you down can help.
One of these grounding techniques is journaling. Here are 19 calming prompts to help you overcome your anxiety and start journaling without feeling pressured:
1. Write about whatever comes to mind, no matter how silly. Read through these words and phrases when you’re calm to better understand how you felt or what your thinking was when you were very anxious.
2. Visualize yourself in a meadow or by the seaside. Describe what it feels like by using all five of your senses.
3. Make a rough plan for your day or week. Planning ahead can help negate negative emotions that are associated with the unknown.
4. Describe what is worrying you and how it’s making you feel.
5. Visualize a wave of calming energy flowing over you and describe how every part of your body would react to this energy. For example, your shoulders may relax, and you may unclench your jaw.
6. Make a list of things that bring you a sense of peace. Describe them in as much detail as possible.
7. Write about someone you feel safe and comfortable with.
8. Write a letter to your anxiety and describe how it makes you feel.
9. Describe your perfect day. Who would you share it with? Where would you go? What would you do?
10. Plan your perfect imaginary vacation and list everything you’d enjoy doing.
11. Describe what it would be like to live without anxiety and how it would be different from how you live now.
12. Make a list of calming mantras or positive affirmations you can use when feeling anxious.
13. Write about what makes you happy.
14. Write about your favorite things and describe how they make you feel or the good memories attached to them.
15. Make a list of five things that make you feel comfortable and safe.
16. Write about how you feel at this moment. How do you feel physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually?
17. Write down quotes that make you feel calm and relaxed.
18. Write down at least five activities that make you feel relaxed. Plan a schedule for your week where you include these activities.
19. Write a short story that takes place in a calming environment. Imagine all the characters living a happy, carefree life. What would that look like?
19 Mindful Journaling Prompts For Anxiety
Being mindful and practicing gratitude can help ease anxiety and quieten negative thoughts.
Spend time journaling about being mindful to help you think about your anxiety in a new way and gain some better perspective through introspection and reflection.
1. Make a list of things you’re grateful for. What does gratitude mean to you, and why are you grateful for these things?
2. Write down the things you can’t change and give yourself the freedom to let these things go.
3. List all of the times you’ve overcome your anxiety. How did you feel? How did you overcome these things?
4. List all of your proudest moments and achievements.
5. Describe your goals and dreams and make a plan for how you can reach them.
6. Write about obstacles you’ve had to overcome. How did you overcome them?
7. Write a letter to yourself and give yourself permission to feel or think whatever you want. Give yourself permission to just be yourself.
8. Write about the advice you would give someone else experiencing anxiety. What would you tell them? How would you help them?
9. Write about a traumatic event that you’ve been through. What have you learned from this experience? How can you use your experience to help yourself and others?
10. Write about how you can better practice self-love and compassion. What can you do today to take better care of yourself?
11. Write about at least three good things you experienced this week.
12. Write about things that bring you joy and list how you can enjoy these things more often.
13. When you feel out of control and like everything in your life is going wrong, make a list or describe how everything could go right instead. Try to shift your perspective so you can better understand how you can change your thinking.
14. Write about things that excite you and that you look forward to most.
15. Write down quotes that help you to be mindful and grateful.
16. Write down affirmations you believe and repeat them when feeling down.
17. What do you like about your physical body?
18. What traits do you have that you like?
19. Write about what matters most to you.
17 Therapeutic Journaling Prompts For Anxiety
When you’re struggling with anxiety and your mental health, finding ways to work through these difficult emotions is important for healing.
Sometimes, journaling about these struggles can help you to start your journey to healing and letting go.
1. Make a list of anxiety triggers you have. Understanding these triggers can help you find new ways to cope.
2. List your coping mechanisms and describe how each one helps you. When do you use specific coping skills, and how can you improve them?
3. Describe three things that scare you and try to explain why they make you feel this way. Try to use as much detail to describe why they scare you.
4. Make a list of all the things you feel like you can’t control. Are you really out of control, or does it just feel that way?
5. Write about what is worrying you right now. Reading through this list may help you to differentiate between rational and irrational worries.
6. Describe the emotions you felt during the day. How did you feel when you experienced these emotions? Why did you feel this way?
7. Write a list of things you’re holding onto that may be causing you emotional distress.
8. Write a letter to yourself and say all the things you wish others would tell you.
9. Write a letter to your future self and describe what you’d like the future to look like.
10. Write a letter to yourself at ten years old. Tell them things you wish others would have told you then. What do you want them to know?
11. Write about how your anxiety has held you back and how you would have liked things to be different.
12. Write a letter to someone that has hurt you. You can use this letter to forgive them and let go or vent how you feel.
13. Write down a strategy for improving your mental health.
14. Describe what makes you anxious and explain if your fears are rational or not.
15. Describe your anxiety as if it were a person. What would it look like? What would it sound like? Would you be friends with this person?
16. Describe your mental health journey and how your mental health has improved over a specific timeframe.
17. Describe a time when you were struggling with your mental health. Were there people to help you? How did you feel? Is there anything that could have helped you?