ADHD Journaling: Benefits, Prompts & Tips
Amanda Unrau CCC-SLP
September 16, 2024
ADHD journaling is a tool that individuals with ADHD can use as an outlet for their thoughts and emotions. Journaling engages several cognitive processes that are impacted by ADHD, including language processing, working memory, and executive function.
Getting thoughts onto paper by keeping a journal for ADHD can help with clarity, organization, time management, and emotional well-being. This article will discuss the benefits of journaling for ADHD, how to get started, and examples of ADHD journal prompts.
The Benefits of Journaling for ADHD
Keeping an ADHD journal can provide numerous benefits for individuals with ADHD. Below are several of these benefits:
- Improved emotional regulation: By expressing your thoughts and feelings in a journal for ADHD, you can avoid keeping all those emotions pend up inside. Journaling provides a healthy way to let out your anger, vent your frustrations, express your fears or worries, and process a variety of emotions. You can also look back at your journal over time to look for emotional patterns, which can help you process future emotions.
- Improved focus: The process of journaling for ADHD helps your mind to stay focused on one thing and stay in the present. Honing in on writing in a journal forces you to block out distractions and concentrate on one task, which can improve concentration across other tasks.
- Improved organization: Using an ADHD journal to get thoughts down on paper provides a way to keep track of what needs to be done and keep track of progress. You can also prioritize tasks based on importance or due dates.
- Increased self-awareness: Keeping an ADHD journal involves self-reflection, which in turn can lead to positive changes. A journal can help you identify triggers or roadblocks, break down difficulties and challenges, and formulate plans to make improvements.
- Reduced stress and anxiety: Writing about stressful experiences and anxious thoughts takes away some of their power. It is similar to verbally processing your anxieties with a therapist or loved one, without having to tell anyone if you don’t want to.
- Increased self-compassion: Many individuals with ADHD have negative self-talk or negative thoughts about themselves. If you have ADHD, you may tell yourself that you are lazy, disorganized, unmotivated, and unintelligent. When you implement journaling, you can bring that negativity to a stop. Because it is different to see these kinds of thoughts written out versus in your head, it helps to signal your brain to be less hard on yourself.
How to Start Journaling with ADHD
There are several ways to get started with ADHD journaling. Here are some ideas and strategies to help you get the ball rolling:
- Identify your journal format: Think about your personal preferences, what you need, and what you think you will stick with. Choose a digital or paper journal. Some journals are more structured, while others are more free form. Consider the layout, size, and ease of use. You may need to test out a few options to find what works best for you.
- Set realistic goals: In order to build the habit of journaling, start small and grow your habit over time. Start with journaling for a few minutes each day. Once you do that for a couple weeks, increase to 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, etc. as the habit sticks.
- Use visuals: You are not limited to writing alone. Feel free to add in drawings, doodles, stickers, charts, etc. This encourages overall creativity in your entries and can make you feel more free to fully express yourself in a variety of ways.
- Create a schedule: You will be more likely to stick with journaling if you keep a consistent schedule. Choose a time of day for journaling, such as adding it to your morning or evening routine.
- Set up reminders: As you get started with your new journaling routine, you may want to consider setting a timer or adding a reminder to your calendar or phone.
- Keep it simple: Your journal entries do not need to be eloquent or long. If you aim for perfection, you will be less likely to keep up the habit. Your writing should be simple and to the point. You don’t even need to use complete sentences if you don’t want to. Bullet points or lists are sufficient.
- Use prompts: Having a hard time knowing what to write about? Consider using prompts to help you focus and guide your writing. The next section will go into more detail on using journal prompts.
ADHD Journal Prompts
ADHD journal prompts offer a guided approach to ADHD journaling. Prompts, in the form of topics or questions, help you to explore your emotions, recognize patterns, and identify strengths and areas of weakness. Prompts also remove the pressure to come up with topics on your own. Below are examples of journal prompts for ADHD that you may find helpful:
Goal-Setting Prompts
Individuals with ADHD can have a hard time setting reasonable goals or staying motivated enough to follow through on their goals. Goal-setting prompts help these individuals identify their goals and the steps needed to take to reach them. When choosing goals, they should be measurable and as specific as possible. Regularly reviewing progress on these goals ensures you are on the right track, helps you make adjustments, and keeps you motivated.
Examples of Goal-Setting Prompts
- What are 3 goals you have for this week?
- Write down the steps you need to complete to reach each goal.
- Write down a goal you have for this month in each of these areas: personal, professional/academic, health, social.
