{"id":5588,"date":"2021-09-23T07:33:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T12:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.creativesolutionsonline.org\/?p=5588"},"modified":"2021-09-08T17:37:38","modified_gmt":"2021-09-08T22:37:38","slug":"journal-prompts-for-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creativesolutionsonline.org\/rebuild-csbh-sit\/journal-prompts-for-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Write for Relief: Journal Prompts to Help You Cope With Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span>Estimated reading time: <\/span>4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Journal<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Writing in a journal is a great way to manage your anxiety. There are several positive aspects to journaling that can make coping with your fears easier.\u00a0First, you can work out your fears on paper. You\u2019ll learn why you might jump to conclusions and which things trigger you. Additionally, you\u2019ll be able to look back at journal entries about anxiety and start to learn more about yourself. That includes specific patterns or traps that you might fall into.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also includes seeing the growth you\u2019ve made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, not everyone is a writer. You might not immediately feel comfortable jotting down your thoughts and feelings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In those cases, journal prompts can help. When you have a specific idea to write about or a question to answer, it\u2019s easier for the words to flow freely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

With that in mind, let\u2019s look at a few prompts you can use when you want to write down your feelings but you\u2019re not quite sure how without some guidance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Else Have I Felt This Way?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve been dealing with anxiety for any length of time, your feelings of fear are nothing new.\u00a0 So,\u00a0 when you start to feel overwhelmed by those worries, pull out your anxiety journal. Ask yourself to think about another time when you\u2019ve felt the way you do now.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ponder<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What was the situation? What themes are similar to how you feel now?\u00a0 Pinpointing the reason can help you identify triggers. (Fear of criticism is a common theme, as is feeling a lack of control over a situation or outcome). Once you\u2019re able to hone in on a common theme or pattern, you can focus on what you have done before to cope. How did you manage to overcome those fears?

By writing down those answers, you\u2019re essentially giving yourself a personalized guidebook on your triggers and how to handle them. You might start to see a theme to the things you worry about.\u00a0Then, instead of trying to solve 100 anxiety triggers, it is actually 1 or 2 anxiety trigger themes that show up 100 times! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will end up being a great resource for you to look back on. Plus, writing about it during those feelings can make it easier to calm down in the moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Likely is the Fear to Become Reality?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Writing things down will give you an opportunity to rethink your fear. How likely is it that it will actually happen? All fears tend to make us overestimate the likelihood that our feared outcome will actually occur. Journaling will allow you to go through any process you want to come to a conclusion. You can write down multiple scenarios \u2013 including what the \u201cworst-case\u201d would be.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That can be helpful since it might make you realize that even the worst possible situation wouldn\u2019t be as bad as you originally thought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mapping Out Scenarios<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the best ways to get started with journaling is to \u201cmap out\u201d whatever is causing you to fear.  For example, if you got invited to a party and you struggle with social anxiety, your journal entry might answer questions like: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Brainstorm<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n