Journaling Your Way Out: How to Use Writing to Get Unstuck, Overcome Overwhelm, and Reignite Creativity
Feeling stuck, depressed, or overwhelmed? Journaling can be your lifeline. Discover its benefits, how it helps creativity, and prompts to get unstuck and inspired.
Outline:
Introduction: Why Journaling Matters When You’re Feeling Stuck
How Journaling Pulled Me Out of My Darkest Days
The Mental Health Benefits of Journaling
How Journaling Helps You Get Unstuck
Overcoming Overwhelm Through Journaling
Using Journaling to Break Through Writer’s Block and Boost Creativity
Practical Tips for Making Journaling a Habit
Conclusion: Your Pen is Mightier Than You Think
(8 ish min read)
Introduction: Why Journaling Matters When You’re Feeling Stuck
We’ve all been there: stuck, overwhelmed, or creatively blocked. Life feels heavy, your thoughts are spinning, and you’re not sure how to move forward. Enter journaling—a deceptively simple practice that can help you process emotions, clarify your thoughts, and reignite your creativity.
Journaling isn’t just for teenage diaries or writers with fancy notebooks. It’s a lifeline. It’s a way to untangle the mess in your head and turn it into something manageable. Research shows that expressive writing can reduce stress, improve mood, and even boost immune function. Whether you’re dealing with depression, burnout, or a creative rut, journaling can help you find your way out.
And the best part? You don’t need anything fancy—just a pen, paper, and a willingness to start.
How Journaling Pulled Me Out of My Darkest Days
There was a time in my life when words felt impossible. I couldn’t talk about what I was going through, not even to the people I trusted most. The weight of everything I was carrying felt too heavy, and the idea of trying to explain it seemed like climbing a mountain I wasn’t equipped to face. But in the silence of those moments, I had one lifeline: my notebook.
It started with scribbles—half-thoughts, single words, even doodles when forming a sentence felt like too much. My journal didn’t judge me for not making sense. It didn’t need me to perform or pretend. It just held space for me to be raw, unfiltered, and messy. Slowly, as the pages filled, so did my sense of self.
When I couldn’t speak my truth aloud, I wrote it down. Journaling became a place to pour out the pain, confusion, and even moments of hope I didn’t know I had. Over time, it helped me find my voice again. Those private pages were the first steps toward rediscovering who I was, beyond the struggles I was facing.
And in this transformative season of my life, journaling has once again had my back.
Journaling hasn’t just pull me through some of my dark days—it has also planted the seeds for something new. It inspired this blog, a place where I could share my journey and connect with others who might be feeling just as stuck as I once was. It even gave me the courage to write poetry, and dream of actually publishing them, turning those raw emotions into something I could hold in my hands and say, “This is me. This is my story.”
The beauty of journaling is that it doesn’t demand perfection or solutions. It simply asks you to show up. And for me, showing up for myself on those pages has been, and continues to be, the most transformative act of all. When I feel myself slipping into a funk or low point, I want to hide. Hide from the world and from myself. I feel myself becoming mute again and eventually trying to numb out the uncomfortable aspects of life. I’ve been this way since I was a kid. And at one point in my life, those behaviors served and helped me push through and become resilient. But as a mother, in this critical point in my young son’s and my own life, I can’t afford to hide or mute my feelings. And forcing myself to journal forces me to confront those feelings, and “talk” about what’s really going on in a place that feels safe, private, and raw. And that’s something I think we can use.
And for almost an entire year, the only prompt I used was, *SPOILERS* “How am I feeling?” I would just answer that question in a rambling, chaotic, misspelled stream of consciousness and then slam my notebook shut.
If for no other reason, giving myself that space to simply check in, to answer that question without the social conditioning of saying something pleasant, to give myself permission to be messy, and angry, and ungrateful, and raw was deeply profound and why I’m sitting here, slightly oversharing to encourage you to do the same. Just try it on. You never have to read what you wrote and you can toss the journal when it’s full. Or hoard them in a trunk like I do.
The Mental Health Benefits of Journaling
When you’re feeling depressed or anxious, your thoughts can feel like a tornado—chaotic and relentless. Journaling gives you a way to calm the storm.
Writing about your emotions helps you externalize them, making them less overwhelming. Studies from the American Psychological Association show that journaling can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. It acts as a form of therapy, helping you process what you’re feeling in a safe, judgment-free space. So if you love a good deal and think therapy is too expensive, grab yourself a $10 notebook and a new pen.
Even if your journal entries are messy, emotional, or riddled with “I don’t know what to write,” they’re still doing the work. The act of writing helps you gain perspective, release pent-up emotions, and make sense of your inner world.
