If you’re feeling paralyzed with anxiety or depression, and find comfort in journaling, here are some journaling prompts to help you get unstuck by recognizing and celebrating your wins. There is no good without the bad. This can be helpful to bring back a broader perspective when you’re feeling crushed by the weight of negativity…
Try journaling using these prompts…
1. Today, I choose to let go of the things I can’t control, including…
2. I recognize that I don’t need to have all the answers right now. Today, I give myself permission not to know…
3. Dear inner critic: You always focus on everything I’m doing wrong, but I know I’m doing a lot right, including…
4. I know I’m strong enough to handle whatever comes at me, because I’ve survived a lot, including…
5. Instead of worrying about making the “wrong” choices, I trust that no matter what I choose…
These are some of the things that often come up for me, taken from old journal entries…
1. Today, I choose to let go of the things I can’t control, including…
- the state of the world
- what anyone thinks of me
- how my body reacts
- the gloomy weather
2. I recognize that I don’t need to have all the answers right now. Today, I give myself permission not to know…
- what people think of me
- what the future holds
- what could have been
3. Dear inner critic: You always focus on everything I’m doing wrong, but I know I’m doing a lot right, including…
- succeeding at work
- cooking for myself
- being a thoughtful friend
- exercising before work
- making my house a home
4. I know I’m strong enough to handle whatever comes at me, because I’ve survived a lot, including…
- the loss of my mom
- taking on a caretaker role at a young age
- moving to a new, scary, big city by myself
- rejection from so many jobs out of my league
5. Instead of worrying about making the “wrong” choices, I trust that no matter what I choose…
- I will make the most of the situation
- There will be a meaningful lesson out of every choice
Of course, these are oversimplified tidbits from my very lengthy journal entries. You can go deep with it. I don’t want to influence your reflection with my life details. I encourage you to go deep and write down your raw responses in detail, at length. Your future self will look back one day and feel gratitude for how much you’ve grown.
