You look at your alarm and see the hours pass by as you lay awake. Another night of overthinking that keeps you up, and no matter how hard you try, you just can’t stop the endless barrage of thoughts. If that sounds familiar, we’re here to help. By using the effective journal prompts for overthinking in this article, you’ll quiet down that voice in your head keeping you up at night.
What is Overthinking?
Overthinking is excessive thinking about a certain topic or situation for long periods of time. You lose control over your thoughts and can’t focus on anything else.
Research shows that overthinking can be harmful, as it is related to feelings of anxiety and depression. It can also keep you up at night, resulting in a lack of sleep. Everyone overthinks once in a while, but if it’s a common issue in your life, it can be helpful for your mental health to take action to stop it.
How to Journal for Overthinking
Journaling helps with overthinking when it turns vague mental noise into clear, written thoughts. The goal is not to write beautifully or find instant solutions. The goal is to slow your thinking down and create some distance from it.
Follow the steps below to start journaling for overthinking today!
Step 1: Write Down Your Thoughts
Before you try to analyze anything, empty your mind onto the page.
Set a timer for 5 minutes and write whatever is looping in your head. Don’t edit, organize, or judge.
This step is about unloading mental clutter. Once the thoughts are on paper, they already lose some of their power.
Step 2: Pick One Thought to Focus On
Overthinking usually involves many thoughts competing for attention. Don’t tackle them all at once.
Read what you wrote and choose one thought that feels the loudest or most emotionally charged. That’s the one worth exploring right now.
Trying to fix everything at once keeps you stuck, while focus creates relief.
Step 3: Turn the Thought Into a Question
Overthinking thrives on vague worries like “What if everything goes wrong?” or “I’m messing this up.”
Rewrite the thought as a specific question you can respond to.
Examples:
- “What am I actually afraid will happen?”
- “What part of this is within my control?”
- “What evidence do I have that this fear is true?”
Questions slow the mind down and shift you from panic to clarity.
Step 4: Write Short, Honest Answers
Answer the question in simple sentences. Avoid long explanations or overanalyzing your answers.
If you don’t know the answer, write that down too. Uncertainty is often less stressful when acknowledged instead of avoided.
This step helps you separate facts from assumptions.
Step 5: End With A Small, Concrete Action
Overthinking fades when you move from thinking to doing.
End your journaling session by writing one small, concrete action you can take. It should be something realistic you can do today.
Examples:
- Send one email.
- Take a short walk.
- Write one paragraph.
- Pause and breathe for one minute.
You’re not solving your entire problem. You’re creating forward motion.
Final Thoughts
Overthinking can be a tough habit to stop. I hope the journal prompts in this article help you reduce your overthinking, so you can have a peaceful mind and a good night’s sleep.
Besides these journal prompts, we also have several other tools that may help you reduce overthinking:
Good luck with reducing your overthinking!
