7 Journal Prompts for Anxiety
7 Journal Prompts for Anxiety
By Diana Ruiz, MA, LCPC, Psychotherapist
1. What situations were you going through when you felt anxious?
Recognize what situations are associated with feeling anxious. Past experiences and biological predispositions are correlated to anxiety, but we often find ourselves anxious in particular situations. It is imperative to explore and be aware of what is triggering anxiety. We want to identify where we experienced anxiety, with who, and in what situations. Start taking notes and journaling about:
Where were you when you experienced anxiety? Describe it.
Who were you with when you felt anxious?
What situations do you think cause anxiety?
What happened during and before you experienced anxiety?
You have identified what situations trigger anxiety. Nice job! Now, let's talk about the second prompt.
2. What are you thinking about when you feel anxious?
Have you noticed that when you feel anxious, you have many thoughts or racing thoughts? It is common that when we feel anxious, we have negative thoughts, overthinking, or irrational thoughts. Write about what you think about as you feel anxious. Get to know the thoughts you have when you are anxious. There is a connection between our thoughts and our mood. As you identify your thoughts, treat them as just thoughts, and separate yourself from them. Here are other prompts to help you identify your thoughts while experiencing anxiety.
What are you thinking about?
What do you imagine happening?
What are your automatic thoughts?
When you feel anxious, what is going through your mind?
Are you thinking about the worst-case scenarios happening? If so, journal about it, but as you write about it, remind yourself that these worst-case scenarios have not happened.
3. In addition to feeling anxious did you experience other emotions?
Commonly, we don't experience an anxious mood alone but experience other emotions as well. We can often experience sadness, fear, dread, and stress with anxiety or following anxiety. Write (or list) what you are experiencing emotionally. Name your emotions, describe them, and validate them. It is ok to feel what you feel. You are not crazy or different; you are just a human being with emotions.
4. When you felt anxious, did your behavior change, or did you make a particular choice because of feeling anxious?
Notice and write about any observed behavior changes when you experienced anxiety. Anxiety sometimes feels like the situation of the chicken or the egg. Are you worrying, overthinking, or having negative thoughts because you have anxiety, or are the thoughts activating anxiety? The fact is that our negative or irrational thinking is connected to anxiety. If we feel fearful and anxious, we have scary thoughts, and then our thoughts can impact our behavior. For example, if you are afraid of starting to date or opening up your business, you are more likely having thoughts of things not going well. If you think and believe things will go poorly, your behavior can change, and you may skip the date or stop planning your business.
Journal or list the behaviors that you think are associated with feeling anxiety. For example:
Skipped a social event
Stopped planning a business
Was short with people
Isolated from others
5. As you felt anxious, what physiological changes did you experience?
Anxiety comes with various physical experiences, including but not limited to; accelerated heart rate, pressure in your chest, difficulty breathing, gastrointestinal issues, muscle tension, feeling faint, and other symptoms. Keep track of your physiological responses when you experience anxiety. In your journal, keep note of the frequency and intensity.
6. What resources do you have to cope with and solve problems/anxiety?
Anxiety is associated with life experiences and genetic predisposition, but constant negative thoughts sustain it. Anxiety is persistent when we persistently overestimate risk and underestimate our resources. In other words, anxiety is activated because we predict scary and negative things while minimizing that we will get through them. I recommend learning coping mechanisms and problem-solving skills if you struggle with coping.
In your journal, list the resources, coping mechanisms, and support systems to help you cope and solve situations.
7. Even if the worst-case scenario happens, what can you do to solve it or cope with it?
Write about or list what you can do if the worst situation you imagine happens. In your journal, describe the problem or the worst-case scenario in detail. Next, list possible solutions or coping ways you can deal with the worst-case scenario. Decide on the best option to solve the problem, implement it, see it through, then evaluate if your solution was effective and why. To help your mind cope with the worst-case scenarios, list other solutions you can implement if the worst-case scenarios happen.
Remember, the worst-case scenario is only a possibility. Many times the likely hood of the worst-case scenario is minimal. Please make it a habit always to identify the best-case scenario as soon as you think about the worst-case scenario.
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