09.26.24
25 Writing Prompts to Help You Sort Through Your Feelings
Let’s get to the bottom of this, shall we?
Journaling. You’ve heard of her. Everyone and their mom sings its praises for navigating anxiety, feeling stuck, and yes, even reflecting on a good day. And there’s a reason for that: Using writing prompts to journal can help you process your emotions, recognize negative thought patterns, and ultimately reduce the intensity of uncomfy feelings, says therapist Noah Clyman, LCSW.
That’s pretty magical. But how do you journal when you’re sort of at a loss? When you don’t know what emotion you’re experiencing or why it’s happening, you might just shove those unidentifiable vibes down till further notice. Turns out, journaling can be helpful in those instances too. By using some introspective writing prompts or questions, you can figure out what you’re feeling and what’s triggered it, says therapist Julianne Furniss-Green, LCSW.
And getting to the bottom of those “what is this feel?” type of feelings can provide lots of useful intel, Furniss-Green adds. “Figuring out your emotions is the first step to creating a more authentic connection with yourself and realizing what makes you feel fulfilled,” she explains.
By working through some writing prompts, you might learn that you have mixed feelings about, say, your friends’ pregnancy news (Yay, babies! Ahh! Change is scary!). That allows you to name the emotions, understand their origin, pinpoint how they physically show up, and start thinking about the best way to respond. All of that can be a relief.
If you keep up the habit, in time you’ll be able to pinpoint what you’re feeling quickly without writing it out. That’s what the pros call self-awareness, and it helps you process the uncomfortable feelings faster, says Clyman. As for the positive vibes? Well, you’ll be able to hang out in those states for longer periods of time, which is also a win.
So, do you want to start figuring out exactly what’s been going on inside that head of yours? We asked the pros to share the writing prompts they give their clients to sort through their feelings and find some calm. “These prompts can be very specific and encourage much more self-discovery,” says Clyman. If you‘re down, check out these writing prompts that can help you answer, “What the hell am I even feeling right now?” Behold!
- What does your ideal situation look like right now?
- Where in your body is there an uneasiness, and what does it mean to you?
- What are the biggest sources of stress in your life, and how can you address them?
- What are you the most grateful for lately and why?
- Is there something or someone you need to let go of in order to feel better? Journal on the first person or thing that comes to mind, examining how they impact you.
- What advice would you give a friend in your current situation?
- What is the story you’re telling yourself right now about your current situation?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, rank how this situation feels in terms of intensity, and try to pinpoint what triggered this intensity in you.
- Is there another time in your life when you felt this exact same way? What happened then, and how does it relate to this time in your life?
- How have you been reacting to this experience? Is this reaction serving you? Why or why not?
- Examine why you reacted the way you did. What did it bring up for you?
- Is there anything you wish you had done differently during this experience? Why or why not?
- Do you feel like this emotion comes up often, or was it a one-off thing? If it’s often, do you see a pattern between this experience and previous experiences that have brought on this emotion?
- What is your worst case scenario and why? What does that bring up in you?
- What is the likelihood of your worst case scenario coming true? Why does your mind automatically jump to that conclusion? Did it happen in the past?
- What is one thing you can do daily to mitigate this emotion before it comes to the surface?
- What is the story you’re telling yourself about your abilities and what this situation means about you? Do you feel not good enough, abandoned, taken for granted, or something else? Why does this feeling come up?
- Write down your situation as if you were telling it to a third party in order to help you examine it from an outside perspective.
- Do you think you’ve been avoiding anything lately, like a task, a person, or an emotion? Why do you think that is?
- What are your strongest and weakest relationships like? What personality traits do you think they bring about in you?
- Examine your self-talk. What are the things you’ve been saying the most to yourself, and how do they make you feel?
- What are the things you’re most looking forward to and why? What emotions do they bring out in you?
- What are some of your goals and are you working toward achieving them? Why or why not? Is there anything you can do right now that’ll get you closer to them?
- Write a goodbye letter to this situation and notice how you feel after. What seems to have been released? How does that make you feel?
- What are the most obvious emotions you’re feeling right now?
Wondermind does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a replacement for medical advice. Always consult a qualified health or mental health professional with any questions or concerns about your mental health.
