111 Amazing Journal Prompts For Stress And Anxiety

Stress is a silent killer.

It slowly but surely ruins your body, mind, and spirit and what’s worst of all it’s so common to be stressed that it’s normalized, especially if you live in America.

When you look all around you there are so many people who are stressed and barely able to get through their day.

Well, we’re going to change that one writing prompt at a time.

Journal prompts for stress are the perfect way to relieve some stress and frustration.

They’re not only free but you can use them anywhere at any time of the day.

So, don’t let stress slowly but surely consume your life, take back your power, take a few deep breaths, and let’s get straight into the best journal prompts for stress relief.

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Journal Prompts For Stress

What is the main cause(s) of my stress?
Is there anyone in your life that is causing you more stress than others? If so, how can you set a boundary with them?
In what ways has my stress been affecting my body?
Are there certain times in the year that you feel more stressed than others? Why do you think that is?
In 5 words, describe what being stressed is for you.
What are 2 ordinary things that bring you peace?
What are some things that I personally do that are adding to my stress?
When was the last time you took time to rest?
List every single thing that is causing you stress. Then, list one small action you can take for each thing that is stressing you out.
How have I been handling my stress lately? Has it been helping or hurting me?
What does being stressed mean to you?
Where do you feel the most at peace?
Where do you feel the least at peace? How can you slowly distance yourself from this place?
Have you ever been stressed like this before in your life? If so, when and why?
Who is someone who appears to be stress-free? What are some ideas you can take from them to be stress-free in your life?
What do you think it would take to live a stress-free life?
What are 3 things that instantly trigger your stress?
When you are stressed, where does it typically show up in your body?
How long do you typically hold onto something that is stressing you out? Is this helping or hurting you?
How do you identify when something is stressing you out?
What is one lesson you can take away from being stressed out?
What is one thing you want to change with how you cope with stress?

Journal Prompts For Stress Relief

What are some natural stress relievers for me?
Who is someone who doesn’t bring you a lot of stress in your life?
What is one thing I can take off my plate to relieve some stress?
What is your ideal way of handling stress? Describe in detail.
What is your favorite stress-relieving activity?
What do you do when you feel stressed?
What is one positive way that you cope with stress?
What is one thing that you can take off your plate for this week?
What instantly takes some stress off your shoulders?
Name 3 healthy outlets for stress.
Describe a situation in the past where you were able to overcome something stressful.
How do those around me handle stress? In what ways is it similar to how I handle stress?
What is one quote or prayer that helps me during stressful times?
Where do you feel most relaxed? When is the next available time that you can go there?
What does the perfect self-care routine look like for you?
When was the last time you took a day just to yourself or to rest? How soon can you plan another day?
What are 3 things you’re grateful for today?
One way I can let go of stress today is _____.
Who is someone that you can lean on during a stressful time?
What is one way that I can make my mornings less stressful?
What are two strengths that I have that help me overcome stress?
What areas of your life would you like to have more organization? What is one small step you can take today to achieve this?
Is there anything that you’re afraid to do that is causing you stress? If so, what advice would you give someone else if you were on the other side?

Journal Prompts For Anxiety

What is something that has been causing you to feel anxious recently? What are 3 small things you can do to control what you can?
When you are feeling anxious, where do you feel it in your body? Describe how it feels.
When I feel anxious I also feel, ______.
Use all 5 senses to describe one thing that is calming for you (smell, sound, touch, taste, and sight).
What are 2 things that can ground me right now?
One place that I feel safe is _______.
What is one self-care activity that I can do today?
What has been one good thing about your week so far?
What is something that instantly brings a smile to your face?
In what way(s) does your anxiety help you out?
In what way(s) does your anxiety hold you back? What is one thing you can do today to change that?
Is there a difference between feeling stressed and anxious for you? If so, what is the difference?
What is my anxiousness rooted in right now (a fact, overthinking, catastrophizing, superstitions, etc)?
What is one skill you can learn that can help you release some anxiety?
In what ways do you think worry adds value to your life? What are 2 alternatives to worrying?
What are 3 ways that your life would improve if you worried less?
Is there a difference between feeling anxious and feeling worried for you? Why or why not?
What is one thing that triggers you to feel anxious?
What is a powerful quote or prayer that you can remind yourself of when you’re feeling anxious?
What is your favorite way to release your anxiety?
What are 3 things you can do to let go of your worries?
Are there any people in your life who handle anxiety in a similar way to you?
In what ways do you want to change the way you handle your anxiety?

