Writing things down is an effective way to process emotions and understand where you might be getting stuck. I don’t care if you are a terrible writer, if your handwriting is illegible and your grammar is questionable. If you find yourself writing below your standards, lower your standards. No one else ever needs to read what you write. Set a timer for five, ten, twenty minutes — whatever feels reasonable, and free write with zero judgment.

Writing prompts:

• When you are feeling relatively calm, write down what most helps you when you are feeling anxious. Do you want a hug? Do you want space? Do you want to talk it through, or distract yourself until you’re ready to deal with it? Understanding what we most need when we are having a hard time is the first step in being able to ask for help. 

• Write a letter to your anxiety. Talk to it like you would a small child who is having a temper tantrum. Use compassion, if you can, and and explain that your anxiety doesn’t get to rule your life, just like you wouldn’t let a four year old drive the car, even if she really wanted to. It’s fine that you’re here, anxiety, but you’re not getting behind the wheel.

• Find one thing that you feel grateful for in this moment. Just one. Maybe it’s the fact you are breathing, maybe it’s the way the light is coming in through the window right now. Write a love letter to that thing. Dive into that gratitude and write about how it feels to shift from anxiety to thankfulness.

This writing prompt originally appeared with the article entitled How to Support Someone Who Has Anxiety.

About this Photo
Waves crash into rocks near Kalk Bay, South Africa.