60 Transformative Journal Prompts for Negative Thoughts
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Last Updated on June 19, 2023
Negative thoughts are some of the most limiting, debilitating things we experience. Self-doubt, imposter syndrome, hopelessness, and anxiety can have us convinced that we’re doomed for the worst.
That’s no way to live! So we’ve gotta take the steps necessary to confront these unhealthy thoughts head-on and challenge the inaccurate narratives they promote.
One of the most effective strategies you can use to support your mental health and overcome negative thoughts is journaling! With the safe space of your journal, you are free to express your thoughts, explore your triggers, and identify the cognitive distortions that you feel ruled by.
These journal prompts for negative thoughts will help you do just that. Let’s see how you can cultivate a more positive and resilient mindset for yourself!
What Are 10 Examples of Negative Thoughts?
Negative thoughts can look different for everyone. There may be certain fears you fixate on, or things that don’t seem to impact others as much as you.
Here are some common examples of negative thought patterns you might be experiencing:
- Catastrophizing: Jumping to conclusions that the worst-case scenario will always happen.
- Overgeneralization: Coming up with a broad range of negative conclusions based on a single negative event.
- Personalization: Taking responsibility for an event, even if it was out of your control.
- All-or-nothing thinking: Also known as black and white thinking, this is where you look at situations in extreme terms. You either succeed or fail, no in between.
- Mind reading: Assuming what others are thinking, usually for the worse.
- Self-blame: Holding yourself completely responsible for negative outcomes, without weighing other factors.
- Discounting the positive: Disregarding or downplaying positive experiences or personal achievements.
- Emotional reasoning: Viewing truth through the eyes of your emotions. If you believe something is true, it must be.
- Labeling: Assigning negative labels to yourself or others based on single events or single traits.
- Filtering: Having a narrow focus only on the negative in a situation, while ignoring or discounting positive elements.
If any of these ring a bell, the journal prompts for negative thoughts in this post will help you overcome these!
How Do You Write Negative Thoughts in a Journal?
Journaling is one of the best solutions for expressing and making sense of your emotions.
Here are my best tips for writing about negative thoughts in your journal:
- Describe the negative thought: Write down the negative thought as soon as it comes up, in detail. Include the specifics and context surrounding the thought.
- Express the emotions behind it: How does the negative thought make you feel? Use this opportunity to brain dump everything on your mind exactly as it flows to you. Allow yourself to fully release your emotions on the page.
- Examine the trigger: Reflect on what you believe triggered the negative thought. Are there any past experiences or fears that could be contributing to these thoughts? Explore some potential reasons behind your thoughts.
- Challenge the negative thought: Question your thought and ask yourself if there are any positive or rational alternatives/explanations. Is there any evidence that could prove your negative thought wrong?
- Reframe your thought into something positive: Be honest and admit if there is a more logical, realistic, or empowering belief that replaces your negative thought. This could be a more realistic and empowering belief that challenges the negativity. For example, “just because the interview was short, that doesn’t mean I’ll be rejected.”
Each of these strategies will help you as you use these journal prompts for negative thoughts!
60 Journal Prompts for Negative Thoughts
Stuck in negative thought loops? These journal prompts for negative thoughts cover everything from silencing your inner critic, to managing all-or-nothing thinking, to breaking the habit of overthinking!
Don’t forget about these super helpful journal prompts! Pin them to return later!
Prompts for Challenging Negative Thoughts
- What evidence is there to support my negative thoughts?
- What evidence is there to contradict them?
- Is there anything else that could explain the situation or thoughts through a different interpretation?
- If I went to my best friend about these thoughts, how would they view them?
- What kind of advice would I give if my best friend came to me with these negative thoughts?
- Have I experienced similar situations in the past that turned out to have a positive outcome?
- What is the worst case scenario? Best case scenario? What is a more balanced or likely scenario?
- Am I sinking into all-or-nothing thinking? What are some shades of grey I could identify in this situation?
- Is this negative thought based on facts or am I using emotional reasoning or my own assumptions?
- How would I feel if I didn’t have this negative thought?
- Are there any cognitive distortions (i.e: overgeneralizing, catastrophizing) that I notice in this negative thought?
- How can I show myself more kindness and acceptance in facing this negative thought?
RELATED: 40 Journal Prompts to Help You Process Your Emotions
Prompts for Reframing Negative Thoughts
- How can I view my thoughts in a more balanced way, rather than resorting to worst or best case scenarios?
- What can I ultimately learn from this challenge I’m facing?
- What do I have at my disposal that can help me overcome this situation?
- How can I take a step back and give myself some distance from this negative thought?
- How can I break this thought down into more manageable pieces?
- Am I overlooking any potential positive outcomes that could result?
- How can I reframe this example of “failing” or encountering a setback as something leading me toward success?
- What can I gain out of this situation that will help me in the future?
- How can I remind myself that this negative thought is only temporary and will pass (or at least get quieter with time)?
- What is another perspective I could look at this situation from?
- How can I shift my focus to the aspects I can control?
- How can I work toward accepting what I can’t control?
RELATED: 114 Empowering Affirmations for Letting Go
My printable mental health journal is a HUGE help for reframing your negative thoughts (it has whole sections dedicated entirely to this process, down to every last detail!).