Journal Prompts For Fear

What is your greatest fear right now?
In what ways does your fear affect your actions? Is it hurting you in any way?
What do you typically do once you start feeling fearful or anxious?
Have there been times when you’ve tried overcoming your fear(s)? Describe 2 times that you’ve tried.
If you had to pinpoint your fear, what would it be (fear of failure, something that has not happened, change, rejection, etc)?
Does fearful thinking and overthinking go hand in hand for you?
Describe a time when you had a successful milestone with your fear.
What/who triggers your fears/fearful thinking?
When/where do you feel the most afraid?
How can you distance yourself from your triggers?
What is one small thing you can do today to face your fears?
What is something that has helped me cope with my fears in the past?
Is my fear rational or irrational? Is it based on cold hard facts or overthinking?
What is the best possible outcome?
What is the worst possible outcome?
In what ways have you handled the worst possible outcome in the past?
Is there anything I can do (small or big) to change the outcome of this fear?
When was the last time I prayed about this fear?
How do these fears affect your life?
Do your fears control you or your life? If so, in what ways?
What are 2 healthy ways to handle your fears?
In what ways would your life be different without this fear?

Journal Prompts For Wellness

What are 3 things that you’re grateful for about today?
What do you consider to be a wellness activity?
What makes something a wellness activity?
What is something you want to remind yourself right now?
What is your favorite self-care activity? When is the next time you can make time for it?
Describe your most recent core memory.
In what ways has your life improved from last year?
Do you prioritize getting good sleep? If not, how can you start to get better sleep?
What does a good wellness plan look like to you?
What is one small way that you can take better care of yourself?
What areas of your life are you neglecting the most?
What is something you can take off your plate to prioritize your wellness more?
What are 2 ways that you can set boundaries to prioritize your health and rest?
Describe your ideal self-care day from start to finish.
List 3 ways that prioritizing your wellness will benefit your life.
Is there anything that I’m doing that’s causing me burnout? If so, what are 2 small things I can do to manage this?
What is one thing that you’re proud of yourself for?
Do you make enough time to recharge and rest? If so, what do you typically choose to do?
What does feeling good look like for you? Describe it in detail.
What is one way that you create more balance in your life?
What has brought you a lot of joy recently?

The Best Tips To Use Journal Prompts For Stress Relief

1. Don’t Overdo The Journal Prompts For Stress

You want to make sure you don’t do too many writing prompts for stress relief at once. I would stick with 2-3 prompts a day.

You can do this either every day or a few times a week.

I wouldn’t do any more than that, though, because you want to make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself.

I’ve also found that when you commit to something with a low barrier of entry it helps you stick with it more, and the only way for you to reap the benefits of journaling that we talked about earlier is to do it for a while (at least 3 weeks).

You also want to avoid forcing yourself to write more than what you need at the time.

If you wind up writing more than what you anticipated then that’s okay, but if you find yourself not having much to write about that day then that’s okay too.

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. Every journaling session will be different.

2. Use Journal Prompts For Stress In The Morning Or The Evening

I highly recommend choosing a certain time of day that you want to journal beforehand.

Typically people either journal in the morning or the evening because these are the time of day with fewer distractions for most.

I personally journal in the morning because

It’s quiet
I’m more likely to remember to do it (in comparison to doing it in the evening)
It gets my day started on a good note

However, journaling in the evening also has its own benefits as well such as:

Going to bed on a fresh note
A good way to wind down from the day
Improving sleep

If you don’t know which one is right for you then I’d say try both.

Pro Tip: Try journaling on two separate days. Journal in the morning one day and then journal in the evening the next day and see which one you like more.

