Journaling Prompts to Help You Cope With Overthinking

• 1. Why do I think so much? What does it matter anyway? Write this down when you become aware of yourself thinking too much.
• 2. What makes me feel happy right now? A fun question to reflect upon, but also another good one if you’re feeling sad or lonely.
• 3. What makes me angry today? This is an important exercise to practice anger management because we often take our emotions out on others instead of dealing with them ourselves.
• 4. How would my life be different if…? Again, this is another exercise for getting to know your emotional side. It could make you see how you have issues with intimacy.
• 5. What’s my biggest problem? Writing down your problems helps to work through them. If they seem bigger than usual then take heart because these may need extra attention.
• 6. What am I grateful for today? Gratitude is the best antidote for negative ways of thinking. Try and list up 10 things you are fortunate about and why they are true. You’ll find gratitude gets easier each day.
• 7. What will I change tomorrow? This one might sound weird at first but by changing what you believe, you actually make changes in your life. Changing other people’s mind shapes their behavior.
• 8. Who am I? This question forces you to figure out who you really are. In essence, it asks you to find out who you truly wish to be as you develop more confidence.
• 9. What do I want from life? When you ask yourself what you want, you open your eyes and look around you. The world is full of possibility!
• 10. What should I listen to? This one is very effective during self-reflection. Your music preferences might reveal your personal tastes.
• 11. What should I not watch? This is a great question to remind yourself about the harmful content on TV or movies. Make sure you catch the news occasionally to keep in touch with current events.
• 12. What is my purpose today? Asking questions like this help you to discover the reason behind your actions. Be careful though, this questioning method won’t benefit everyone. Some people just don’t care enough to answer the question.
• 13. Which people are important to me? What did my parents teach me about family? What examples were set to me growing up that shaped my life decisions?
• 14. What makes me love myself? We all seek to learn to love ourselves. But sometimes we fail to realize that we already do. Start loving yourself now:)
• 15. Is my life going somewhere? Writing down your future goals helps to give meaning to your daily routine. If you haven’t written these down before, make a new chart to record your plans.
• 16. Am I doing anything worth while? Ask yourself whether you’re accomplishing something worthwhile. Do you ever doubt whether you’re making a difference?
• 17. What makes a relationship last? Think about your relationships from past experiences. How long did you stay in those relationships? Were the relationships fulfilling or were they draining?
• 18. What am I afraid of right now? Fear holds us back. It keeps us safe from danger. It also stops us from moving forward emotionally. Find out what makes you fear certain situations.
• 19. What gives me joy? This question opens you up to discovering your hidden talents. Explore your hobbies. Write down your favorite activities.
• 20. Where does the time go? Time flies when you’re having fun. So what are you enjoying most? Are there any special moments that stick out?
• 21. What can I do for my friends? Everyone needs support at some point. Friendships come in many different forms.
• 22. Why must I try harder? Sometimes we have to work harder to get our success. To achieve our dreams takes effort. Be willing to put in the extra mile to reach your goals.
• 23. What makes a dream a reality? Every person has a dream. Yet only a small fraction of them succeed. Dream big and write it down; keep working until your goal becomes real.
• 24. What’s my personality like? You may be surprised to know how your personality differs from others. List down your traits and compare them to others. Does anyone see themselves in you?
• 25. What does it mean to be free? Life isn’t always easy, but being free means knowing who you really are. Accept your mistakes and learn from them.
• 26. What am I afraid will become true? When your mind goes into overdrive, it creates its own fears. List down your worries and find ways to resolve them.
• 27. How will things change later in life? The world we live in constantly changes. People grow older & wiser. You’ll meet more people. Things will evolve. Get ready to adapt.
• 28. How could I improve? Most of us wish we had skills or knowledge that would allow us to progress faster than we currently do. Just because you believe you lack something doesn’t necessarily mean you should give up. Try to pinpoint what areas require improvement.
• 29. What’s the best thing about someone else? Our personalities are unique to each other. We tend to appreciate qualities in one another that we don’t possess. Look around you and think about what positive aspects you see in others.
• 30. What can I do today to be happier? The solution lies within us. Don’t wait for others to feel better. Take action towards changing your state of mind.
