Journaling Prompts for Anxiety (Printable PDF)

The future

• Write the worry as a prediction: "I think ___ will happen." How likely is it, from 0‑100%? Pick a date to check back, and note then what actually happened.
• What do I know for sure about this, and what am I guessing? Make two short lists.
• Which outcome am I treating as certain? Write two other outcomes that are also possible.
• If it does happen, what is the first thing I would do that day?
• Think of a worry from last year that did not turn out the way I feared. How close was my prediction to what happened?
• Sort this worry into what is up to me and what is not. One sentence for each.
• Write the reply I would send if a friend texted me this exact worry.

My body

• Where is the anxiety in my body right now? Describe it as I would to a doctor: place, size, and strength from 0 to 10.
• Pick three words for how it feels (tight, buzzing, hot, hollow, heavy). Write one sentence about the loudest one.
• When did I first notice it today, and what was happening just before?
• What has my body asked for in the last hour that I skipped: water, food, a stretch, a break?
• Write the sensation as a weather report, including which way it is moving.
• Rate the feeling from 0 to 10 again. What changed since I started, and what stayed the same?
• Which part of my body feels fine right now? Describe it in two sentences.

People

• Write what happened the way a camera would record it: words, tone, actions. Then write what I think it means.
• Is this about what they did, or about what I think they think?
• What are two other explanations for their short reply or silence that have nothing to do with me?
• What do I want to say to them, in one or two sentences? When could I say it?
• Which conversation am I putting off? Write the first line I could start with.
• What would I do differently today if I assumed they were on my side?
• What do I need from this person, and have I asked for it?

Can't switch off

• Finish this sentence three times, shorter each time: "The thought that keeps coming back is..."
• Give the thought a name, like "the meeting replay." When does it usually show up?
• Which worry did I not get to today?
• Describe the room I am in with five plain facts. Nothing about tomorrow.
• Write two sentences to the person I will be in the morning: how tonight feels, and what I hope to notice.
• Describe a place where I feel calm: what is there, what can I hear, what is the light like?
• Pick one of tonight's thoughts. Will it still matter in a week?