Journaling for Difficult Decisions

Strategies for Decision-Making

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by choice? Feel torn between two options, unsure of the right path? Or perhaps you sense a change is needed but can’t pinpoint the steps forward. Journaling offers a powerful tool to help you untangle your thoughts, weigh your options, and make decisions with increased clarity and confidence.

Whether you’re new to journaling or an experienced writer, this guide offers practical strategies to help with decision-making.

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What Makes Decision-Making So Hard?

Several factors can make choosing a path forward challenging:

• Fear of regret: Worrying about making the “wrong” choice and its potential consequences.

• Lack of Information: Not feeling equipped with enough knowledge to decide.

• Feeling Unsupported: Making decisions without guidance or encouragement can feel scary or isolating.

• Societal Pressure: The weight of expectations from others that might not align with your true self.

• Unaware of personal values: It’s hard to make decisions that align with who you are if you’re uncertain of your core values

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The Cost of Indecision

When decisions feel overwhelming, you might find yourself avoiding making them. However, this could lead to:

• Procrastination – Delaying decisions can create a ripple effect, impacting other areas of life your life e.g. relationships, finances, career, or mental health.

• Missed opportunities – Hesitating too long may mean losing out on important opportunities.

• Emotional Distress – Stress, anxiety, and low mood often accompany prolonged indecision. This could then affect sleep, self-esteem and overall well-being. Indecision 

• Overthinking – Continuously turning over decisions in your mind could make the situation feel more daunting and harder to move forward.

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How Journaling Can Help Make Decisions

Journaling can be a useful tool to process emotions and clarify thoughts. Exploring your internal world on paper (or an app) might offer you a different perspective on the options available, a deeper understanding of what’s holding you back, and what you need to move forward. 

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1. Reflect on External Influences

External factors, like societal norms, peer pressure, and the media can shape our decisions, often without realising it.  External influences can have the power to be informative and inspirational but other sources might lead to misinformation, confusion or pressure. Journaling can be a useful tool to assist you in distinguishing between what aligns with your authentic self and what doesn’t. Consider the following influences:

• Media: We are constantly bombarded with social media, news, and advertising. This exposure can subtly influence how we view success, happiness, and even what life "should" look like.

• Societal norms:  Societal expectations may shape our decisions, even when they don’t align with our authentic needs or goals.

• Peer pressure: Friends, family, and colleagues may offer well-meaning advice that subtly sways you toward choices that may not be in your best interest.

Journaling prompts to explore external influences:

• Inspiration: Who inspires you, and why? Write about their qualities and how they resonate with you. Inspirational people could include, friends, family, teachers, public figures, spiritual or religious figures, or even fictional characters.

• Sense of Purpose: What activities, past or present, feel fulfilling? For example, learning a new skill, time with others, volunteering, or engaging in creative pursuits. Reflect on whether your decision aligns with what gives you purpose.

• Peer Pressure: Are your thoughts and feelings about this decision tied to past or present peer pressures or experiences?

• Media Influences: What media sources are you regularly exposed to and do you find this helpful or unhelpful? This might include radio, newspapers, TV, or social media. How can you be more mindful of the news and media you follow?

• Define success: What does being successful look like to you? Where does this idea of success come from? Is it a result of external influences, media, your values or wants?

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2. Explore Your Core Values

Values are the guiding principles that shape who we are and the decisions we make. Examples of values include compassion, honesty, fairness, and creativity. When we have a clearer idea of our values, it becomes easier to make decisions that align with who we are.

Journaling exercise to clarify your values:

Values are the core principles that shape who we are and guide the decisions we make. Examples of values include compassion, honesty, fairness, and creativity. When you are aware of your values you’re more likely to make decisions that align with who you are. 

Using a list of values can be useful for this task as it may help clarify values you resonate with and ones you don’t. Such lists can be found online or in books on this subject. The tool I often use is the deck of cards created especially for this called ‘Live Your Values’.

Journaling exercise to clarify your values:

• Write down 5 values that matter most to you.

• What or who influenced you to hold these values? 

• How do these values guide your life? 

• When do you feel most aligned with your values?

• Think of a past decision that upheld one of your values. How did it feel, and what was the outcome?

• How do these values apply to your current situation?

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3. Journaling To Overcome Decision Procrastination

Fear and uncertainty often lead to procrastination. Journaling creates space to explore any barriers, gain clarity and plan what’s needed to take small steps forward.

Prompts to address decision-making procrastination:

• Explore your fear: What’s your greatest fear about making this decision? How likely is it to happen, and what could you do if it does?

• Explore the potential: What positive outcomes could arise from this decision? How would things be different to how they are now?

• Break it down: What’s the smallest step you could take today to move closer to a decision?

• Challenge perfectionism: Consider a time when you made a decision that wasn’t perfect but still worked out. What can you take away from this?

• Reflect on a past decision: Consider a decision you made in the past that turned out well. What helped you take that step? Can you apply this to your current situation?

• Pros and Cons: Write a list of potential advantages and disadvantages for each option. If you struggle to think of the pros and cons you might want to try the Goblin.tools AI Consultant (you might want to check for accuracy with the results it gives).

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4. Address Information and Support Gaps

Sometimes indecision or inaction is a result of not feeling informed or supported. If you feel stuck due to a lack of knowledge or support, journaling can help identify what’s missing.

Journal prompts to fill the gaps:

• Current knowledge: What information do you already have? Is this enough to make a decision? If so, what’s the reason you feel unequipped to move forward?

• Information gaps:  What information do you still need? How can you acquire it (e.g., books, courses, professional advice)?

• Support: What type of support do you need (encouragement, practical help, other)? Are there people or services you can reach out to for support?

• Thoughts and feelings: What thoughts and feelings do you have about gathering information or reaching out for help? Does asking for help feel empowering or uncomfortable? What past experiences might influence how you approach seeking support or information?

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Final Thoughts

Journaling can be a valuable tool for navigating change or making decisions. It provides an opportunity to reflect on external influences, core values, and past experiences, so you can build clarity and confidence in your choices.

Counselling

If you’re feeling stuck or finding it difficult to weigh up a challenging decision, counselling might be the next step to help you move forward. Therapy aims to provide guidance and support to help you explore your options, increase awareness, and gain the confidence to make a decision that feels right for you.

Resources:

If you found this blog helpful you might also want to check out:

A Guide to Journaling: Aimed at beginners and those seeking journal inspiration.

Journaling with Images: Images can be a powerful tool for personal reflection and gaining new insights

Gratitude journaling: Journal prompts and other gratitude practices.