ChatGPT Prompts for Mental Health: 12 for Stress and Support

If you are in crisis: call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. Outside the US, call your local emergency number or find a helpline at findahelpline.com.

ChatGPT prompts for mental health work best as self-care tools: they help you put your week into words, sort what is weighing on you, and plan small steps and support. They are for reflection and planning, not therapy or diagnosis. The 12 prompts below cover checking in, calming down, asking for support, and preparing for therapy or doctor visits.

Check in with yourself

1. Weekly check-in

Here is how my week went, in my own words [notes]. Reflect it back in three sentences using my words, without labels or diagnoses, and ask me two questions about what stood out.

2. Stress sort

Here is everything weighing on me right now [list]. Sort each item into what I can act on this week, what I can influence later, and what is outside my control, with one sentence on why.

3. Worry to next step

I keep worrying about [worry]. Help me separate what I know from what I am guessing, then name one small step I could take in under 20 minutes, or tell me plainly if there is no step to take right now.

Calm down and wind down

4. Coping menu

These things have helped me before, even a little [list]. Turn them into a coping menu grouped by how long each takes: about 5 minutes, about 20 minutes, and longer. Do not add anything I did not list.

5. Evening wind-down

I want to be asleep by [time], and these things keep me up [list]. Build a 30 minute wind-down routine from things I already do [list], with my phone out of reach for the last part.

6. Hard day reset

Today was hard because [what happened]. Give me three gentle options for the next hour using only what I have around me [place, time, people nearby], and one kind sentence I could say to myself.

Ask for support

7. Reach out to someone

I want to tell [person] that I am having a hard time with [topic] without making it heavy. Draft two short texts in my voice [example of how I text]: one asking to talk and one asking for this specific favor [favor].

8. Workload conversation

My workload is [tasks and deadlines] and I am feeling stretched. Help me write a calm message to my manager that asks which of these to prioritize, with two options they can choose from.

9. Support options to look into

For my situation [situation], list the kinds of support I could look into, such as a doctor, a therapist, an employee assistance program, or a support group, with three questions to ask each one when I call. Do not name specific providers.

Prepare for therapy and doctor visits

10. Appointment notes

My appointment is on [date]. Turn these notes [notes] into a short list: what has changed and since when, two examples in my own words, and the questions I want to ask.

11. After the session

Here are my notes from today's session [notes]. Summarize what I want to try before next time in my own words, without adding any advice that was not discussed.

Notice patterns over time

12. Monthly pattern check

Here are my weekly check-ins from the past month [paste]. Point out patterns in sleep, energy, and what helped, using only what I wrote, and suggest one thing to keep and one thing to try next month.

Run a full weekly check-in in one prompt

The flagship Mental Health Check-In Prompt: Stress Map and Support Plan takes how your week felt, what is weighing on you, what has helped before, your support people, and your next 7 days. It returns a short reflection, a stress map, small steps on real days, a coping menu, a support plan with a text you can send, and notes for your next therapy or doctor visit. Its example sorts four stressors and plans four steps of 20 minutes or less around a Thursday appointment.

Use these prompts safely

These prompts are for reflection and planning only, not therapy, diagnosis, or medical advice, and ChatGPT can get things wrong. Bring what you learn to a therapist or doctor rather than replacing them. ChatGPT is an AI, not a therapist. Chats may be stored by the provider, so leave out full names, health records, and other identifying details. If you are thinking about hurting yourself or are in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US, call 911 if you are in immediate danger, or outside the US use your local emergency number or findahelpline.com.

Related prompts

For daily writing, see ChatGPT prompts for journaling and the guided journaling entry prompt. To turn coping steps into routines, try the habit system with if-then plans or the weekly reset prompt.

For gentle structure, see ChatGPT prompts for goal setting, ChatGPT prompts for organizing life, and, for parents, ChatGPT prompts for moms.

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