All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Stress is one of those feelings that’s unavoidable and at times it can stir up feelings of anxiety. Before you let anxious energy overrun you, one of the best stress relieving tools you can take advantage of is an anti-anxiety journal — and there’s a ton of medical research to back the benefits of an anti-anxiety journal.
The University of Rochester Medical Center claims that journaling can “help you gain control of your emotions and improve your mental health.” And that includes managing anxiety, reducing stress and coping with depression. Journaling, experts say, helps give you a sense of control in times when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Using an anti-anxiety notebook can allow you to pinpoint stress and anxiety triggers, further allowing you to create a plan to help manage the feelings.
While yoga and meditation are common methods for reducing anxiety, you can’t always breakout the yoga mat — especially if you’re traveling. An anti-anxiety journal is not only compact, but can be used wherever and whenever you’re feeling anxious, making it the ultimate at-home or commuter gadget to have in your arsenal.
To help you on your wellness journey, ShopBillboard put together some of best anti-anxiety journals below you can shop now.
EDITOR’S PICK
The UO Exclusive Anti-Anxiety Notebook
Urban Outfitters’ anti-anxiety notebook brings all the calming energy with its soft blue cover and minimalist design. Inside you’ll discover pages filled with guided prompts and tips from real-life therapists to help you navigate your feelings.
PROMPT PICK
The Anti-Anxiety Journal: Writing Prompts to Keep You Calm and Stress-Free (Volume 33)
Beginners will appreciate this prompt-led anti-anxiety journal, which is currently 31% off. By using the notebook each day, you’ll go from chapter to chapter starting with tracking your mood, energy level and habits. From there, you’ll delve into coping strategies and utilize additional prompts that’ll guide you towards better coping of your anxiety.
DISCREET PICK
“Worry for Nothing: Guided Anxiety Journal”
Go incognito with this plain black guided journal that’ll let your write your thoughts down without anyone knowing the notebook’s true purpose. The style uses repetitive prompts that aim to “enhance your mental resilience against anxious thoughts,” according to the official product description. By turning your journaling into a habit, you’ll be able to pinpoint triggers easier and track your progress.
UNDER $10 PICK
“Anti-Anxiety Notebook: Anti Anxiety Notebook to Calm Anxiety and Build Positive Thinking”
If you’ve never done this before and don’t want to drop more than $10 on a notebook, this Amazon pick is just $7 and comes with weekly and monthly activities to track your mood. Some of the most notable features include a self care calendar, thought tracker, affirmations, a resources page, self care goals section, and sections for “my action plan” and “my triggers”.
How to Use an Anti-Anxiety Notebook
You can use an anti-anxiety notebook daily to track you mood and personal goals or you can use the tool only when you’re feeling anxious. All you have to do is follow the prompts within the book and write down what happened in the moment to cause you stress and anxiety, and why you think you’re feeling that way. It’s common for there to be mood trackers and goal setting sections in prompted notebooks too.
For journals that don’t come with guided prompts, it’s helpful to jot down the situation and your feelings that way you can notice any patterns over time.
For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best planners, scented candles and tarot cards.
