can’t think straight? 7 journal prompts for when you feel unfocused and overwhelmed
When you feel overwhelmed, you know concentration go out the window.
It’s hard to focus on tasks…
It’s hard to have clarity around the right things to focus on…
It’s hard to feel creative and able to solve critical problems in your work and life…
A powerful practice for releasing overwhelming thoughts and ideas from impeding on your work day is journaling.
As a somatic therapy coach, I absolutely consider journaling a somatic therapy!
Why? We are allowing the energy of thoughts to move through the body, out of the hand, and onto the paper to release some pent up tension or stress in the mind.
If you feel pulled in a thousand directions, if you have difficulty concentrating on tasks, if you lack clarity around the right things to work on… then I invite you to try a journaling practice.
Here are some suggestions to get you started.
tips for journaling
Pick a time each day to sit down and journal; consistency of time helps us stay consistent in our desired new habit/practice. I suggest morning to set up your day. Some people like journaling at the end of their work day. You might find journaling too close to bed time is soothing or you might find that it gets you too excited for the next day you don’t want to sleep. Explore different time options until you find what works for you
You can set a timer for 5-10 minutes to inspire you to just start and/or to set a container so you’re not spending too much time on it
You can use pen and paper, but you can also use an electronic journal like google doc or a journaling app like Day One, Penzu or Five Minute Journal
It might feel awkward at first, stay with the practice. Like anything the more you do it, the easier it gets
No judgements here!
7 journal prompts
“Today is/was…” Start where you are at, what’s happening on this day? I often write my to-do list for the day here so I can get that out of my head and focus on more important stuff like deciding what to focus on. Write about what’s happening today, what happened this morning, what you are doing later. You don’t need to overcomplicate, just start to start to connect to what’s here now
“Lately I’ve been thinking…” What thoughts have been taking up valuable real estate in your mind? Just start writing the sentence, when you have the momentum of putting pen to paper you might be surprised what comes out
“Lately I’ve been feeling…” Similar to the above but this is about getting a little more in touch with your emotions, which are very important messengers for where to focus your time and energy
“I’m looking forward to…” Sometimes we get so wrapped in what’s coming up that it makes it really hard to be present for what needs our attention now. So give that thing you’re excited for (a vacation, a project, an event, etc.) space to live then decide to come back to the day’s tasks
"I’d like to work on…” We all have room for improvement; it’s the reason we are here, to grow and evolve as humans. Journaling is a safe space to explore what you’d like to work on so you can find more clarity on how to improve, and the space to do it
“I’m grateful for…” Journaling can be a powerful place for a gratitude practice; it helps us to focus on things that are going well in our lives. This is especially important when we are feeling like nothing is going our way! A gratitude practice isn’t about bypassing the “negative” in our life, it’s about consciously choosing to focus on energy on what we want more of
“I’m calling in…” Writing what your dream is helps you clarify the vision, put it into material form (pen to paper), trust it’s there for you when you need it… so you can focus on the present
Which of these questions will you explore in your journal? Share below!
infinite health & growth,
Stephanie
