Journalling can be a really powerful tool to help you to understand your thoughts and emotions. Writing in a journal can give you a safe place to explore what’s going on in your mind and help you to untangle the busy thoughts that might be swirling around in there.

I particularly like journalling as a way to explore and understand anxiety. Putting your fears and worries down on paper can be a great way to take away some of their power, to give you a bit of perspective and make them more manageable. Writing things down can also let you dig a little deeper into the patterns that might be driving the anxiety, and help you understand how to shift your thinking and soothe your frayed edges.

Here are a few journalling prompts that could be useful to help you explore your anxiety and manage it when things are feeling hard.

• When does my anxiety feel most intense?
• What are the places/people/events that usually trigger my worries? Do they have anything in common?
• What do I need in order to feel safe?
• In what ways do I feel that my anxiety is serving me?
• What do I imagine my life would be like if I were less anxious?
• What would it feel like to let go of my anxiety, even for a moment?
• What is holding me back from letting go of my anxiety?
• In what ways does anxiety influence the way I behave? Which of my actions are driven by fear or worry?
• Can I think of a time where I have felt less anxious?
• What does anxiety feel like in my body?
• What thoughts tend to come up most often when I am feeling anxious or worried?
• What is one thing that I could let go of?
• Does this anxious moment remind me of a moment in my past? What are the similarities between this moment and that one? In what ways are they different?
• Can I name some of the ways that I try to tame my worries? Are they helping or harming me?
• Where do I feel the most safe and settled?

Working through some of these prompts will give you an opportunity to delve deeper into your anxiety, understand yourself and begin to see the things you could begin to shift to find more ease. If you’d like help working through any of these prompts, or discussing any of the ideas that they might raise, please feel encouraged to reach out and make an appointment. I’d love to give you a hand with that.