Best 100 Anxiety Journaling Prompts (+FREE Anxiety Worksheets)

This post contains anxiety journaling prompts to help you manage your difficult emotions.

What Are Journaling Prompts?

Journal prompts are a tool for self-reflection and self-discovery.

They are suggestive prompts designed with the intention of sparking introspection.

This is a great way to relieve emotional distress and connect more deeply with yourself.

Related: Top 10 Practical CBT Exercises For Generalized Anxiety Disorder Relief

The Benefits of Journaling

A growing number of studies show that journaling can be a great way to reduce mental stress and anxiety.

Journaling can help you:

• Identify what triggers your anxiety
• Figure out healthier ways to deal with those triggers
• Reduce anxious thoughts and feelings
• Challenge negative thoughts and self-talk
• Face your fears
• Boost your mood

Anxiety Journaling Prompts

1. What is making you anxious right now?
2. When did this anxiety start today?
3. What was happening just before it showed up?
4. What thoughts are driving the anxiety?
5. What are you predicting will go wrong?
6. What is the worst outcome you are imagining?
7. How likely is that outcome really?
8. What evidence supports this fear?
9. What evidence goes against it?
10. What part of this situation is out of your control?
11. What part is within your control?
12. What are you trying to prevent or avoid?
13. What does anxiety want you to do right now?
14. What happens if you don’t obey it?
15. What has anxiety cost you recently?
16. What has it not protected you from?
17. What reassurance are you seeking?
18. How long does reassurance usually last?
19. What keeps the anxiety cycle going?
20. What pattern do you notice in your anxiety?
21. What does anxiety feel like in your body?
22. Where do you feel it the most?
23. What sensations tell you anxiety is rising?
24. What do you do when those sensations appear?
25. What behaviors calm anxiety short term?
26. What behaviors make it worse later?
27. What do you overcheck, overthink, or overanalyze?
28. What do you avoid because of anxiety?
29. What has avoidance cost you?
30. What would happen if you faced it gradually?
31. What fears keep repeating in your life?
32. What past experiences fuel these fears?
33. What are you afraid this anxiety says about you?
34. What does it actually say about your needs?
35. What emotions sit underneath your anxiety?
36. What are you afraid to feel fully?
37. What does anxiety distract you from feeling?
38. What does anxiety distract you from doing?
39. What do you lose when anxiety is in charge?
40. What do you gain when you challenge it?
41. What thoughts feel urgent but aren’t helpful?
42. What thoughts feel calmer and more realistic?
43. What would a balanced thought sound like here?
44. What would you tell someone else in this situation?
45. Why is it harder to say that to yourself?
46. What are you assuming without proof?
47. What facts do you actually know?
48. What questions could slow your thinking down?
49. What thought do you need to challenge today?
50. What thought do you need to replace it with?
51. What situations trigger your anxiety most often?
52. What people trigger it most?
53. What environments make it worse?
54. What environments help it ease?
55. What time of day is anxiety strongest for you?
56. What habits increase anxiety?
57. What habits reduce it over time?
58. What boundaries would lower your anxiety?
59. What boundaries are you avoiding setting?
60. What fear stops you from setting them?
61. What control are you trying to maintain?
62. What happens when you try to control everything?
63. What happens when you don’t?
64. What uncertainty feels hardest to tolerate?
65. What uncertainty have you survived before?
66. What does anxiety say will happen if you relax?
67. Has that ever actually happened?
68. What does calm feel unfamiliar about?
69. What does safety mean to you?
70. What actually creates safety for you long term?
71. What reassurance do you give others easily?
72. What reassurance do you deny yourself?
73. What does self-trust look like during anxiety?
74. What proof do you have that you can cope?
75. What has anxiety convinced you you can’t handle?
76. What have you already handled despite anxiety?
77. What small step could you take while anxious?
78. What would progress look like without anxiety disappearing?
79. What does courage look like for you today?
80. What would choosing action over fear look like here?
81. What does anxiety want you to believe about the future?
82. How realistic is that belief?
83. What happens if you stop rehearsing worst-case scenarios?
84. What do you gain by staying alert all the time?
85. What do you lose?
86. What are you exhausted from worrying about?
87. What worry has never actually come true?
88. What would letting go of that worry change?
89. What do you want anxiety to have less control over?
90. What do you want more control over instead?
91. What helps anxiety pass naturally over time?
92. What makes you panic faster?
93. What warning signs tell you anxiety is escalating?
94. What can you do earlier next time?
95. What does responding instead of reacting look like?
96. What does strength look like when anxiety is present?
97. What does patience with yourself look like here?
98. What do you want to remember during your next anxious moment?
99. What is one thing anxiety cannot decide for you?
100. What would living alongside anxiety, not under it, look like?

FREE Anxiety Worksheets PDF

Related: How To Overcome Agoraphobia Without Medication? 9-Step Guide To Control Panic Attack In Public

Best Journaling Apps

To journal, you can use physical notebook or papers or an audio journal where you speak into a recording device or you can also use a digital journal.

The following are some of the best journaling apps:

• Day One for Mac and iOS users
• Daylio for iOS & Android users
• Diarium for Windows, macOS, iOS & Android users
• Grid Diary for macOS, iOS & Android users
• Momento for social media power users
• Penzu for Windows, macOS, iOS & Android users

Related: 30 Day Social Anxiety Challenge That Will Help You Feel More Confident

How to Use Anxiety Journaling Prompts?

Here are some tips on how to use anxiety journaling prompts:

1. Set aside time: Schedule some quiet time for yourself where you can focus on your writing without any distractions or interruptions.

2. Choose a prompt: Pick a prompt that resonates with you or feels most relevant to your current situation.

3. Allow free-flow writing: Write whatever comes to mind without censoring or editing your thoughts. Let your pen flow freely and don’t worry about grammar or spelling.

4. Be honest: Don’t be afraid to express your true feelings, even if they seem irrational or uncomfortable.

5. Reflect: After you’ve finished writing, take a few moments to reflect on what you wrote. Identify any patterns or triggers that might be contributing to your anxiety.

6. Develop a plan: Use your journaling as a tool to develop coping mechanisms and strategies to manage your anxiety. Write down any solutions or action steps that come to mind.

7. Repeat the process: Incorporate journaling into your daily or weekly routine to help manage your anxiety over the long term.

Related: Best 10 Self Discovery Books

Conclusion

Anxiety journaling prompts are a useful tool to help you explore and manage your anxious thoughts and feelings.

Remember, anxiety journaling is a personal journey, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

The goal is to help you explore your thoughts and feelings in a safe and supportive environment.

References

• What’s All This About Journaling? – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Journaling for Mental Health – Health Encyclopedia – University of Rochester Medical Center
• Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health (5 Science-Based Benefits of Journaling for Anxiety and Depression)) | Holstee
• The Mental Health Benefits of Journaling | Psych Central
• 83 Benefits of Journaling for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress (positivepsychology.com)