Racing thoughts? Regrets? Unanswered questions? Things left unsaid? Sounds like a break-up to me. This is why I’ve developed some break-up journal prompts to help you process and move on.
It is easy to feel as though you are going crazy in the early days after a break-up. Because the very nature of relationships is so intense, the unraveling of them often is as well. Emotions run deep, yet close to the surface. Many experience unfamiliar anger or high levels of anxiety during this time, due to the weight of the emotional impact and the inability to calm the mind. This experience may be even more intense if you feel your ex has been unfair to you in some way.
While there is no formula for processing the experience there are things that you can do to be proactive about your healing. Even better news? You can take matters into your own hands and leave your ex out of the equation. That’s where break-up journal prompts come in.
I know that you will feel extremely relieved each time you complete one of these prompts. You will also feel confident about your break-up, powerful, and full of clarity. Please feel free to message me and let me know how it goes.
Break-up journal prompt #1: A letter to your ex
How would you love to tell your ex how you REALLY really feel about how things have gone down? How would it feel to unburden yourself FULLY and release the nagging thoughts racing on the hamster wheel in your head? Letter writing can help you do that.
Start with:
Dear [Ex’s name or your new pseudonyn],
Here is what I really want you to know about our break-up:
I encourage you to dive really deep into this break-up journal prompt. Save it for a time when you don’t have anything else to do.
#2: What wasn’t working
Start with:
What I didn’t like about [this relationship] or [being with X]:
Go to town. List every little thing that your ex did that hurt you. List all of the annoying things that this person did. List each time you fought. List what little and large things you always wanted out of your partner in the back of your mind that he or she never delivered. The times they let you down. Places where you found the relationship to be unfair. The things you did for this person that went unappreciated.
This break-up journal prompt isn’t me encouraging you to adopt a victim mindset. Quite the opposite. This is a valuable, POWERFUL exercise to help you step into your power, get your true feelings out of your body, and see that what has happened is for the best.
I have found that this journal exercise works best when done in an initial sitting to get the ball rolling and then returned to over a period of about a week. Once energy is put into seeing the ways the relationship didn’t serve your highest purpose, a lot more will come to mind. Keep the list going to help you stay strong over the upcoming months of healing.
#3: What I want for myself is…
Take a deep breath. You’ve been through a break-up and it really sucks. This type of agony is a part of life, but it is also something to work toward overcoming and avoiding in the future.
Find a quiet time when you will be uninterrupted for at least a half-hour. Light a candle. Close your eyes and think about your future for a few minutes. Then, start with:
When I see myself one year from now, I see:
What does that future look like for you? If you went deep and could see your future self as happy as can be, what would she be doing two years from now? Where would she be living? What does her apartment or house look like? What do her mornings look like? What do her surroundings look like each morning when she opens her eyes?
Does your future self have a partner? If so, what does the relationship look like? Do they? How does this person treat you? What do you have in common?
If you find that you want to go deep into visualizing your future partner, allow yourself to write two different journal entries.
I would love to hear what you come up with for your journal entries and would love to help you manifest the future of your dreams. Please contact me if you would like to go deeper with some one-on-one coaching. Or, if you’d like to get powerful break-up support delivered to your inbox each morning, check out the Broken Heart Repair Kit.
You’ve got this!
This is so wonderful. I wish I had this post back when I was in high school and was going through a couple bad break ups. I think this is an awesome idea though!
Thank you so much for reading! I do think a LOT of people in high school could learn from some of this! A break-up is just a bump in the road, if you are intentional about it there is no need to let it ruin your life!