Writing Prompts to Overcome a Challenge
Writing things down is an effective way to process emotions and understand where you might be getting stuck. I don’t care if you are a terrible writer, if your handwriting is illegible and your grammar is questionable. If you find yourself writing below your standards, lower your standards. No one else ever needs to read what you write. Set a timer for five, ten, twenty minutes — whatever feels reasonable, and free write with zero judgment.
Writing prompt:
Are there ways you tend to think of yourself as broken? As a victim? As someone who is less capable, more emotional, less equipped to handle the world? Can you write about when you first felt that way, maybe if there was someone in your life who furthered the narrative that you were too weird or too different or too _____?
Now, can you flip the script? Can you list the ways that you have gotten through difficult situations? Can you see that you have survived 100% of your worst days? Write down your wins.
Glennon Doyle often says “we can do hard things.” Is there a phrase or a mantra that you can use to remind yourself that you are strong and can handle discomfort and challenge? Write that down and put it somewhere you can see it often - a post-it note on the bathroom mirror is a classic choice.
This writing prompt originally appeared with the article entitled There is No Guidebook on How to be a Person.
About this Photo
In 2008, Lisa did a Study Abroad program in Southern Africa. During the trip, Lisa and her fellow classmates drove across Kruger National Park in a van. Partway through the journey, two lions appeared on road. The rules of the park (and common sense!) prohibit disturbing the animals in any way. So, the group spent a very long time waiting for the lions to get bored and move out of the way.
