Journaling Prompts for Decision Making and Anxiety | Seattle Nutritionist Hilary Beckwith
Hate Being Ghosted?
Me, too!
As someone who’s been on both sides of this fence, I’ve done a lot of work on my self and my mental wellness over the past few years, and what I’ve learned about ghosting is this…
Ghosting is cowardly.
Ghosting prevents you from learning or growing.
Ghosting causes you to miss out on opportunities to strengthen yourself and your relationships.
Ghosting perpetuates harmful cycles of conflict avoidance.
(stay with me)
But I’ve been the ghost-er, too.
And I can recognize that the reason people ghost is because they are paralyzed by fear and anxiety about facing something really scary.
Whether it seems rational to the outside world or not, people ghost because their brains sense danger, even if there is none. Ghosting is easier than facing the fear.
Fear and anxiety symptoms can make the simplest decision feel like the entire world will end (and everyone will hate you for it) if you choose wrong.
What does ghosting have to do with nutrition?
I commonly encounter individuals who frantically grasp at outward solutions, trying to find relief. They try restricting the “bad” foods, they try the calorie tracking apps, the sleep apps, the fitness apps. They try all the supplements, or eating specific foods that claim to help with [sleep, weight loss, diet, PCOS symptoms, anxiety, energy, acne, heartburn, cholesterol, etc.].
They never get the results they want, because what they really need is to look inward at why they have symptoms in the first place.
And looking inward is one of the scariest things a person can do.
But that is holistic health. Looking inward is the thing that’s going to get you to the finish line.
So I’m here to provide some tools that help you navigate that paralyzing fear and anxiety when faced with any decision - whether it’s about your health, or what’s for dinner tonight.
I’m going to help you to stop ghosting others (and yourself).
Be honest with yourself
Looking inward is only effective if you prioritize honesty with yourself.
No one but you will see your responses to these journal prompts (unless you decide to share).
During this process, I encourage you to be completely honest, even if it feels messy or scary. If you have people-pleasing tendencies, this might be more difficult for you.
But it will become a habit that helps you navigate your anxiety and fears for many years to come.
And if a thought comes up that doesn’t quite feel right? Ask yourself, “How do I know that’s true?” or “What evidence do I have to support this?”.
ONE LAST THING TO REMEMBER:
There are no rules to journaling.
What I’m about to share is what feels good to me.
Play around with it. Find what feels good to you.
Journal Prompts for Clarity and Empowerment
“I AM” STATEMENTS
Personally, I like to do this one multiple times. I also like to elaborate on each one by adding examples or evidence of the “I am” statement.
TODAY I CHOOSE…
TODAY I AM GRATEFUL FOR…
WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT TO ME RIGHT NOW, IS…
ONE THING I WANT TO BE DIFFERENT IN ONE WEEK…
ONE THING I WANT TO BE DIFFERENT IN ONE YEAR…
WHAT STRENGTHS DO I CURRENTLY POSSESS THAT WILL ENABLE ME TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE THINGS?
Journal Prompts for LETTING GO OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
This one requires a blank sheet of paper.
Draw a circle that takes up about two-thirds of the page.
INSIDE THE CIRCLE
Write all the things you want for yourself right now.
It could relate to meeting immediate needs, like “I want to take a nap,” or “I want some time to myself”. Or it could relate more to abstract ideas or goals, like “I want to be better at time management,” or “I want healthy to be easier for me”.
Remember, this is about what you want, not what you need. Though sometimes these can cross over, consider the difference when doing this exercise.
OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE
Write all the things you don’t want right now.
Again, could relate more to immediate circumstances, like “I don’t want to do the dishes”. Or more abstract/long-term: “I don’t want to be relying on pain medications”.
When you think you’re out of ideas, ask yourself, “what else?”.
Journal Prompts for Recognizing Self-Lies
I call this a Thought Download, and it’s pretty simple.
Step 1: Set a timer for 5 minutes and write everything that comes into your brain. Everything. STOP when the timer stops. Let that be good enough.
Step 2: Cross out the lies. Anything that you do not have substantial evidence for, cross it out. It is not true, and does not belong in your head.
Step 3: Re-read the things that are not crossed out. Circle the thing(s) that you want to focus on today. Write what actions are needed to do that. Which of your strengths can you draw from?
Journal Prompts for Decision-Making and Taking Action
WHAT IS THE DECISION I AM CONTEMPLATING?
IN WHAT WAYS WILL DOING _____ BENEFIT ME?
WHAT STRENGTHS DO I ALREADY POSSESS THAT WOULD HELP ACCOMPLISH THIS?
WHAT ARE SOME POTENTIAL ROADBLOCKS I MIGHT ENCOUNTER?
WHAT STEPS WOULD I TAKE IF I DO ENCOUNTER THOSE ROADBLOCKS?
WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT TO ME IN THIS MOMENT?
IN WHAT WAYS (IF ANY) DOES THAT ALIGN WITH DOING _____?
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO NEXT?
WAS THIS HELPFUL?
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