Kind of Numb, Kind of Trying
Journal prompts for when you’re not ready for therapy but want something real
You don’t have to be in therapy to start healing.
You don’t need the perfect words, a 5-step plan, or even clarity.
You just need a place to start.
These journal prompts are for the in-between moments—when you’re feeling something, but can’t quite name it. When you're not ready to talk to someone yet, but you're tired of feeling stuck.
No pressure. No rules. Just questions that might help you meet yourself more gently.
"I don't want anyone to see me...but I desperately want to be understood."
When Nothing Feels Real
A soft place to land when the world feels fuzzy, distant, or like you are floating through your life.
You are not broken if you feel numb. You are not lazy if everything feels foggy.
When you are overstimulated, under-connected, or emotionally flooded, your brain might say: "Let's check out for a while."
It's not weakness. It's protection.
But even in that hazy place, you still deserve care.
Below are some real, gentle answers to these prompts - to show you that you don't have to dive deep alone.
What's something small I did today that reminded me I exist?
I put my phone down for like 30 seconds and just stared at the ceiling. I could hear my own breath. It felt weirdly real.
When was the last time I felt anything deeply - good or bad?
I randomly cried while watching a TikTok about two strangers hugging at an airport. I don't know why it hit, but it did. It felt...human.
If I could pause the world for 24 hours, what would I do with that stillness?
Honestly? I would sleep without setting an alarm, wear my comfiest hoodie, and eat snacks in bed while rewatching the same comfort show for the fifth time. Just exist. No notifications. No pressure to be 'productive'.
The 'What's the Point' Days
For when you are not falling apart, but nothing's really holding you together either.
It's okay if you are not looking for meaning in a big, philosophical sense.
Sometimes, "What's the point?" isn't a question that needs solving - it's just something your nervous system is whispering when it's tired, overwhelmed, or quietly hurting.
This section isn't here to fix that. It's just here to sit with you in it.
You are not weird for feeling this way. You are not broken for asking the question.
Let's listen in together.
What part of life feels heavy right now? What makes it feel that way?
Honestly? Just existing. Waking up, checking notifications, pretending to care about emails. It's not one big thing - it's the never-ending everything.
If nothing has to matter, what would I still choose to care about?
Probably my little sibling. And this one playlist I keep updating even when life feels pointless. I don't know - maybe those things count.
What's a belief I have outgrown but still feel tied to?
That I have to be impressive to be worth anything. Like, if I'm not "doing the most," I'm not enough. I don't even believe it anymore - but it still runs in the background.
Overstimulated & Underfed
For when your brain is loud but your heart feels kind of empty.
There's a kind of exhaustion that doesn't come from doing too much - it comes from feeling too little that actually nourishes you.
When everything is constant - notifications, pressure, opinions, content - it can leave you buzzing but deeply disconnected.
This isn't about needing more willpower or self-care routines. It's about noticing what's draining you, and slowly reaching toward what feeds you.
You deserve more than survival mode.
What's draining me lately - even if it's "normal"?
Scrolling. Pretending I'm fine. Trying to keep up with everyone's "morning routine" content when I barely get out of bed. It's like my brain is full but I feel empty.
What am I craving that I don't know how to ask for?
Actual connection. Like, someone who notices when I go quiet for a few days. I don't even need a deep talk - I just want to feel like I matter to someone.
What would it feel like to be held - not fixed?
Peaceful. Soft. Like I could exhale all the way for once. I think I would cry. And not because I'm broken, but because it would finally feel safe to.
What's one thing your mind keeps going back to - even when you are trying to distract yourself? Start there. Just notice it.
When You Don't Want to Be Perceived, But Still Want to Be Understood
For when being seen feels overwhelming - but being invisible hurts too.
There's a quiet kind of loneliness that comes from constantly curating how you are seen.
You might hide parts of yourself - not because you are dishonest, but because you are protecting something tender.
This section isn't asking you to reveal anything you are not ready to.
It's just a chance to be a little more honest with yourself about what it means to be truly understood, not just noticed.
If someone really got me, what would they say to me right now?
"You don't have to prove anything. I already see the effort behind your silence."
Where in my life am I performing? What would it look like to just be?
I'm always the one who makes the joke first, changes the subject, and sends the meme. To just be? I think I would stop trying to make things lighter. Maybe I would let a moment be awkward instead of saving it.
What am I afraid people would see if I stopped trying?
That I'm not always okay. That I feel a little lost.
That under the "chill" and "funny" version of me, there's someone who's scared they will be too much or not enough.