3 Journal Prompts to Untangle Your Overwhelm (That Actually Work)

Feeling overwhelmed?

You’re not alone—and you’re not doing anything wrong.
But let’s be honest: writing “Dear Diary, I’m stressed” doesn’t always help.

Because overwhelm isn’t just about a busy calendar.
It’s about what’s happening underneath:

• The invisible weight you carry for others

• The pressure to keep pushing

• The guilt that creeps in when you finally stop

You don’t need more to-do lists.
You need tools that help you listen inward—and rewrite the deeper beliefs that fuel your overwhelm.

That’s where these prompts come in.

Prompt 1:

What am I carrying that doesn’t belong to me?

Let’s start here.

So often, overwhelm comes not from what we’re doing—but from who we’re doing it for.
You might be absorbing:

• Other people’s emotions

• Family expectations

• Workplace responsibilities that were never yours

• Unspoken pressure to always say yes, keep the peace, or show up perfectly

Take 5 minutes. Write freely.

📝 Who or what am I holding onto that’s quietly draining me?
📝 What would it feel like to set even one piece of that down?

This is not selfish. This is self-return.

Prompt 2:

What’s the story I tell myself when I rest?

This one goes deeper.

When you finally pause—what does the voice in your head say?

“You’re being lazy.”
“You don’t deserve this.”
“You’re falling behind.”
“Everyone else is doing more.”

Sound familiar?

This isn’t just internalized pressure. It’s often the nervous system equating rest with risk.
Somewhere, you learned that resting = danger.

📝 Write down the stories you hear when you try to rest.
📝 Where do they come from? Whose voice is that?

You can’t rewrite what you won’t name. And this prompt? It’s the beginning of taking rest back.

Prompt 3:

If I were being completely honest… what do I need right now?

Not what’s reasonable.
Not what’s expected.
Not what keeps the peace.

What do you really need?

• To cry?

• To say no?

• To scream into a pillow?

• To be touched, or left alone, or told you’re not too much?

Even if the answer feels impractical, irrational, or "too big"—write it.

📝 What am I truly craving—not to fix the stress, but to feel seen inside it?
📝 What part of me needs permission to matter today?

This is where the healing begins.