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When Journaling Backfires: Why Writing Can Reinforce Anxiety

A clear, evidence-aware explanation of how journaling can sometimes worsen anxiety rather than relieve it.

For many people with anxiety — especially those who tend to ruminate — open-ended journaling can strengthen the mind’s habit of returning to anxiety-provoking thoughts. This can make journaling unproductive or even counterproductive when used for managing an anxiety disorder.

Why This Can Happen

• Journaling gives structure to worry. Writing down anxious thoughts may inadvertently make them feel more concrete and significant, encouraging repeated focus on them.
• Rumination loops are self-reinforcing. Research shows that repetitive thinking about distress intensifies anxiety and maintains symptoms.
• Not all writing is the same. Expressive writing, guided prompts, and structured therapeutic writing differ widely from unstructured “worry dumping,” which can easily turn into rumination.
• Individual differences matter. People who overthink or analyze excessively are more likely to get stuck in written worry loops.

What Research Shows

• Expressive writing has shown modest benefits in many studies—but results vary and effects are not always positive.
• Some research indicates that writing focused heavily on negative emotions can increase attention to distress and reinforce rumination.
• Because rumination worsens anxiety, any practice that strengthens repetitive negative thinking may maintain or heighten anxiety symptoms.

How Journaling Can Reinforce Anxious Thinking

1. Rehearsal: Writing rehearses and strengthens fear-based thoughts, making them easier for the brain to access.
2. Verification bias: Focusing closely on worries may lead you to find “evidence” that confirms them, solidifying anxious beliefs.
3. Lack of corrective learning: Without a therapeutic structure (CBT, exposure, etc.), journaling alone rarely challenges or disconfirms the anxious predictions driving fear.

When Journaling Is Most Likely to Be Unhelpful

• Generalized anxiety with chronic, pervasive worry
• Open-ended writing that centers on “what if” thinking
• Situations where writing the same fears repeatedly increases distress
• People with a strong habit of rumination or self-focused over-analysis

Quick Self-Check: Is Journaling Making Your Anxiety Worse?

* Do you feel more anxious after re-reading entries?
* Do you write instead of taking action?
* Do your entries repeat the same worries without resolution?
* Does journaling increase avoidance or distress?

If yes to any of these, it may be time to stop this form of journaling and explore alternatives with a clinician.

Bottom Line

Journaling can keep the mind locked onto what scares it and therefore hinders progress rather than promote healing.