Ready to Stop Overthinking? 50 Journal Prompts to Improve Your Confidence

Overthinking Prompts: How Journaling Can Help Improve Your Confidence

Are you stuck in rut overthinking every single thing you need to do? Is it causing you to procrastinate and get stuck in analysis paralysis?

Take a look at how journaling can help with this and grab your 50 overthinking prompts to help you move from being stuck, to feeling clear and confident in yourself and your work.

What is Overthinking?

Overthinking is something lots of people deal with every single day. If you live with anxiety, self doubt or low self esteem, overthinking can be one of the main issues you face. It can mean missed opportunities or not taking a chance on things that could work out brilliantly for you.

Understanding what overthinking is, why it’s happening and how you can stop it, is essential if you want to increase your confidence and achieve those goals.

Overthinking can lead to dreams staying as dreams instead of becoming solid goals. It can be the reason why you don’t go for that career change, or not step up to a challenge that could help you grow both personally and professionally.

Overthinking can be different for everyone. It may be ruminating on past mistakes or experiences where you felt like you didn’t do well. It can show up as excessive worry of things in the future, or things that you have no control over. 

Both of these will be very familiar with you if you’ve had experience of anxiety or depression, and can make it difficult to move forward with things – even if you really want them.

Journaling is a fantastic tool if you're stuck in indecision and overthinking. The 50 overthinking prompts included in this can help you move past this block and guide your journaling practice so you don't need to think too much about what you should write about.

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Are you an Overthinker?

Are you someone who struggles to make a decision? Do you find yourself over analysing and spending excess time considering pros and cons of everything and anything, before you can commit to a decision?

This may be in reference to something as straightforward as what you want to order for your meal on a night out. Or, more significant decisions that can bring about change to your life, for example, whether or not you should go for a new opportunity that's just come up.

Caveat – It’s always good to consider things before jumping in, but when it becomes a sticking point for you, it's important to recognise that this is what's happening. If it's something that stops you from taking the leap, or you can't switch your mind off when you want to relax and take a break, it’s time to put some energy towards finding out what’s really going on.

Impact of Overthinking on Productivity

Overthinking everything can have a huge impact on productivity. I've found that when I take too long umming and ahhing about whether this would be a good idea, I’ve talked myself out of it and the moment has passed.

When you spend too long in the planning and prepping stage, things don’t get done. The step from ideas to planning to taking action needs to be relatively swift and unobstructed. I don’t mean you should skip the planning and prep part, but it’s about giving yourself a limit on how much time you will spend on it before you start taking action.

When you first get that idea and you feel excited about it, it’s about getting clarity on what you need to do to get there – the steps you need to take, and then doing the thing.

Of course it's important to check that it’s viable and worth pursuing. Taking the time to figure out whether your idea has potential and is achievable, is essential. But be mindful of not getting stuck in that stage because of overthinking. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, or you don’t believe in yourself and your ability to achieve success, overthinking is probably one of the key things that’s blocking your progress.

Signs of Overthinking

Some of the main signs of overthinking include:

• Getting stuck in analysis paralysis.
• Second guessing every decision – no matter how significant it is.
• Focusing on things that happened previously, especially things you felt you did wrong or weren’t good enough.
• Worrying about what could go wrong if you made the ‘wrong’ choice.
• Worrying whether you really want to do this.
• Waiting to feel ready before taking action.
• Holding yourself back in case you change your mind.
• Imagining all of the things that could go wrong.
• Racing thoughts, especially at night.
• Needing reassurance from others that you’re doing okay.
• Fear of failure.
• Fear of others judgement.

You may be able to relate to some or all of these, and there may be other things you experience that aren’t included. But a common theme with overthinking, is that you feel blocked and unable to take those steps to move forward.

How to Stop Overthinking

In my work as a counsellor, lots of clients have experienced overthinking because of their lack of belief in themselves. They worry or are anxious about doing things wrong or being judged by others if they do choose to do something.

If your overthinking is related to anxiety or worries like those, I hear you! It can be so difficult to find a good balance between being efficient and responsible to knowing when it's time to actually make the decision and go for it.

Learning to trust yourself is what I tend to help my clients with, as this is one thing that can be missing when they're living with anxiety or anxious thoughts.

Low self esteem and a lack of belief in yourself fuels these worries, so it's often about helping others regain that sense of self worth once more.

There are different things you can do to help improve your overthinking and worries, for example:

CBT Tools – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) are brilliant tools that can help you understand the relationship between thoughts, beliefs and action. There are plenty of self-help books and resources available that you can print off and use at home.

Therapy – If you find it difficult to manage these yourself, working with a professional counsellor / therapist is a great idea.

Journaling – Journaling is something I encourage my clients to start doing when we work together. You can choose guided journals, a plain notebook or a journaling app on your phone.

Benefits of Journaling for Overthinkers

Journaling is a brilliant tool for overthinkers because you get to empty your mind of all of those thoughts that are running riot in your mind. It’s a way to brain dump those worries and fears.

The beauty of doing this is that once you have the worries written down you can begin to think a little more clearly. It gives your brain a bit of a rest, and often by looking at the worries, you can quickly see how a lot of the worries you’ve had are illogical or unlikely to happen.

This happens because you give your brain the space it needs, away from the busyness of your mind. This space gives your logical mind the chance to take a breath and take back control.

It’s hard to make decisions when you’re overwhelmed, so journaling is a great tool for moving through these kinds of blocks.