• 31. What do I want to happen to me? If life was a movie, and you were given an opportunity to play an important role in the story, what part would you choose to act out? What type of character would you like to be?
• 32. What do I wish everyone loved? Think of all the people you admire. Have you noticed anything common between their lives and yours? Are there any elements of their lives or their characters that you’d like to model after?
• 33. Who is my hero? Do you know anyone who inspires you? Their actions can teach us everything we need to know about living a good life.
• 34. Whose advice can help with this situation? No matter where you are in life, you can learn valuable lessons from those who’ve succeeded before you.
• 35. What if I’m not happy anymore? Many times we settle for less than perfection. We stop trying to make ourselves better. But then we wonder why we aren’t as happy as we once were. Stop waiting! Change your mindset today.
• 36. Am I the kind of person who needs to be alone? Being lonely sometimes comes with the territory. This doesn’t mean you’re undeserving of love or companionship. In fact, many people share in your loneliness. Be aware of the people around you.
• 37. What will I do when I start feeling stressed? Whenever we experience stress, our minds begin generating negative thoughts. We often hear voices inside our heads telling us who we are, why we are here, what we are doing wrong, etc. Listen carefully! They might just be helping you through hard times!
• 38. How can I avoid getting stuck? At some point you may come across obstacles in your path towards success. Avoid becoming stuck by thinking ahead. Ask yourself: “What needs to be done next?”
• 39. Can I take control of my life? We have so much power in us that we sometimes forget. Sometimes all it takes is self-control to get back on track.
• 40. Can my future be different? Even though we cannot always control certain circumstances in our lives, we are responsible for how we respond to our situations. Choose to take charge of your destiny. Follow through with your decisions.
• 41. When is enough, enough? For most of us, it seems like never enough time to accomplish all the goals we have set out for ourselves. Be careful of setting too high expectations. Remember to enjoy the small moments while they last!
• 42. What do I really want? You only live once; it would seem foolish to pass up opportunities to obtain things that you truly desire.
• 43. What’s the worst thing I could possibly imagine myself doing? A great way to improve your outlook is to ask yourself, “If I did this, what am I afraid will happen?” Use logic and reason to figure out the truth behind your fears.
• 44. Why do I feel so empty inside? To fill this void, try looking at your relationships with other people. Find someone to confide in. Someone who cares about you. People cheer you up more than you realize!
• 45. Will I ever be satisfied? Most of us will never be completely happy, but that does not imply we should settle for less than we deserve. If you don’t achieve everything you aspire to, it’s okay to move on. Don’t give up on life!
• 46. What makes a dream a reality? Every day we wake up to new possibilities. It’s important to think about how to make these dreams become realities.
• 47. What am I going to do about my problems right now? There are two ways to deal with problems. The first involves reacting emotionally – which leads to negative thoughts. The second involves responding logically. Make sure you choose one approach over the other!
• 48. How would I handle something if I were in real trouble? In a crisis situation, everyone is likely to act differently. Try to understand their point of view. Do whatever feels natural to them.
• 49. What is my purpose? We can spend endless hours analyzing every aspect of our lives – but without purpose, nothing matters. Make sure you’ve got your priorities straight and know where you’re headed.
• 50. Will I have what it takes to succeed? You must believe in yourself and know that you have the potential to achieve anything. Never let anyone discourage you from pursuing greatness!
• 51. Does my job matter? Everyone has a role to play in society. While it’s true that you shouldn’t waste your life away, neither should you seek a career solely based upon monetary gain or status. Look beyond the numbers and focus on your values.
• 52. Does being busy signal productivity? One of the main reasons we lack peace within ourselves is because we continue to keep busy with activities which bring no satisfaction. Only when we free our minds by removing the obstacles in daily living will we find the inner peace we need to face our problems.
• 53. Am I happy with what I have accomplished today? Although you may have achieved many things throughout the course of your lifetime, there is still room for improvement. Take pride in your accomplishments, even if they aren’t as impressive as others’.
• 54. What am I willing to sacrifice to pursue my goal? Sometimes we get caught up in our own little world, thinking we can solve all our problems just by trying harder. However, there comes a moment when we see that we are missing out on what might otherwise be essential for reaching our goals.
