Building Confidence Through Journaling
A guide to writing your thoughts and feelings down to help you grow and flourish.
Journaling has been proven to be a helpful tool for holding us accountable and reminding us that not everything in the world is so bad. From food journals, to exercise diaries, gratitude posts and everything in between journaling allows us the ability to visualize what we are thinking, feeling and doing in our everyday lives.
Using journaling can also be helpful in prompting better self-esteem and positive thinking amongst yourself. In this post we explore some ideas you can implement in order to be your own biggest cheerleader. Seriously, who couldn’t use a little extra pep in their step this year?
10 Prompts For Better Self-Esteem
1. Describe what the word “confidence” means to you?- This prompt is great because it forces you to sit and think about what you view either in yourself or others as confident traits. From there you can either implement them into your everyday life or make a point of giving yourself more credit for what you already bring to the table.
2. Write down 5 things you are grateful for.- The best way to have a positive attitude? Think about positive things in your life and this exercise accomplishes just that. Tell us you don’t feel good after emphasizing the happier aspects of your life?
3. Talk about a fear you overcame. – Sometimes we need reminders of the things we find hard that we’ve learned to adapt to or no longer allow to hinder us. By writing down something that used to cause you anxiety or stage fright that no longer affects you the same way shows you that you are able to do hard things. So what are you waiting for? Take that next big leap!
4. Write down some of your favorite quotes about confidence. – We all like surfing the web so why not make a productive exercise out of it? Google quotes about confidence, pick the ones that inspire you most and write them down as a self-proclamation. This way they will be at hand whenever you need a quick boost before that big meeting, or asking for that raise you know you’ve earned.
5. Create a playlist of positive songs. - Music has the ability to make anyone, anywhere feel something. It is the most powerful, universal language after all. Making a playlist of songs that make you feel sassy, strong, happy or confident to conquer your day can be productive way to start your day, or get it on track when something doesn’t go right at first.
6. What traits do you have that are unique to you?- In a world that tries so desperately to make us all the same, it is sometimes nice to reflect on things that make you stand out. Especially if these are traits that your friends or family compliment you on or have expressed a desire to have themselves.
7. Write down what you would like to say to someone negatively impacting your life. – This is a good exercise because it allows you to get something off your chest without potentially ruining a relationship. It’s ok to be as blunt as you want in your private journal. By writing something like this down it also allows you to see it and determine whether or not it is something you should eventually broach with the person, or if it is better to let sleeping dogs lie.
8. Discuss three reasons you deserve to be loved. – We are our own harshest critics and sometimes we put up with behaviors from others that aren’t great because we don’t think we deserve better. This exercise forces you to think about why you should expect better for yourself and forge the courage to demand it from those around you.
9. Discuss some things you did well today.- Again, this is a reminder to yourself that a seemingly insignificant day can be filled with significant moments where you performed to the best of your ability. It doesn’t matter how big or small your activities were, if you felt like you nailed something write it down and give yourself the praise you deserve.
10. Share the best compliment you’ve received and reflect on how it made you feel.- The truth is everyone around us views us differently than we view ourselves. Reflecting on something nice that was said about you—especially if it’s something you take for granted is a great confidence booster and will be sure to get your face turning red (in a good way) all over again.