Last updated: October 2026
Journaling can help with anxiety by getting worries out of your head and onto paper, where they feel smaller and easier to sort. Good journal prompts for anxiety include “What exactly am I worried about?”, “What can I control here?” and “What would I tell a friend?”. Spend 5 to 15 minutes a few times a week.
Below: how journaling helps anxiety, 40 prompts sorted by situation, how to start, a bedtime journaling routine, and when to get more help.
Does journaling help anxiety?
Writing gives your worries a place to go. In a 12-week trial of adults with raised anxiety, 15 minutes of positive journaling 3 times a week reduced distress and anxiety compared with usual care. A sleep lab study found that writing a to-do list before bed helped people fall asleep faster. The NHS also suggests keeping a diary to spot patterns in what triggers your anxiety.
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View productHow to start journaling
- Keep it simple: a notebook and pen, or notes on your phone.
- Start small: 5 minutes, 3 times a week.
- Pick one prompt and write whatever comes. Spelling doesn’t matter.
- Be honest. No one else will read it.
- End on something kind or a small next step.
Prompts for when you’re worrying
- What exactly am I worried about right now?
- What’s the worst that could happen? What’s most likely to happen?
- What evidence do I have that this worry is true? What evidence goes against it?
- Which parts of this can I control, and which can’t I?
- What’s one small step I could take today?
- What would I tell a friend who felt like this?
- Have I handled something like this before? How?
- Will this matter in a year?
Prompts for overthinking
- What thought keeps going round in my head?
- Am I trying to solve a problem, or just going over it?
- If I had to decide in 5 minutes, what would I choose?
- What am I assuming that might not be true?
- What would “good enough” look like?
- What can I let go of today?
- What’s within my control in the next hour?
- What do I need right now: rest, food, a walk, a chat?
Prompts for calm and gratitude
- Three things that went well today, however small.
- Someone I’m grateful for, and why.
- A place where I feel calm. Describe it in detail.
- Something I’m looking forward to.
- A time I felt proud of myself.
- What helped me feel better last time I was anxious?
- What does my body feel like right now?
- What’s one kind thing I can do for myself today?
See self-care ideas.
Prompts for bedtime
- Tomorrow’s to-do list, so my mind can let go.
- What’s on my mind as I go to bed?
- What can wait until tomorrow?
- One good thing from today.
- What would help me feel calmer tonight?
- Any worry I want to “park” until the morning.
- What I’m letting go of from today.
- How I’d like to feel when I wake up.
Make journaling part of a wind-down: dim the lights, a warm drink, a few minutes of writing, then a book. Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function. Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is a bedtime drink, and our Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex is a cosy hot chocolate. See anxiety at night.
The FSA’s 10mg a day figure for CBD is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.
Prompts for the morning
- How am I feeling right now, in one word?
- What’s the one thing that matters most today?
- What might make me anxious today, and how will I handle it?
- What will I do to look after myself today?
- Who could I reach out to today?
- What am I grateful for this morning?
- What would make today a good day?
- One kind thing I’ll say to myself today.
See morning anxiety.
When to get help
Journaling is a helpful habit, not a treatment. If anxiety is affecting your daily life, sleep or relationships, see your GP. Adults in England can refer themselves to NHS Talking Therapies. If writing brings up very painful feelings, stop and talk to someone you trust, or call Samaritans on 116 123.
Related guides
- Imposter syndrome.
- For more on quietening your inner critic, see low self-esteem.
- How to start a gratitude journal, with 30 prompts.
- Writing down what you feared before an event and what actually happened is a key step in overcoming social anxiety.
- Writing can help with recurring bad dreams too: see how to rewrite one in our guide to nightmares.
- A guided journal with a few of these prompts written inside makes a thoughtful present; see our self-care gift box ideas for more.
- A guided journal makes a thoughtful present: see more anxiety gifts for her and him.
Sources 3
- Smyth JM et al (2018). Online positive affect journaling in the improvement of mental distress and well-being in general medical patients with elevated anxiety symptoms: a preliminary randomized controlled trial. JMIR Mental Health.
- Scullin MK et al (2018). The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
- NHS Every Mind Matters. Anxiety.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Evopure makes the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex and Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex.