• 55. Can I trust myself? Most of us spend hundreds of hours worrying. But there is really no reason to worry. By following your heart, you’ll discover a way to live happily regardless.
• 56. Should I change my lifestyle? Life often brings unexpected challenges along the way. As long as you remain flexible enough to adapt to changes, you’ll always be able to stay ahead of your peers.
• 57. Why am I so afraid of losing control over my emotions? Whenever we feel overwhelmed by fear, we run into a very dangerous trap: we begin believing our fears are actually real.
• 58. Where does self-doubt come from? Self-doubt stems from our unwillingness to accept responsibility for our actions. Our egos make us feel guilty if something goes wrong, and this guilt often leads us to blame ourselves for situations far outside of our control.
• 59. Is there more than one right path? If we fail to consider all possibilities before taking action, we could end up making decisions which lead to regrets down the road. Don’t forget to plan for alternatives.
• 60. Do I deserve positive thoughts? Positive thoughts stem from an accurate understanding of reality. Once we realize how much pain we cause ourselves through negativity, we are left with only two choices: either become miserable or go back to being positive.
• 61. When will I ever be satisfied? Often, we try to find security through possessions or other external sources. This gives us temporary relief, but only temporarily. The truth is that happiness doesn’t lie to us within our own hearts. It lies within our ability to recognize the beauty and value of who we truly are.
• 62. How do I deal with failure? Failure means not achieving success. We never achieve anything without starting out somewhere. So instead of feeling bad about failing, we should feel proud of having tried at all.
• 63. Who do I admire? People who understand their strengths and weaknesses are admired for their strength of character. No matter where they come from, people who follow their dreams have developed valuable skills which help them stand out from the crowd.
• 64. What’s the difference between giving and receiving? Giving means sharing our abilities with another person. Receiving means accepting gifts from those around us. In both cases, it’s important to take care of yourself first in order to ensure that you don’t waste any of your energy on someone else.
• 65. Will life always hurt me? Pain in itself isn’t necessarily evil, but suffering is. Suffering is a result of negative emotion. As soon as we begin living our lives based solely upon positive emotion, we’re freed from our former pains.
• 66. Have I been wasting my time? Many times we look for happiness in places which aren’t likely to yield results. Instead, we should seek fulfillment in the things which truly matter to us: family and friends, work, leisure activities, etc.
• 67. Am I too sensitive? Sensitivity allows us to connect deeply with others. Even though we may sometimes seem like emotional beings, we are still human beings, and humans are meant to love.
• 68. What causes misery? Greed is a root cause of misery; when we want more than what we need, we create misery for ourselves and everyone around us. Happiness comes naturally when we stop coveting. Remember: satisfaction comes from self-sufficiency.
• 69. Can I trust my intuition? Intuition doesn’t mean “instinct” — it’s about understanding what’s best for all involved. To develop confidence in our intuitive voice, we must learn to listen carefully to it.
• 70. Why am I unhappy? Sometimes, unhappiness stems from ignorance. By learning why we dislike certain situations so much, we can often avoid repeating previous mistakes.
• 71. Am I really happy now? No matter how good something seems when we have it, we’ll likely get bored of it sooner rather than later. So instead of focusing on temporary pleasure, we should aim for lasting satisfaction.
• 72. Why do I dream? Life has been proven by science to occur because human consciousness is the result of electrical activity in cells. Dreams are simply the conscious manifestation of these impulses.
• 73. Should I accept everything? There’s no reason to reject every new idea which pops into our heads. Just because an idea is new, however, doesn’t mean it won’t be useful at some point. We should always strive to be open minded; this way, we’ll tend to pick up on ideas that prove themselves over time.
• 74. Do I regret anything? Yes. But regrets also happen when we fail to act because we’re afraid of failure, or we fear rejection if we attempt new things. Regret happens when we miss a great opportunity due to hesitation.
• 75. Is it possible to control everything? While many things happen automatically, whether we like them or not, most things can be influenced through our own actions. By taking responsibility for our behavior, we can make changes before they become habits.

 Conclusion

I hope that these writing prompts have helped you to cope with any difficult situation or overthinking events that you may have in your daily life.

Best of luck!