50 Journal Prompts For Anxious Attachment

Journaling can be an incredibly effective tool for dealing with anxious attachment. Writing in a journal allows you to process your emotions more objectively and gain clarity on what’s really going on.

It also gives you the opportunity to practice self-expression, something that can become difficult when we’re used to internalizing our emotions. These journal prompts for anxious attachment will help you take a deep dive into exploring your thoughts and feelings.

Oftentimes, all the answers we need are within us. However, it’s difficult to see the answer through all the noise in our minds and the distractions from the outside world.

Sitting down and handwriting out our thoughts and feelings can help us slow down our thoughts, so we can see the answers more clearly. This is why the act of consistent journaling is so effective. 

What does anxious attachment mean?

Anxious attachment is a psychological term that refers to how someone might feel and act in their relationships, romantic or not. People who have anxious attachments often struggle with deep insecurities, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy of love, and so on.

Unfortunately, this often results in the constant need to seek approval from others.

Sometimes, people who struggle with this might not even be aware they have anxious attachment. Having anxious attachment can make relationships more challenging, so it’s important to try and break the cycle.

How do you break the cycle of anxious attachment?

While it may be difficult to come to terms with an anxious attachment, you certainly have the capacity to break out of that cycle. Here are the overarching themes of what you need to do to overcome anxious attachment.

1. Practice Self-Awareness

Even if we have been living with anxious attachment since childhood or grew up in a home where this behavior was normalized, it can be difficult to recognize our own experiences.

Nonetheless, the first step towards conquering anxious attachment is increasing self-awareness and acknowledging your behaviors.

With contemplation and greater insight into yourself, you will illuminate patterns and start making positive strides forward!

2. Do The Inner Work

Most anxious attachment stems from deeper issues. By opening yourself up to do the inner work, you will be able to identify what your anxious attachment stems from, what your triggers are, and how it has been influencing your life and relationships.

Now, this won’t necessarily be a walk in the park. However, journaling provides you with a safe place to do this inner work.

3. Challenge Your Thoughts

It’s important to remember that your thoughts produce your feelings, your feelings trigger your actions or behaviors, and these lead to certain results or outcomes.

Once you understand this principle, you can start to trace your steps from the results back to the initial thought processes that led you there.

Once you better understand what those thoughts are, you can start to challenge them to break the cycle of anxious attachment. Doing this will take some practice, but you will get better and better the more you do this. 

How journaling can help with anxious attachment

Journaling can help you achieve all these outcomes to break the cycle of anxious attachment. 

Use these prompts as often as needed, and remember, it is not necessarily about having the right answers when writing – but rather, the process of writing itself.

Tip: I recommend journaling on pen and paper if you can. Studies have shown that this is more effective than typing as it forces your thoughts to slow down and helps you to remember things. This is important when doing inner work like this. 

50 Journal Prompts to Overcome Anxious Attachment

Use these journal prompts when you want to have a deeper understanding of what your anxious attachment looks like, how often it pops up, and how it is affecting your life.

• How does anxious attachment show up in your life? How often does it occur? How do you feel when it shows up? How do you react to it? 
• When was the first time you noticed anxious attachment in your life? Describe the situation as clearly as you can remember it. How does this make you feel? 
• What do you believe about anxious attachment? Are your beliefs true?
• How do you feel about your anxious attachment? How do your feelings towards anxious attachment line up with your thoughts about anxious attachment? 
• What behaviors do you display when you experience anxious attachment? How have you been coping? 
• Which relationships, if any, do you display anxious attachment behaviors?
• What would it mean for you to let go of anxious attachment?
• What would it mean for your relationships to let go of anxious attachments? 
• What are you most excited about when letting go of your anxious attachments? 
• What are you most nervous or afraid of when letting go of your anxious attachments? 

Journal Prompts for Analyzing Anxious Attachment Relationships

You might find that you experience anxious attachment in certain relationships. These prompts will help you to identify which relationships, why, and what the key differences are between your healthy and unhealthy relationships.