3. Journal Somewhere Quiet

You also want to make sure that you journal somewhere quiet because this can help you better focus and get your thoughts/feelings out.

This can also be helpful when you’re stumped on a question. If you can’t achieve this at home then you can also try the library, school, a quiet cafe, or your car.

4. Take Three Deep Breaths Before You Start

This one is not a must but it is very helpful. Before you choose your journal prompts for stress and start writing, try taking a few deep breaths before you begin.

Clothes your eyes, slowly breathe in through your nose, hold for 3 seconds, and slowly let the air out through your mouth (don’t push the air out just let it come out), and repeat 3 times.

It will help calm your mind.

5. Make A List

On really stressful days I like to just spitfire every single thing that is bothering me into one list.

Once I’ve got everything written down and off my chest, I make a T-chart and title the left side “What is in my control” and the right side “What is out of my control”.

Then I organize the list of my stressors into that T-chart. And if I’m feeling extra spazzy that day I’ll even write small steps I can take to change what is in my control.

I can’t tell you how much this has tremendously helped me and how much I know it can tremendously help you too.

Sometimes it’s simple things like this that make all the difference.

Speaking of simple things, did you know that massaging your foot with a golf ball has amazing benefits? I just recently found this out! If you massage your foot with a golf ball, it can:

Relieve stress by promoting the release of endorphins
Reduce your cortisol levels which encourages healing
Stimulates blood flow

It’s recommended to be slow and steady with your rolls and to do your whole foot from your toes to your heel, sides, and center (not just your arch).

You can also freeze the golf ball and have a bit of coldness with your massage.

If you don’t have any golf balls at home you can get some here!

Benefits Of Journaling

1. Reduces Stress

Journaling has many wonderful benefits but I think the one that takes the cake is that it helps reduce stress.

Because you’re physically writing what’s on your mind it’s causing you to slow down and really think about what you want to say.

You’re also redirecting your focus a bit because you’re formulating what you want to say in a grammatical sense and you’re organizing your thoughts/feelings.

So when you combine these things you get this wonderful effect of being able to relieve some stress.

I can’t tell you how many times I wind up feeling like a weight has been lifted off my chest after I’ve journaled and used some of these journal prompts for stress.

2. Decreases Depression

Journaling can also decrease depression and anxiety.

This happens because physically writing your thoughts helps you regulate and control your emotions.

Research has shown that people who wrote consistently for about 12 weeks showed improvement in mental distress, an increase in their mental well-being, and a decrease in depressive episodes.

3. Physical Benefits

Another great reason to incorporate journaling into your life is that studies have found there are physical benefits to journaling such as:

Strengthening your immune cells
Improving liver function
Helping heal wounds faster

Writing has also been shown to decrease your risk of becoming ill and increase your probability of fighting off some diseases such as asthma.

4. Improves Memory

When you physically write things down your mind is more likely to commit it to memory and process it better.

Writing causes you to focus on something specific, and your mind has a higher chance of committing something to memory if you focus on it.

This can be a great stress reliever because you’re better able to keep the important things at the front of your mind and remember things such as:

Deadlines
Events
Goals

5. Organizes Thoughts

Journaling can also help you organize your thoughts.

As you let your thoughts flow out of your mind and onto something physical (the piece of paper) you get to actually see your thoughts.

And since you get the opportunity to literally see what’s going on in your mind you get the chance to organize your thoughts and feelings, specifically the ones that are stressing you out the most.

It can be easy to get stuck in a negative feedback loop of stressful thoughts because as soon as one stressful thought pops up, two more come with it, and then four more, and so on and so on.

But, when you get it out of your head you are stopping that loop right in its tracks, and sorting out what’s really going on.

6. Increases Mindfulness

Journaling also increases your mindfulness of what you’re thinking, feeling, and doing.

It’s a lot easier to see what’s really going on when it’s right in front of your face instead of when it’s trapped behind your eyes.