Personal Growth Prompts
Individuals with ADHD tend to be very hard on themselves, and may have negative thoughts about their skills and abilities. They can view themselves as careless and foolish. Viewing themselves in a more positive light can go a long way toward making changes in their lives. Personal growth prompts teach you to recognize your strengths, the ways in which you have grown, and your biggest accomplishments.
Examples of Personal Growth Prompts
- What accomplishments this week am I most proud of?
- List 3 things that I am good at.
- What have I learned through the challenges I’ve faced?
Emotional Regulation Prompts
It can be challenging for individuals with ADHD to understand and manage their emotions. They may react in ways that do not seem to match the intensity of the situation. Being able to identify your triggers can help you be better prepared in the future and either try to avoid those triggers or come up with a toolbox of things you can do to lessen your emotional reaction when you do encounter those triggers.
Examples of Emotional Regulation Prompts
- How do I feel right now?
- Why do I feel this way?
- What situations have triggered these feelings in the past?
- Write a list of things I can do when I feel this way.
Symptom Management Prompts
ADHD impacts many aspects of one’s life, and regular reflection helps to break down the specific symptoms each individual faces. It can also help to identify new areas that may need to be addressed, or current areas that may need to be addressed in a new way. Symptom management prompts are about identifying strengths and weaknesses, as well as coming up with systems and routines that work best for you as a unique individual.
Examples of Symptom Management Prompts
- What time of day am I the most focused?
- How did I eliminate or work through distractions today?
- How do I feel about asking for help or accommodations, and how can I become more comfortable doing so?
- Are there any changes to my diet I should try to implement for better energy or focus?
- How do I cope with stress? Are these strategies effective?
- Identify areas I can work on decluttering to reduce feeling overwhelmed.
Mindfulness Prompts
Mindfulness journaling can help you to stay focused in the present moment. Focusing and eliminating distractions does not come easy to those with ADHD, so mindfulness is a great tool to put into practice regularly. Slowing down and taking the time to consider your thoughts and feelings during everyday moments can help you to better focus when trying to complete other tasks.
Examples of Mindfulness Prompts
- Stop in this moment, wherever you are, and describe what you notice with each of your senses: What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? What do you taste? What do you feel?
- Describe an experience in detail, such as enjoying a favorite meal, spending time in nature, or listening to a favorite song.
Time Management and Productivity Prompts
Another area that individuals with ADHD struggle with is effectively managing their time. This can continue the cycle of procrastination and lack of productivity, which in turn leads to negative self-talk, which decreases motivation and time management, and the cycle continues. Certain ADHD journal prompts can help improve time management and productivity.
Examples of Time Management and Productivity Prompts
- Write down a list of the tasks you need to complete today and how long each one takes.
- What time of day do you have the most energy?
- What time of day do you have the least energy?
- Create a daily schedule, planning to complete the most demanding tasks when you have the most energy, and the simpler tasks when you have the least energy.
Using Forbrain for ADHD Journaling
Forbrain is a tool that can help in ADHD journaling. Forbrain is an auditory stimulation headset that boosts the brain by leveraging the auditory feedback loop. Individuals can wear it while journaling for ADHD to improve focus and attention. Forbrain can help individuals with ADHD feel more grounded. Utilizing Forbrain can also help in improving consistency in journaling and make it more of a routine.
Final Words
ADHD journaling offers numerous benefits, including improved emotional regulation, focus, and organization, increased self-awareness and self-compassion, and decreased stress and anxiety. When getting started with journaling for ADHD, consider implementing several of the tips listed above. Try using different ADHD journal prompts to guide your journaling experience.
References
Carollo, Nicole. (2021, June 19). Journaling for Adults with ADHD. Attention Deficit Disorder Association. https://add.org/journaling-for-adults-with-adhd/
NeuroLaunch. (2024, August 4). ADHD Journaling: A Powerful Tool for Managing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. NeuroLaunch. https://neurolaunch.com/adhd-journal/
Pedersen, Traci. (2023, October 17). How Can Journaling Benefit Adults with ADHD? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/journaling-for-adhd
Reflection.App. (2024, March 10). The Ultimate Guide to Journaling for ADHD. Reflection.App. https://www.reflection.app/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-journaling-for-adhd
You Can Journal. (Accessed 2024, September 8). 28 ADHD Journal Prompts to Bring Chaos Into Focus. You Can Journal. https://youcanjournal.com/adhd-journal-prompts/
Amanda Unrau
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