• Do you feel safe in your relationships? Why or why not? If not, what steps can you take to feel safer? (Be specific for each relationship you have.) 
• What relationships do you feel secure in? Which relationships make you feel insecure? What are the key differences between these relationships? 
• What is the healthiest relationship you have in your life right now? Why?
• What is the unhealthiest relationship in your life right now? Why is this relationship so unhealthy? What steps can you take to improve this relationship or eliminate it from your life? 
• What does a healthy relationship mean to you?
• What do you need most right now from your relationships? How can you communicate this effectively? 
• How can you create healthier attachments with people around you? What can you do to make sure you are doing these things? 
• How can you be more mindful and self-aware of anxious attachment in your relationships?
• How can you bring more love and trust into your relationships? 
• What relationship would you like to improve or develop over the next 3 – 6 months? 
• What lies are you telling yourself right now about your relationships? Why are you telling yourself these lies? Is there any aspect of this lie that is true? 
• What are you trying to protect yourself from in your relationships? Why do you feel the need to protect yourself from these things? 

Journal Prompts For Anxious Attachment Inner Work

Oftentimes, anxious attachment is a direct result of something that happened in our childhood or past. By doing the inner work, you can start to see what that was for you which will allow you to start breaking the cycle.

• When you were a child, what is something you were told or made to believe was true? How is this impacting you right now? What steps can you take to release these beliefs? 
• When was a time in your life that you opened up and felt rejected?
• Do you feel unloved or unworthy as an adult? If yes, why do you feel this way? What steps can you take to boost your self-love and feelings of worthiness? 
• What are you most afraid of others finding out about yourself? 
• What are your core values as a human being? What things in life are most important to you? How do your relationships align with these things? 
• Do you generally trust the people that you are close to? Why or why not? 
• What are your greatest fears in life? How might these fears be affecting your anxious attachment? How does this make you feel? 

Journal Prompts for Identifying Your Anxious Attachment Triggers

Sometimes, it will be something specific that triggers your anxious attachment like an environment, an activity, a person, and so on. By understanding what those triggers are, you can start to develop healthy boundaries, eliminate those triggers, or work past them and forgive them.

• If you had to list your anxious attachment triggers right now, what would they be? Why have you chosen these things as your triggers? 
• Thinking back to the last time you displayed anxious attachment, what were you thinking and feeling? Describe this in as much detail as possible. 
• Thinking back to the last time you experienced anxious attachment, what were the circumstances? What were other people doing, saying, etc.? Where were you? 
• What beliefs do you hold about relationships in general? Where do these beliefs stem from? Are they true or based on fears? 
• What fears do you have about your relationships? How might this be triggering your anxious anxiety?
• Do you believe that you are worthy of love, friendship, and good relationships? Why or why not? 
• What are some internal blocks that you hold? (This can be about money, love, health, etc.) Are any of these things triggering your anxious attachment? What blocks do you need to let go of? 
• When have you felt wronged by others in the past? Are you bringing these things into your current relationship? How can you let go of these things? 
• What is triggering your anxious attachment internally? Describe these things in detail. 
• What is triggering your anxious attachment externally? Describe these things in detail.

Journal Prompts for Acceptance and Self-Love

One of the top ways of breaking the cycle of anxious attachment is to practice more self-love and acceptance. These journal prompts will help you understand exactly how you can do this in your life.

• How many times per week are you taking care of your physical health? Are you happy with how often you are doing this? If not, what can you do to take better care of your body? 
• What things are you doing to take care of your mental health and emotional well-being? Is there anything else you would like to start doing? How can you implement these things? 
• What do you enjoy doing when you are completely alone? How can you do these things more often? 
• What brings you joy outside of your relationships, romantic or not? Why do these things bring you joy?
• What are your favorite personality traits about yourself? Why? 
• Do you accept yourself just as you are? Why or why not? What can you do to practice more self-acceptance? 
• How often do you practice self-care, and are you happy with this? What can you do to practice self-care more often?
• In what situations do you shine brightest? How can you find more of those moments in your life? 
• How would it feel if you truly loved, honored, and accepted yourself? 
• How can you find confidence in yourself instead of finding it from others? How can you make sure that you are doing this regularly?

Anxious attachment can be a difficult thing to deal with, but journaling can be an extremely effective way to work through it. I hope that these journal prompts will give you a place to start so that you can start your healing journey.