30 Gentle and Calming Journal Prompts for Anxiety

Discover 30 journal prompts for anxiety designed to help you gently explore your anxiety with love and kindness. Find a quiet place where you can connect with your innermost self, and allow yourself to answer each question with truth and compassion.

Experiencing Anxiety

What does anxiety feel like to you?

For some, anxiety is most often experienced physically. Your chest may start to feel tight and hot. Your stomach might feel like it’s flipping over itself. Or maybe there’s tension in your head that just won’t go away.

For others, anxiety might be experienced emotionally or mentally. A stream of steady, anxious thoughts might keep you up at night, or your anxiety may cause you to feel sad, angry, or overall pessimistic.

And still, your answer might be all of the above: physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. And feeling that deep heaviness day after day? It’s more than just hard—it can be debilitating.

It may be tempting to try to suppress your anxiety by telling yourself you’re okay and pretending these uncomfortable feelings don’t exist. But when you suppress feelings, they don’t go away; rather, they remain stagnant within you, often building and creating even more fear, worry, and discomfort.

Rather, the most healing way to interact with your own anxiety is to move toward the discomfort and gently probe it with kindness and compassion.

Pay attention to how anxiety feels in your body. Can you breathe into these tight and tense areas? Breathing exercises like alternate nostril breathing may help.

When you’re ready, you can begin to (again, gently) move toward your anxiety and try to understand its source.

Below, you’ll find 30 gentle and calming journal prompts for anxiety to help you do just this. These journal prompts are meant to help you explore your anxiety with kindness, compassion, and love.

I encourage you to give yourself time and space to answer these prompts in a safe place where you’re free of outside distractions. You might find it helpful to light some candles or play some soft music while you write.

Note that these journal prompts are not meant to replace talking to a healthcare professional. For further anxiety resources, I encourage you to check out this article from Everyday Health. It includes a list of organizations that can provide valuable information about anxiety, resources for BIPOC communities, information about financial assistance, and more.

Authentic Self: Self-Love Workbooks for Your Highest Self. Click to learn more.

More Articles for Anxiety and Self-Care

Journal Prompts for Anxiety

What does anxiety feel like to me?
Where in my body do I experience anxiety the most?
In what types of situations do I most often experience anxiety?
Are there specific triggers that make me feel anxious or overwhelmed?
Is there anything I’m feeling anxious about right now?
For anything I feel anxious about right now, what can I do for myself to alleviate my anxiety?
What practices have helped me in the past when I feel anxiety setting in?
When my anxiety feels overbearing, what can I do to show myself kindness and compassion?
What can I do to support myself when I know I’m entering a situation in which I might feel anxious, overwhelmed, or stressed?
What do I need from the Universe when I feel worried or anxious? How can the Universe support me?
What do I need from my loved ones when I feel worried or anxious? How can my loved ones support me?
What has my anxiety taught me about the world?
What has my anxiety taught me about myself?
In what ways is anxiety not a weakness?
What negative thoughts do I most often experience?
Why do I think I have these negative thoughts?
Can I turn any of these negative thoughts into positive thoughts?
Where do I feel the safest? What about this environment makes me feel safe?
With whom do I feel the safest? What about this person (or people) makes me feel safe?
Describe what it feels like to feel safe, supported, and protected.
How can I carry the feelings of being safe, supported, and protected into my everyday world?
Write ten calming affirmations that bring peace and serenity within. Save these affirmations to your phone, or write them on a piece of paper that you can carry with you throughout your day.
What do I feel grateful for about my life right now?
What do I love most about myself?
What makes my soul truly beautiful?
What superpower do I have that makes a positive difference in other people’s lives?
What hardships have I experienced that have made me stronger? How did I show courage, strength, and resilience while experiencing these hardships?
What self-care practices can I do for myself to nourish my whole self? How can I take care of my mind, body, and spirit?
How can I show myself unconditional love in my daily life?
When do I feel happiest? What brings me true joy? How can I incorporate more joy into my daily life?

For more resources on spirituality, meditation, manifestation, and all things self-love, be sure to connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest, where I’m posting positive affirmations and empowering messages daily.