Journal Prompts for Worry: How Writing Can Help You Navigate Your Emotions

When something is troubling you, writing about the experience can create distance, and help you work through your thoughts and emotions. It can reveal patterns in thinking and behaviour, and provide an opportunity to challenge unhelpful thoughts.

Research shows that when we put language to how we are feeling it can promote helpful strategies such as processing context, seeing the situation from a different perspective, and problem solving (Vine, Bernstein & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2018). The more aware we are of our thoughts and emotions, the more likely we are to figure out how to best regulate them.

If you are experiencing worry, here are some journal prompts to try:

• How are you feeling right now?
• What is worrying you?
• Why is it worrying you?
• What are more helpful ways to think about the situation?
• What support would you offer a friend going through the same thing?
• What are more helpful or balanced ways to think about the situation?

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