Journal Prompts: For When You’re Feeling Stuck
I’ve been feeling really really stuck lately. Like, I am being crammed into a tight, stuffy space, hit my ceiling, can’t breathe, can’t get out type of feeling.
Previously, I would give in to this feeling, try to surpass any conflicting or confronting emotion give up and blame everyone and everything else for all my problems. It would read something like this:
“My boss is giving me a hard time at work”
“I am so tired every single day”
“Why do I never seem to have enough?”
“I wish I could just pack up my life and leave and start fresh”
*Cue victim mentality
But now, I am slowly creating the space and time for myself, to lean in, to get curious and to confront these feelings head on.
I tell myself, hang on a minute, why am I feeling this way? What is it really that is causing me to feel this way? What do I need more or less of in my life?
This is called shadow work. By confronting the parts of us that feel sticky, uneasy, complicated… but the trick is to show up, without any type of judgment, with full complete unconditional love and in a safe, calming environment.
I have combined some journal prompts for you that will help you explore deeper and perhaps help you unravel and discover, why do you feel stuck?
Journalling also helps our brains slow down and “get unstuck,” helping us really challenge those sticky thought spirals (my favourite is “nobody actually loves me). Our brains move very quickly and it is so easy to become stuck in certain patterns. And with our current day to day, it can be hard to see these patterns as we are just in auto pilot mode, getting on with our day.
Journalling to me, is like problem solving. Sometimes the simple act of slowing down, and putting pen to paper, can allow us to see the solutions or strategies that we might have otherwise missed.
I hope these help!
Think about feeling stuck… where do you feel it in your body? How can you describe the emotion?
What has been bothering you lately? What are some things within your control that you can act on straight away?
How do you want your life to look like? Describe your dream life.
How is your dream life different to what your life currently looks like now?
Describe your dream job. How is that different to what you are currently doing now?
When do you feel most free? What are you doing? Describe certain hobbies, places, people or things that invite in this feeling.
Take a moment to reflect on your friends and relationships. Are they uplifting? Or are they draining? How are they making you feel?
How do you talk to yourself regularly? Are you saying kind things to yourself or are you constantly chastising yourself for the smallest actions? Write out what your inner dialogue currently sounds like.
If a stranger saw you on the street, what do you think they might assume about you? What might they think you were feeling? Does this match up to what you are currently feeling?
What is one good thing you can add to your daily routine that will help you uplift your mood? One thing that will help create novelty.
What is one thing you can remove from your daily routine that is draining you or taking away your energy?
What has been making you feel calm or happy lately? How can you add more of that into your day to day?
What are you currently fearful of? Is it something unknown? Is it something you can learn about? Is it something you can let go of?
How do you really feel right now? Be as honest and upfront.
What are you currently grateful for in your life? List as many things as possible.
Take your time writing these answers. Maybe take a few days to write them out. And allow space to integrate. When we create moments of stillness and silence and get curious with ourselves, more often than not, we are creating space for the answers to come from within.
I hope these help.
With love,
Wendy