10 self empowering Journal Prompts
We all have our days, right? Uncomfortable feelings and thoughts find themselves a cozy place in our mind that us squirm.
Sadness, that unsettling feeling we get from a painful experience makes it feel like our world is at its tipping point.
For me, it’s hard to be a good little productive worker, making magical commerce happen to feed the capitalist machine when I feel so low.
When these moments happen, I’ve realized the best thing I can do for myself is to go inward.
This isn’t an attempt to “cure” the sadness. We aren’t shoving sadness off the porch and hollering at it with a clenched fist to get off our lawn. We’re welcoming Mr. Melancholy with open arms. Maybe sadness needs a hug and needs to be felt…just like us.
Let’s face it, you aren’t journaling and asking yourself deep, intuitive thoughts when you’re happy and full of joy….are you?
If I were to take a wild guess, you’re probably somewhere dancing to your favorite song, smiling as you work on a project or losing yourself in the eyes of a lover in your most joyful moments. You’re savoring a sweet beignet, playing with baby feet or breathing in ocean air. Life. Is. Fucking. Good. This is pure joy…until….
Sadness comes knocking.
You see, sadness makes you stop and think. There’s a pain going on here - so what is it? Please don’t ignore him. Welcome him.
Ok, got it. When I’m feeling those unsettling feelings, go deeper.
But how? How do I reach this mysterious destination of nowhere?
Well, I brainstormed a few questions that we can ask ourselves.
The first one is one of my personal favorites.
How can I make myself the hero of my story?
I enjoy this question because it helps my mind turn my pain into something beautiful. I’ve learned how to use my story - both the glamorous and ugly parts of it, to empower myself through various forms of art. Personally, I enjoy painting my feelings on a nice sized canvas or drinking coffee and writing a blog post such as this. I am now the hero instead of the sufferer.
When I think of women who made turned their trauma into self-empowering art, I think of women such as Jenette McCurdy. Jenette’s McCurdy’s revolutionary book, “I’m Glad My Mom Died” is an iconic work that touched many hearts. Gen Z grew up watching Jenette star in iCarly.
As we watched episodes eating our after school snack, we didn’t fathom the abuse she suffered from her mother. My heart goes out to Jeanette. What I find so thought provoking is how Jenette used her life story to make herself the heroin, the savior of herself.
I can’t imagine how emotionally hard it must have been to write such a book while re-visiting painful memories. She conquered the mountain and has gotten this “thing” off her chest. Don’t we all have that thing? That painful situation that makes us want to scream if we don’t speak out about it?
Jenette’s story inspires me to tell my story through art, whether that’s visual paintings or my words shared here in this space. What happened, happened (Any LOST fans out there?) There isn’t anything we can do to change the past. But what we can do, is use our gift - our voice to share our experience with one another.
Then maybe we won’t feel so alone.
How can you transform your pain into something beautiful?
How am I similar to the people I look up to?
We spend so much time looking up to complete strangers don’t we? Is it because of their stories, their vulnerability and character their show to the world? The bravery. Bu yet, we have more in common with these people than we think. How are you like those you look up to? You might find yourself surprised. Two woman I enjoy are Jane Goodall and Cardi B. Yes, I know, they are quite different. But they both have qualities I value. Jane Goodall literally lives with chimpanzees. I don’t think much else needs to be said there. Cardi B, while I’m personally not a fan of her music, has an alluring zest for life & bravery authenticity to tell her story without shame. She was a sex worker once upon a time and made things better for herself and her family. She values loyalty, just as I do. I also believe that I am a brave woman. Now it’s your turn.
What are three things you like about yourself that aren’t related to how you look?
Here are some examples for myself - I enjoy being clever and resourceful. In my mind, I believe that with enough thinking any problem can be solved. This must be why I like to do puzzles in my pastime.
Where and when do you feel most empowered?
Where do you feel at your best, like someone who can conquer it all? Are you alone or surrounded by people? Are you on a stage dancing with an audience watching or writing in a secluded space?
What thoughts can I start thinking to create a new identity?
This one is a good one. Some may call these affirmations. Practicing affirmations is a constructive way to override negative thoughts. The human mind brings up thoughts, both wanted and unwanted all the time. There won’t ever be a way to fully “get rid of” obscure, intrusive thoguhts but we can notice them, and creae a new one to help it bypass. This is not the same as shying away from our feelings, such as sadness.
Example:
"Negative Thought": “I can never do anything right. I’m a failure”.
New Thought: Maybe I didn’t succeed at ________, but I gave it my best shot at that’s what matters. I can always try gain next time.
Write down 10 good things that have happened to you recently
Sometimes our minds automatically divert to the bad. Bad things that causes us pain and that’s where our minds decide to stay. But what about the good? Write some occurrences, no matter how big or small, of joy that happened to you recently.
Write a letter to your body
I like to think of this as a gratitude letter. Write a letter thanking your body for all its done for you until this moment in time. Breathe, you are alive.
Write a conversation you’ve been longing to have
Who is that one person whom you wish you could talk to about something so deep and misunderstood? What if they could just grasp a glimpse of yoiur point of view in your eyes? Are some things better left unsaid? Perhaps, but at least you can write it down in this personal letter.
What is something you wish more people knew about you?
This reminds me of question #9. What is something you wish more people understood about you?
What are your natural strengths? How are you sharpening your strengths and using them in your life right now?
I love this question. I feel empowered thinking about my strengths. They’re the little tools I keep in my back-pocket. Using your strengths to your advantage is a super power. What would Super-Man be if he just didn’t use his super strength or decided to just give up on flying?