Read More: Exhausted, Overwhelmed, and Done: The Truth About Mom Burnout,
How Journaling Helps You Get Unstuck
Feeling stuck is often how I describe how I’m feeling in this season of my life, stuck on the inside to be specific. Which sucks. Feeling stuck often comes from a lack of clarity. You might be overwhelmed by choices, unsure of your next steps, or bogged down by self-doubt. Journaling helps you sift through the noise and figure out what’s really going on.
My stuckness often comes from a some sort of sick combo of lack of structure and decision fatigue. Yay me.
But when I put my thoughts on paper, patterns emerge. I start to see what’s holding me back—whether it’s fear, indecision, or old habits. From there, I can begin to map out a way forward.
The most essential prompt, and one that I return to almost daily, one that I used every day for almost a year: “How am I feeling?” Holy shit, mind-blowing, I know. But often, answering this question can feel impossible and also like it could open the floodgates. So start with that if you’re truly feeling like it’s impossible to start. Just answer that question if even all you write is, “I don’t f*cking know how I feel. That’s the f*cking problem… That is literally, straight from my journal. Trust yourself enough to just dump your brain onto the pages, regardless of what comes out.
More prompts for Getting Unstuck:
What’s one thing I’m avoiding, and why?
If I weren’t afraid of failing, what would I do?
What’s one small step I can take today to move forward?
What do I feel stuck about, and what might help me feel less stuck?
What does this stuckness feel like?
Overcoming Overwhelm Through Journaling
When your to-do list feels a mile long and your brain won’t stop spinning, journaling can act as a mental “declutter.” A technique called brain-dumping—writing down every thought or task swirling in your head—can help you free up mental space and focus on what’s most important. Writing down a simple bullet point list can be an unbelievably relieving task. I know, ground breaking stuff but honestly, when you’re in throws of life and motherhood, the simple reminder to just take a second to make a list can be necessary. Check on your mom friends! LOL
Journaling also helps you reconnect with your values and priorities. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the things you “should” do, you can focus on what truly matters. After you’ve mastered the bullet point list, try these prompts on for size.
Prompts for Overwhelm:
What’s taking up the most space in my mind right now?
What’s one thing I can let go of today?
What are three things I’m grateful for?
What’s one task that would make me feel accomplished today?
What do I need right now—rest, connection, or something else?
Using Journaling to Break Through Writer’s Block and Boost Creativity
Creativity thrives in a clutter-free mind. When you’re bogged down by self-doubt or perfectionism, it’s hard to access your creative spark. Journaling can help you clear the mental roadblocks and get back into the flow. And being creative again is something that I have found to be essential to rediscovering myself and regaining my sparkle. And I went most of my life believing that I wasn’t a creative person. Thanks to good ol marry jane and beautiful San Francisco nature hikes in my early 20s, I now know that is complete bullsh*t.
But in this season in my life, I ain’t walking around Golden Gate Park high as a kite with a notebook and a burrito all afternoon trying to find inspiration. Oh what a different time that was. Ha! These days, I’m learning to lean into gratitude and my childlike wonder to tap into the inspiration and creativity all around me, and journaling helps me get into that frame of mind.
One powerful technique is freewriting, where you write nonstop for 10 minutes without worrying about grammar, structure, or coherence. Another is the famous “morning pages” exercise from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, where you write three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts every morning.
These practices allow your creative mind to wander, uncovering new ideas and connections you might not have realized were there.
Prompts for Creativity:
What’s something I’ve always wanted to create but haven’t started yet?
Describe the last time you felt truly inspired.
If I could write/draw/paint anything without judgment, it would be…
What’s one idea I keep coming back to?
Write a letter to your creative block. What would you say to it?
Practical Tips for Making Journaling a Habit
Starting a journaling practice can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. The key is to make it simple, approachable, and consistent.
Create a Journaling Space: Find a quiet corner where you feel comfortable, or anything that makes it inviting. I tend to find this space with my morning cup of cold coffee after I’ve fed my child and turned Ms Rachel on before I get ready to head out the door.
Use the Right Tools: Whether it’s a leather-bound notebook or the Notes app on your phone, pick what works best for you.
Set a Timer: Commit to just five or ten minutes a day. The shorter the commitment, the easier it is to stick with.
Don’t Overthink It: Your journal doesn’t have to be perfect. Spelling, grammar, and coherence don’t matter—just write.
Conclusion: Your Pen is Mightier Than You Think
Journaling isn’t a magic cure, but it is a powerful tool for self-discovery, healing, and growth. Whether you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or creatively blocked, journaling offers a safe space to explore your thoughts, process your emotions, and find clarity.
The beauty of journaling is that it meets you where you are—no judgment, no rules, just you and your words. So grab a pen, pick a prompt, and start writing your way to a clearer, lighter, more inspired you. You’ve got this.
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