These worksheets will guide you through the exact step-by-step process for squashing those thoughts and leaving rational, productive, and realistic thoughts in their place!
Grab it below and learn the exact process for killing those negative thoughts every time.
Struggling with anxious thoughts? Feel stuck in fight-or-flight? Just want to get better at managing life’s daily stressors? (Hey, you’re not alone!) This journal is for you.
By the end of this journal, you’ll…
Journal Prompts for Your Inner Critic
- What is your inner critic telling you right now?
- When do you especially notice your inner critic coming out to hurt you?
- Where do you think these negative thoughts or core beliefs originated from?
- What is your earliest memory of being in a similar situation or feeling the same way you do now? Do you notice any patterns?
- Are there any recurring messages your inner critic keeps repeating? Explore why you think these keep popping up.
- Do you think your inner critic is truly being accurate, or do you think there are distortions at play?
- Would you put up with a friend who talks to you the same way your inner critic does? What would you say in response if someone really did talk to you the same?
- Do you think your inner critic is ultimately trying to protect you from something harmful, or from failure? Explore more productive and healthy ways you could protect yourself instead.
- How has your inner critic impacted your self-worth, confidence, and trust in making the right decisions?
- When was the last time your inner critic held you back or limited you from an amazing experience?
- In what ways does your inner critic make you doubt yourself and your abilities?
- Do you think your self-doubt is rational? Or can you recognize that it is mostly stemming from your inner critic?
Are negative thoughts impacting your life often? Talking to an online therapist lets you vent and you get effective tools to handle those negative thoughts. I know my therapist has helped me SO much with managing this! I always recommend Online Therapy because it’s a comprehensive, effective online therapy toolkit at an affordable monthly cost.
RELATED: 14 Journal Prompts for Limiting Beliefs
All-Or-Nothing Thinking Journal Prompts
- Which situations do you commonly notice yourself using all-or-nothing thinking?
- What are some extreme or rigid thoughts you’ve had or are currently struggling with?
- How has the pattern of all-or-nothing thinking affected your emotions, relationships, and overall mental health?
- Do you feel limited or as though your thinking patterns cause you unwarranted stress?
- What are some ways you can be more flexible and forgiving with yourself?
- Do you struggle with perfectionism? In what ways do you think these two concepts (perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking) are related?
- Write a letter to yourself as a reminder that you do not and cannot expect to be perfect. Encourage yourself to live a full life, even if mistakes are made along the way.
- When was the last situation where you felt that success or failure were the only possible outcomes? Then, describe what actually happened.
- What if the thing you’re worried about right now had an outcome that fell somewhere in the middle, rather than an extreme?
- Reflect on the most recent things you’ve been stressed about. Did they turn out to really be as black-or-white as you thought?
- How can you help yourself shift toward a mindset that values progress over perfection?
- How can you allow yourself to be more open-minded to different possibilities or potential outcomes?
RELATED: 80 Insightful Inner Child Journal Prompts to Self-Heal
Journal Prompts for Overthinking
- Describe the most recent time you noticed yourself overthinking. What triggered it and how did it affect what you felt and did?
- Are there any underlying fears or traumas that could be the reason behind your overthinking? (these prompts will help you uncover and process those traumas.)
- What specific thoughts and worries pop up when you overthink? Do these thoughts tend to be repetitive and unproductive, or have they ever been helpful?
- How does overthinking affect your stress levels and your ability to be immersed in the present moment?
- How can you practice more mindfulness on a daily basis to help keep overthinking at bay?
- What are 3 self care activities you can do immediately in the middle of an overthinking attack? (Browse these 5 minute self care activities for easy ideas!)
- What are some quick facts that contradict your worries or help you entertain a different perspective?
- How frequently does overthinking derail you from your day? How long does it last for? Explain your feelings about this.
- Do you think that allocating specific “worry time” at some point during your day could help you limit the impact of overthinking?
- How can you shift your thinking to be more solution-focused, rather than dwelling on what you can’t control, or avoiding it?
- Can you remember a time where overthinking did more harm than good? How did things turn out?
- How can you practice gratitude by recognizing the positives in your life more often?
RELATED: 250 Peaceful Affirmations for Overthinking
Journaling is one of the most powerful tools you can use to overcome negative thoughts, so you’re doing the right thing! For every negative thought you have, it’s absolutely crucial that you try to challenge it.
As you work through these journal prompts for negative thoughts, think about seeking out the balance in situations to help you realize that things aren’t so black or white.
More often than not, you’ll find that the worst case scenario is usually not the most likely scenario! Remember to show yourself self-compassion and go easy on yourself when slipping into negative thinking patterns.
We all experience negative thoughts and that you are perfectly human for having this struggle. With enough practice reframing these thoughts, it gets easier to rewrite the narratives that drag you down so that you can live a full, happy, joy-filled life!
More Journal Prompts You’ll Love
14 Journal Prompts for Limiting Beliefs
80 Insightful Inner Child Journal Prompts to Self-Heal
55 Journal Prompts for a Growth Mindset (Perspective-Changing!)
Trauma Healing Journal Prompts: 40 Prompts to Process Your Past