From Dr. Roberta Ballard:
10. “My ideal outcome in this situation is ____________” and “What if everything goes RIGHT?”
11. If you are journaling when you are feeling particularly keyed up and anxious, it can be calming to write a sentence repeatedly in your journal, such as, “Breathe in. Breathe out.” or “I am safe.”
From Djuan Short, LCSW, Founder of Dahlia Rose Wellness:
12. What would happen if I went forward with _______? List out the pros and cons
13. What am I most fearful of? Why?
14. Where do I feel the anxiety in my body?
15. What do I need in this moment?
16. Is what I need something that I can give myself or do I need support?
From Heidi McBain, LMFT, LPC, PMH-C:
17. What’s something that made me feel scared or anxious today?
18. What are some ways I can help bring my anxiety symptoms down?
19. What would life be like if I had control over my anxiety versus feeling like it often has control over me?
From Melanie Robinson, LCSW:
20. Reflect with curiosity and non-judgment on what has triggered the anxiety.
21. Be curious and generous about how this anxiety might be trying to help you in its own particular way. Ex: Anxiety about messing up a work presentation that comes from a place of fearing failure.
22. Honor the anxiety: see if there is a way to appreciate the positive intention of the anxiety i.e. how is it trying to help you? This is very different from trying to talk ourselves out of anxious thoughts or shove them away. Most often when we resist a feeling we don’t like, it only intensifies that feeling. Honoring the wisdom of our emotions can help them soften and bring relief.
From Stephanie Longtain, LCSW:
23. If you could wave a magic wand and your anxiety was gone…what will you do differently? What will you start doing/stop doing? What will you do more of/less of? How will you treat yourself and others?
24. When and where does anxiety happen? What triggers it? What are the consequences? When, if ever, is it not present? What difference does that make?
25. When you get hooked by your anxious thoughts, what happens next? How does your behavior change?
26. What does anxiety look like? How big is it? What does it sound like? Where is it located in space?
27. If all your anxious thoughts and feelings were put into a book or movie, titled “the something something story”, what would you call it? For example, “the worry spiral story”.
28. Make a list of all your anxious thoughts.
29. Identify a problem that has been causing you anxiety. List all the ways you have tried to solve the problem (distraction, avoidance, worrying, etc). Do these behaviors work in the short-term or long-term?
30. Make a list of all your worries. Are they internal or external? Real or imagined?
31. How has your anxiety helped you in the past? What lessons has anxiety taught you?
32. How can you treat yourself more kindly when you are having an anxious thought?
From Dr. J. Fisher, licensed psychologist & certified hypnotherapist:
33. Where do I find myself most – past, future, or present?
34. If I knew nothing could go wrong, what would I do differently? If I knew I could handle whatever came my way, how would I think differently?
35. What am I missing out on now, because I’m caught up in another time?
36. What am I most afraid of? What evidence do I have to support it? What evidence can I see now, that disproves any validity of this fear?
37. When I feel safe and secure, what emotion do I like to feel most? What brings that emotion out in me?
From Jackie Kamrowski, Registered Psychologist & Founder of Dandelion Psychological Services:
38. A gratitude journal is a great way to manage anxiety. Start by listing 5 things that you are grateful for, if 5 is too much, start with 2 things. You would be amazed at how looking at the positive things in your life decreases anxiety
39. List 5 things you are proud of. What are your accomplishments and strengths? Again, if 5 is too much, then start with 2 things.
40. Make a list of everything that worries you. By writing them down, you get those worries out of your head and free up space for more positive thinking.
41. Think about the people that really support you. Write them each a letter outlining the ways they help you shine. Feel free to keep those letters or give them to the people that matter. And don’t forget to write a letter to your future self.
42. Outline what is making you anxious. Is your anxiety trying to tell you something? Are you hiding something from yourself? Sometimes listening to our anxiety is the key to managing it.
43. Get to know your anxiety. What does it look like? Feel like? Sound like? Understanding our anxiety is often a great way to overcome it. After all, you can’t overcome what you don’t understand.
44. Start your day off with positive affirmations. This will wire your brain to think positively and receive positive messages throughout the day.
From Thomas J. Jameson, C-MHC, Clinical Director of The Ohana Addiction Treatment Center:
45. The last time I felt anxious, this was happening _______________.
46. The last time I felt anxious, I did this___________. Did it help?
47. What are 3 coping strategies that you can use to combat anxiety the next time you experience it?
From Kaley Greear Goncalves, LPC at Your Family Psychiatrist:
48. Speak to your anxiety as if it were a character or a part of yourself. This will help you be more objective, less judgmental, as well as increase insight. Describe Anxiety and what it feels like, looks like, or how it shows itself. Use metaphors, if helpful.
49. How does Anxiety feel in your body? For example Anxiety can result in cold or tingly hands, increased heart rate, and racing thoughts.
50. Racing thoughts can be described as beliefs held by Anxiety, and are not to be trusted. “ My anxiety tells me that I can’t speak in front of others.” or “My anxiety thinks that I will never be ready.” What does Anxiety believe?
51. What is the cost of Anxiety— how do you pay for it? (For example, in reduced energy).
52. What is my anxiety trying to prepare me for?
From Kendall Phillips, LPC:
53. Describe a time when you became overwhelmed with anxiety. What were the outcomes you feared would happen in the situation? Were the fear/beliefs/assumptions helpful, useful, and realistic?
54. List statements you make to yourself on a daily basis that contribute to feelings of anxiety. Examples: “You’re going to fail.” “No one loves you.” Then challenge those statements with things you know are true. Examples: “I have never failed before, and the professor is willing to help.” “I have a family who tell me they love me daily, and friends who do the same.”
55. Write down patterns associated with anxiety/panic attacks, and be as specific as possible. Places, smells, people, times of day, times of the month, certain days of the week, sleep schedules, eating habits, etc. The more you know about the circ*mstances that contribute to your feelings of anxiety the better you will be at reducing/preventing it.
56. When are times you have been successful despite feeling anxious?
57. Name at least 1 strength in your personality daily you believe is true. Choose a new one each day.
From Djuan Short, LCSW, Founder of Dahlia Rose Wellness:
58. What messages, beliefs and stories do I have around the event/situation causing me anxiety?
59. Where/whom did these messages, beliefs and stories originate from?
60. Are these messages, beliefs, and stories ultimately true? *Most of your negative beliefs are NOT true
61. Who do I need to forgive for implanting these messages, beliefs and stories within me? *Write forgiveness notes to each of the people identified
62. What new positive messages, beliefs, and stories do I want to believe about myself?
63. Write an affirming statement that aligns with this new belief? *Post the new belief and affirmation in spaces that are visible
