20 Powerful Journal Prompts for Stress Relief

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In times of high stress, your journal can be a helpful tool to help you work through uncomfortable thoughts and feelings and find inner peace.

Sometimes writing in your journal can act as your own little therapy session, building clarity about a situation, helping you to shift to a more positive outlook and allowing you to release any negative baggage that’s holding you back.

During a stressful or overwhelming period of your life, journal prompts for stress relief can help point you into the right direction for how you can journal your way through it.

You’d honestly be surprised by what writing your inner workings out can do to help you get through uncertain times.

But in those stressful times it can be hard to know how exactly to journal through it, which is where journal prompts for stress and anxiety come in.

Stress journal prompts can give your brain a gentle nudge to know how to begin working through a tough time on paper. So it’s worth giving them a try if you think journaling could help your situation.

Here are some of my favourite journal prompts for stress relief that I think you’ll love!

journal prompts for stress relief

20 journal prompts for stress relief

  1. Write everything that is worrying you right now and then tear up the page
  2. Right now, I feel challenged by ______. However, I feel supported by ______.
  3. The things that help me the most right now are…
  4. What can I do in this moment to bring more peace into my being?
  5. What past challenge has turned out to serve me? What was the silver lining? How might my current situation serve me?
  6. What are some accomplishments and victories of today?
  7. Write to your inner critic and tell them all the things you’d like them to know
  8. Ask yourself questions about your worries, as if you are talking to a friend
  9. If you could choose any place or scenario (real or imaginary) to place yourself in right now for your comfort and relaxation, where would it be? Describe it in as much detail as possible
  10. Write about all the places that you can currently feel tension in your body. Write about all the areas that feel relaxed.
  11. How do I usually handle stress? Are these methods working? What could I do instead to better manage this situation?
  12. What do I need to feel safe, held and supportive during this challenging time?
  13. How would I feel if I believed I was capable of getting through this time? In what way would that change my course of action?
  14. What fears am I holding onto that are no longer serving me? How can I release these?
  15. What is working perfectly in my life right now, despite any adversities I’m going through?
  16. What are some things I can look forward to once this stressful period passes?
  17. The best advice I’ve ever received is… I can use this advice now by…
  18. Even if I can’t change my situation today, if I do this one thing it will be a step in the right direction. That thing is…
  19. What do I want my life to feel like? How can I embody those feelings now?
  20. I am grateful for…

And there you have it, those are 20 of my favourite calming journal prompts for stress and anxiety.

Hopefully these journal prompts for stress relief give you a good place to start with processing your emotions and reducing your stress levels.

Which of these prompts is your favourite? Will you be giving some a go?

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journal prompts for stress relief

Esther is the founder of Through the Phases. Her mission is to help other women to cultivate self-awareness and find what lights them up, so that they can more easily navigate the stressors of life! She does this through sharing healthy mind/body/soul practices and habits. Read more about her story here.


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