With so much going on in our day-to-day lives, finding time to journal can be extra challenging, especially when you are constantly judging your own writing! In today’s episode, we unpack several helpful prompts to help you overcome writer's block and the feelings of overwhelm that can accompany an empty page. We delve into the benefits of journaling to ease anxiety and form positive new habits, and how having a prompt can make the writing process that much easier. Tuning in, you’ll hear our thoughts on some of our favorite prompts, how to use them, and why they are so useful; from reflecting on the people who make you feel the most like yourself and the power of gratitude to the benefits of asking yourself ‘how best can I love myself today?’ and how it can help you manifest positive habits that benefit your mental health. We also share our advice for anyone struggling with these exercises and provide some insight into how they’ve impacted our own lives. Journaling is a wonderful practice with many benefits and, while it may seem intimidating, these prompts can be extremely helpful in overcoming feelings of fear and anxiety. If you’re interested in starting a journaling practice, but you are unsure where to begin, then this episode is for you!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s topic: writing prompts to start your journaling journey!
• Megan and Kelly’s biggest challenges in forming a journaling practice.
• The benefits of having prompts for journaling.
• How prompts resemble some of the questions you might encounter in therapy.
• Examples of how journaling can ease anxiety.
• The type of journaling that we’ll be talking about today: traditional journaling.
• How a prompt to write about everything that is wrong with the world can ease anxiety.
• How to curb anxious thoughts and avoid ‘catastrophizing’.
• How to use the ‘I am’ prompt as a manifestation tool.
• The benefits of a prompt to reflect on the people who make you feel the most like yourself.
• How to find your ‘why’ through writing about your reasons for waking up in the morning.
• Why we find the mornings to be the best time to journal.
• The prompt ‘how best can I love myself today’ and how it can benefit your mental health.
• Why no one’s job should require them to be available 24/7.
• How the prompt ‘what feeds my soul and why?’ can facilitate positive mental health habits.
• How journaling can help you take action and form positive habits.
• Some of our advice for anyone who might be struggling with these prompts and exercises.
• Why it’s okay to try lots of different things on your journey!
• How to use meditation and journaling to release tension in your body.

Tweetables:

“When I'm working throughout the day, I always have a legal pad, and a pen next to me. I make notes and I doodle. I do little things that I find helpful to my mental clarity as I'm working through my day, but somehow it hasn't extended to actual journaling.” — Kelly Castillo [0:03:41]

“Sometimes, in the course of mentally working through [something], I realize that the worst-case scenario is actually a better outcome for me than the stress that the situation is causing.” — Kelly Castillo [0:13:10]

“It makes you think. If you have to do it every day, it almost makes you think about ‘what else did I not think of that I can be thankful for?’ I love any time where you can list out things that make you realize how lucky we are.” — Megan Block [0:23:06]

“Your perspective is really what determines how comfortable or happy you are in the moment because it's all about how you look at things.” — Kelly Castillo [0:25:04]

“There's something about writing it down and journaling that makes it manifest into action. [Thinking it] is one thing, but putting it out there for you to read out lou