Exploring Your Anxiety

3 Question Journaling Exercise: Session written and explained by your coach Claire Anstey

Reflections on Your Worries, Physical Sensations, and Coping Strategies

Part One: Introduction

Anxiety can be a challenging and overwhelming emotion to navigate. It can be difficult to understand why we feel anxious or how to cope with our anxious thoughts and feelings. This journaling exercise is designed to help you explore your anxiety in a deeper way, by reflecting on your worries, physical sensations, and coping strategies. By taking the time to write about your anxiety, you can gain a greater sense of self-awareness and develop strategies for managing your anxiety in a healthy and effective way.

Part Two: Journaling Exercise

Please complete the following three journaling prompts:

1: Write about your worries: Take a few minutes to write down all of the things that are causing you to feel anxious. Don't worry about organizing your thoughts or making them sound coherent - just write down whatever comes to mind. Once you've finished, read over your list and see if there are any common themes or patterns.

2: Reflect on your physical sensations: Anxiety can often manifest as physical sensations like tightness in the chest, rapid heartbeat, or shallow breathing. Take a few minutes to close your eyes and focus on your breath. Notice any physical sensations that arise, and write down what you're feeling in your body. You might also want to reflect on how these physical sensations are connected to your emotional state.

3: Write about your coping strategies: What do you do when you're feeling anxious? Think about the coping strategies that you've used in the past, and write them down. Reflect on which strategies were most helpful, and which ones didn't work as well. Then, think about new coping strategies that you might want to try in the future.

Once you have completed answering all four journaling prompts please move on to part three.

Part Three: Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this guided journaling exercise on exploring your anxiety. By reflecting on your worries, physical sensations, and coping strategies, you've taken an important step towards understanding your anxiety and developing strategies for managing it in a healthy and effective way. Remember that journaling is a tool for self-exploration and reflection, and that there is no right or wrong way to approach these prompts. Allow yourself to be honest and vulnerable in your writing, and trust that your insights and reflections are valuable.

By completing this journaling exercise, you may have gained a greater sense of self-awareness and insight into your anxiety. You may have identified specific triggers or patterns in your anxious thoughts and feelings, and discovered new coping strategies that work for you. By continuing to reflect on your anxiety through journaling, you can deepen your understanding of yourself and continue to develop strategies for managing your anxiety. Remember that managing anxiety is an ongoing process, and that self-compassion and self-care are essential components of that process. Keep up the good work, and don't hesitate to seek out additional support if you need it.