My dissertation was a Heuristic study which meant I needed to journal daily to help me process the data and understand my own processes. At first I didn’t want to do this – extra work never appeals to me… But, once I began I noticed a huge change in my ability to switch off and go to sleep at night.

Up until then my mind was constantly busy – trying to hold all that information, absorb and process my learning as well as everything else my mind was storing away from my studies.

With my insomnia, brain fog and fatigue issues it wasn’t great… But I quickly noticed that by journaling every evening before bed, my mind emptied – it’s why I love it being called brain dumping – because that’s exactly how it feels! 

I may be showing my age off here a bit too much, but it’s like ‘dustbin day' in the UK. This changed from weekly to 3 weekly over recent years, so when it’s actually ‘proper bin day’ it’s a big deal…

The level of satisfaction from knowing that all the crap from the past 3 weeks has gone is always high, and my friends get equally excited… The psychological impact of feeling free from clutter is uplifting!

I only mention this because this is how I felt when I began to journal. It was a nightly declutter of my mind. It changed my sleeping patterns, helped my insomnia, and meant that I felt more focused the following day.

50 Overthinking Prompts:

Here we go! Here are the 50 overthinking journal prompts you can use to help you take back control and feel more productive and confident in your decision making.

There's also a downloadable PDF version – just click the image below!

1. What is one recurring thought that's been bothering you lately?

2. Identify three things you can control in your current situation.

3. Write about a time when overthinking led to a positive outcome.

4. List five things you're grateful for today.

5. Describe a recent situation where you successfully challenged a negative thought.

6. What’s one small step you can take today towards a goal you've been procrastinating on?

7. Reflect on a mistake you made in the past and what you learned from it.

8. Write a letter to yourself showing self-compassion, understanding and acceptance.

9. Describe three things that always bring a smile to your face and why.

10. Describe a past achievement that you're proud of (big or small).

11. What’s one thing you can do to take better care of yourself today?

12. Write about a challenge you've previously overcome and how it has shaped you.

13. Describe a time when you felt truly at peace and content.

14. List three qualities you admire in yourself.

15. Reflect on a fear that's been holding you back and think of ways to overcome it.

16. Write about a person who has had a positive impact on your life, and in what way.

17. How can you show yourself kindness today?

18. Describe a recent moment where you felt confident and capable.

19. List five things you love about your life currently.

20. Reflect on a situation where your perspective changed for the better.

21. Write about a goal you have for the upcoming week and how you’ll achieve it.

22. Describe a place where you feel completely relaxed and at ease.

23. What is one limiting belief you're ready to let go of today?

24. List three things you can do to nurture your mental well-being this week.

25. Reflect on a recent experience that taught you something valuable about yourself.

26. Write a letter to your future self detailing your hopes and aspirations.

27. Describe an activity that brings you joy, and make a plan to do it again soon.

28. List five things that make you feel strong and resilient.

29. Reflect on a moment of unexpected kindness you've received from someone.

30. What is one thing that you are ready to forgive yourself for?

31. Describe a challenge you're currently facing and explore possible solutions.

32. List three affirmations that will boost your confidence and self-belief.

33. Reflect on a time when, even if you were scared, you took a risk and it paid off.

34. Write about a skill or talent you possess and that you're proud of.

35. Describe a moment when you felt completely in tune with yourself.

36. What is one thing you can do to prioritise your mental health this week?

37. List five things that inspire you and give you hope.

38. Reflect on a past failure or mistake and what it taught you about resilience.

39. Write about a dream or aspiration you have for the future.

40. Describe a moment when you felt fully present and engaged in the world around you.

41. What’s one small act of kindness you can perform for someone else today?

42. List three ways you can practise self-care and nurture yourself this week.

43. Reflect on a time when you stood up for what you believed in. How can you embody that again?

44. Write about a value or principle that guides your life.

45. Describe a moment of growth or transformation you've experienced in the past 3 years.

46. What’s one thing you can do to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone?

47. Describe five things you're looking forward to in the near future.

48. Reflect on a time when you felt proud of your resilience and perseverance.

49. Write a gratitude letter to yourself for getting you to where you are today.

50. Describe a vision you have for your ideal future self. Explore what you need to do to get to that point.

Don't forget to download your overthinking prompts

Tools Resources & Support

I hope you love the overthinking prompts, don't forget you can also download the PDF copy as well!

If you're looking for more journaling tools, visit The Quietly Conquer Etsy Store & check out the Portfolio & Journals page, highlighting journals that are currently available from my journal store!

More coming soon…

I'd love to know what your favourite prompt once – please leave your comments below

– Lynsey

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Meet Lynsey

Hey there! I'm Lynsey, a coach, counsellor, and mentor for low energy, introverted or low confident female coaches & small business owners. With over 5 years’ experience of running businesses, and over a decade as a tutor and trainer, I've learned the value of effective time management that energises you through working with your energy.

I've lived with chronic illness – ME/CFS since 2011 and since then I re-trained as a counsellor, and achieved a distinction for my MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice; all while running 4 businesses! I want that for you as well & it is possible with the right support and pathway to success.

Improving your mindset, finding acceptance and developing a solution-focused approach to achieving your goals is my passion. Blending mental health support where needed, as well as a supportive space and methods to manage your work more effectively.

If you'd like to know more about working with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on socials (links in the menu)

Have you seen my online store Shop.QuietlyConquer? Find DFY templates, downloads & more!