31 Free Journal Prompts for Anxiety PDF (Free)

Journal Prompts to Help You Manage Anxiety— Processing anxiety can be challenging, but journaling about your feelings and overall mental health may help.

Teens and young adults may find that journaling is an activity that they can use to help channel their stress and reduce their anxiety.

Build a New Skill to Help Manage Anxious Thought and Emotions

Yes!

Journal writing can help you manage and even overcome anxiety.

You see…

Anxiety is a natural response to stressful events that nearly everyone experiences at some point in their lives.

However…

A great many people — especially teens and young adults — find their anxiety to be debilitating and difficult to control.

This is not surprising given that…

Young people today have to face many challenges and they are spending their formative years in a tumultuous world in which very scary and real incidents are reported almost daily.

The good news is journaling can help writers track anxiety triggers, anxiety symptoms, and overall mood.

And now, you can use our journal prompts for anxiety to help process and minimize these feelings in your daily life. So get to it and make journaling a habit in your life today. You’ll be glad you did!

31 Journal Prompts for Anxiety

The benefits of journaling are almost endless – as is the enjoyment that you can get out of adding journal writing to your daily routine! You can use this list of journal prompts as a part of your daily journaling practice.

Write about five things that you are grateful for today. This will provide you with a visual representation of some of the good things in your life, and can help reduce the impact of negative thoughts.
Describe the moment in which you began to feel anxious. What were you doing? Where were you going? What did you eat that day? Analyzing this situation can help you identify triggers.
If someone, in particular, is causing you fear or anxiety, use your journal to write them a letter that you never intend to send. It can be therapeutic to get your thoughts out.
List the top five emotions that you are feeling today.
Write about what scares you the most, and explain why you are afraid of it. This can help you identify what is causing you anxiety, and you may be able to use your own reason and logic to sort through it.
Spend five or ten minutes doing a stream-of-consciousness journal entry. In the event that you are feeling anxious and you don’t understand why you may uncover it through this freeform style of writing.
Describe your bedtime routine, then consider how that routine may be impacting your ability to fully rest at night. At the end of the journal entry, write down simple changes that you may be able to make to alleviate stress before bedtime.
Write about your favorite memory from childhood. If you are feeling sad or anxious, you may find that this nostalgic look back on happier times helps you reset.
Switch up your journaling process by using a pen in your favorite color. Then, write about why you chose that pen and why it is your favorite color.
Think about one moment in your day that always brings you joy. Describe it in detail, and explain why that is your favorite moment of the day. In times of stress, focus on that moment.
Write down three long-term goals that you have, and then make a list of short-term goals that you can realistically achieve that will help you work toward your long-term goals. This can help you feel less stressed about what lies ahead.
Fill in the blank: I was anxious today because:
Write a fictional story about a character who is struggling with anxiety, and make sure that the character finds a resolution. Consider this solution, and see if it can apply to your own life.
Consider the past several months or years, and write about the time when you were experiencing the most anxiety. Describe what steps you took to overcome that anxiety. By recognizing that you can overcome it, you may be able to cope better in the future.
Write a love poem about yourself.
Experiencing extreme anxiety or managing an anxiety disorder often feels like a negative experience. Can you think of three benefits that you have realized as a result of anxiety?
Describe a simple moment that made you smile today. Reflect on that moment.
Write down a list of three ways that you can improve the organization in your favorite room in your house.
Imagine your anxiety as an object or a person. What does it look like? What does it sound like?
Instead of a grocery list, write down a list of your worries. Consider this list closely, and decide whether or not you need to be bearing the burden of these fears.
What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Does your morning routine set you up for anxiety throughout the day? How can you improve your first minutes and hours of your day?
Keep a log of when you are on your smartphone and tablet. Write down what time you pick up your phone, what you do while you are on it, and when you put it down. At the end of the day, add up the amount of time spent on devices, and look for ways to cut back on that time.
Think about the song that always makes you feel happy. Write down your favorite lyric from that song, and describe why you love it so much.
After a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster or death in the family, write down your feelings.
Describe the people in your life who you know that you can turn to when you feel most stressed or anxious. Why do you rely on these people?
Staying active may help minimize feelings of anxiety. Write down three ways you can be active today.
Identify one positive change that you can make today.
Consider a mistake that you made in the past. What was the result? How did you make it better? How can you avoid similar mistakes in the future?
Name one fictional character that you relate to the most, and write about why you relate to them.
Write about how you can forgive someone who has caused you harm.
On a scale of 1-5, with one being the worst and five being the best, how was your day? Write about why you chose that ranking.