After you’ve been journaling for a minute (I’d say about 2-3 weeks) you get to see things like:

How you respond to things
What you actually do in comparison to what you say you do
Repetitive thoughts and behaviors
Your patterns

This can be helpful when you’re trying to distress your life because sometimes the root of your stress is more internal than it is external, like for example how you respond to things.

Sidenote: If you wind up finding out that the root of your stress is more internal than external, that’s a good thing because that means you have more power to change it.

How Journal Prompts For Stress Can Help

Now that we’ve gone over how journaling in general can be beneficial, I want to talk about how beneficial journal prompts for stress can be specifically.

All of the same benefits from above still apply, but this is where journaling for stress relief can really help you out.

1. Provides Space To Release What’s Stressing You Out

Using journal prompts for stress can give you the space that you need to let go of what’s stressing you out.

When you make time to write about your concerns or stressors you are releasing them from your mind and letting them go.

This gives you more room to find a solution or develop a fresh perspective.

Learn More: 47 Grounding Journal Prompts For Inner Peace & Tranquility

2. Prioritizes Stressors

Another way that journal prompts for stress can benefit you is because it helps you organize your thoughts and prioritize what’s stressing you out.

When you use journal prompts you don’t have to think as much about what you want to write as you would when you’re free-writing because the prompts give you questions to go off of.

This can really help you hone in on what’s really stressing you out and what’s not stressing you out as much as you thought it was.

3. Reminds You Of What You Can Control

Journal prompts for stress can also be used as a reminder of what you can control and what you can’t control.

This can be really helpful when you’re stuck in that negative feedback loop and feel like you’re spinning out by the second.

By stopping, asking yourself productive questions, and writing about them you’re slowing yourself down and reminding yourself of what is in your control to change and what isn’t.

4. Encourages An Action Plan

The last but not least way that journal prompts for stress can benefit you is because it can promote you to take action.

Once you get everything on paper and determine what the root issue is, it’s almost impossible for you to not be motivated to come up with your solution.

It doesn’t have to be any crazy either, just figuring out what your next steps are is enough to get the ball rolling.

Other Stress-Relieving Activities

1. Drinking Warm Tea

Making a nice cup of tea, especially green or lavender tea, can really be a stress reliever.

Drinking really warm and refreshing tea feels like a nice warm hug, and the beautiful part about all of this is that it’s inexpensive.

Most of the time you can get a box of tea for under $15 and you can get about 30 cups of tea out of that box.

2. Getting Some Sun

There is absolutely nothing like getting some sun when you’re overwhelmed and frazzled.

One because the warmth on your skin is so refreshing and two because there is scientific evidence that the sun can make you feel better.

3. Running/Walking

On the subject of going outside, another awesome way to relieve some stress is by running or walking.

Not only do running and walking release endorphins (one of your brain’s feel-good hormones), but they also pull your focus away from your stressors and more on moving your body and being outside.

I have found that running helps me more than walking sometimes, though, because I feel like I’m shedding that energy since running takes a lot more out of me than walking does.

4. Taking A Hot Shower

Sometimes all you need is a nice warm shower to wash away the day and start over fresh again.

5. Doing Yoga

Doing yoga is another great stress reliever and a great way to get a good stretch.

It’s free, easy to do (for the most part), and is another way to hit the reset button on your body.

If you’re looking for an awesome yoga instructor I strongly recommend Yoga With Bird. I’ve been watching her videos for years and they always work wonders.

6. Laughing

They do say laughter is the best medicine, and I have to agree with this. Whether it’s laughing with friends and family or laughing at a funny movie, it’s good to laugh.

It helps you focus on something else, stimulates circulation, soothes tension, and makes you feel better.

Takeaway On Journal Prompts For Stress

Journal prompts for stress can be an amazing way to let go of some of the things that are causing you stress and frustration.

It has a low barrier to entry yet it has so many amazing benefits that come with it.

I recommend starting light at first and only doing 2 or 3 writing prompts a day otherwise you may become overwhelmed, which is the exact opposite of what we’re going for here.

I hope these journal prompts for stress bring you a lot of peace of mind and stress relief.

Comment down below which journal prompt was your favorite, and I will catch you in the next article!

Peace

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