Journal Prompt: Breaking Habits
I created this journal prompt as a tool to help me overcome eating disorder behaviors, but it is useful for breaking any habit that doesn’t serve you. It’s a powerful practice in digging down into the underlying causes of your habit*, taking a hard look at how it impacts your life, envisioning your dream future life to find the motivation to overcome it, and landing on one or two actionable steps to put your newfound clarity to work.
*an important note - if you are dealing with substance abuse, eating disorders, or habits that cause significant mental and/or physical harm to yourself, I suggest working with a professional for an extra layer of support in your healing journey
Journal Prompt: Breaking Habits
The Focus: What habit do you want to break?
The Trigger: What triggers this habit to play out? What are you trying to address / avoid by engaging in this habit?
The Root: Where does this habit stem from? When do you first remember engaging in this habit? Did you observe someone in childhood who displayed this habit? Was it a reaction to a particularly challenging time of your life?
The Evidence: Why do you want to break this habit? How does it show up in your life? How is it no longer serving you? What effects does it have on your day to day and how might it affect the longer-term big picture?
Try to think beyond the surface (ex: you have a habit of putting off washing dishes until they pile up and the result is your kitchen becomes a mess) into the more subtle aspects (ex: you put off washing your dishes, so your kitchen is a mess, and you feel overwhelmed whenever you step foot in it. Instead of cooking dinner, you order takeout night after night to avoid dealing with the mess. Consistently eating out puts a strain on your digestion which takes a toll on your mood and energy levels so now you’re not able to show up for yourself, your relationships, or your job the way you’d like.)
The Motivation: What could your future look like once you’ve broken free of this habit? How will the change impact your sense of self-worth, your relationships, your career, how you spend your free time, your hobbies and passions. What new, wonderful things might letting go of this habit open up space for? Have fun with this, let your dreams run wild and get as deep and detailed as you can! This is what you’ll use as fuel to move forward.
The Action: What are one or two action steps you can take to bring you closer to breaking this habit? Is there a better alternative you can swap it out for or, if that feels overwhelming or too far off, a small step you can take to inch yourself away?
(Ex: You can tackle the dishes in small chunks every day for a week until you’ve cleared them all and celebrate your newly clean space by cooking a delicious meal to share with your roommate/partner/friends who can help you clean up afterwards!)